"Drippy Dick"? I Wish That Was It

[Specialist]

Hugh, please allow me to welcome you into one of the more exclusive clubs on the planet, the DVT/PE Survivor's League. There are no meetings, there is no newsletter, there are no T-shirts, and you've already paid your dues.

 

I pulled the same stunt not quite two years ago. I got to spend a year on warfarin (my doctor is extremely conservative).

 

[Hugh_Hoy]

Well guys, I see you've mostly used the info in ways that I'd hoped. Reinforced your awareness of the possible implications, perhaps a bit more research, and sharing some personal experiences (directly or indirectly). Also, I'd like to applaud Mekong and the EWA man for having the balls to admit we shared some drinks/time together one afternoon. Takes a real man to own up to that on this board. 55555555555555. KK...indeed, our political views are often expressed in terms utterly opposite of one another; yet, I have feeling that we probably have some common beliefs within those perceived differences. Appreciate your sympathy/encouragement which you expressed despite those differences. And also appreciate the comments of others relating to my experience and gradual return to a better state of health. I'm sure I'll fully recover. But it sure has been a wake-up call. 55555555555

 

HH

[Gadfly]

Google this stuff...even if it only serves to remind you of what you already "know".

 

Hope you recover. This is good advice ('google this stuff"). It's not a substitute for proper medical care, but you can learn a great deal from google that your doctor (particularly here) may or may not tell you.

 

One example: about one month ago I cut myself on coral while scuba diving in the south of Thailand. It didn't seem that bad, but there was a deep puncture wound. I checked the internet, and it appears infections from coral wounds are very common. Sure enough, in a few days...so I immediately went to the doctor before it got worse.

 

I got antibiotics and a tetanus shot. The nurse asked if I was familiar with the side-effects of tetanus shots, I said I was not and she made some curious comments: like, well in some cases, it causes the arm where the shot is administered to get weaker (nooyee - sorry for the bad transliteration) for awhile and other problems. I checked the internet, found out plenty of information and then was not so surprised when I discovered that her comments were the understatement of the year. My arm is still a bit sore, but at least I know why.

[desert_fox]

Something similar (DVT) happened to me in 2008 after spending 2 weeks in Thailand but with the added complication of developing some form of pneumonia.

 

I started feeling rough the day I was due to fly back to Saudi… took it I had a cold coming on and thought no more about it, popped some paracetamol and slept though the 7 hour Gulf Air cattle class flight into Bahrain.

 

I ignored the leg cramp and the worsening cough and shortness of breath for almost a week (as hero types do) and carried on with my daily routine until the calf of my leg swelled up to what seemed like 2 times its normal size…. that really freaked me out and triggered me to go to the Hospital. The ER doctor picked up on it straight away and said I most lightly had DVT and possible a pulmonary embolism but needed to be confirmed with tests.

 

I ended up in a Saudi hospital for 6 weeks which was a very humbling experience and made me realize I am not invincible after all. I was on oxygen for 3+ weeks as I couldn’t breathe without it, on all sorts of IV antibiotics, plus the blood thinners and god knows what other concoctions. Had daily chest x-rays, the most worrying thing was that the pneumonia wasn’t responding to any of the drugs and couldn’t be clinically identified. After I was discharged I was on Warfrin and a bunch of steroids for 6 months with PT/INT tests every few weeks until I got the all clear.

 

BTW I was 38 years old, non smoker, very light drinker (odd glass of wine with a meal couple times a year), walked 3~4km every other day and would consider myself to be in pretty good shape.

 

 

 

 

 

[Whitney]

I find it amazing that on some 12 or 13 hour flights, the person sitting next to me only gets up once during the entire flight. I would think that they would more likely have some kind of blood clotting problem

 

I always book an aisle seat on longhaul flights when possible, or get to the airport early enough to get an aisle seat hopefully reserved. Thats about the best thing I can think of to limit the torture of flying cattle class

 

I cannot even remember when I last sat in the middle seat or window seat on a longhaul flight. That thought just about terrifies me to think about being in the middle seat and trapped on both sides.

 

 

[ozpharlap]

I once recalled a short flight trip, from Darwin to Nhulunbuy, maybe 90 minutes, if that. A elderly aboriginal passenger had pissed his pants, and soaked the chair he was in. His fellow passenger, next to him was still seating his his chair as this old fellow staggered out of his chair to decamp the plane. The irony was, the toilet was right behind him.

[cavanami]

I always try to sleep the entire long haul flight. I request an exit row, window seat.

All my physical vitals are good, so I never worry about blood clots...at this time.

[shygye]

The probability of having DVT on a plane is independent of service class.