I've pretty much do everything while on Coumadin that I did before clots; except I exerise more caution. Being on Coumadin for life I stay informed on what can be taken while on Coumadin. Back when I first was placed on Coumadin, the medical community felt that Vitamin K was something to stay clear of. Modern medicine has found that it is okay to eat foods with Vitamin K in moderation as long as you make it a consistent part of your daily diet.

I still scuba dive, mountain bike, travel. I just stay an educated patients and research things or talk to my thrombophilia specialist when in doubt., listen to my body, and are a little more conservative (when biking off-road). As my friend Dero says, there is Live after DVT. Being on anticoagulants may be a part of my life, but is not restricted it.

When I was first diagnosed in November 2009 I was also recovering from a knee surgery which led to the clots. I didn't do much of anything for several months because of both. I still have a lot of chest pain off and on at times along with other medical issues but I decided not to put my life on hold because of a blood thinner pill I still don't know if I'll get off of yet.

When I was first put on blood thinners I was told to avoid all contact/risky sports like...riding bikes, horseback riding, football, no drinking, no walking barefoot outside...the list goes on. And at first I admit I was terrified I'd bleed to death if I got bumped or hit. But truth is we can get hurt just walking outside or driving somewhere.

So I chose to do things I did before blood thinners...I still horseback ride (though my doctor says not to), I still climb rocks at the local fossil bed (and yes have gotten scraps that bleed a bit more then before), I still shave my legs with a regular razor, I walk outside barefoot in the summer, I still do things.I do use more caution though and I now ride my horse with a helmet, I listen to my body and I don't attempt things if I don't feel up to doing them.

But life is just that...life, and it can be taken from you at anytime, doing anything so why let a little blood thinner pill inconvience your life? that's my thoughts.

I still shave with a razor blade. I've never used an electric shaver in my life. I have not covered the furniture corners with rubber pads. I ate cranberry Thanksgiving.
I may or may not return to drinking the beer someday.
So far there has been only one bad spill on the bicycle.

For many of us, the trouble started by sitting down. If you cannot even sit on your ass and be safe, you may as well live.

Funny topic...my top 3 vices (that the Dr. may not approve of) are:

12 & 24 hour bicycle races.
Hiking in remote areas with no cell phone or medical access .
Having a little more wine or rum & cokes than recommended.

:)
Robert

i remember early this year when i had the hemorrhage, i was semi conscious for pretty much the first three days and very sick for well over a month. just before the hemorrhage i had painted the living room and taken down all my pictures even the ones of my husband who i had lost the year before. I hand a meltdown the pictures stayed under the couches i could not decide if i was coming or going for a long time. i was along i nearly died from the incident. when i came home i could not make myself want to live. finally i said just hang the damn pictures that will remind you to live and what life is about. i pulled out all of then dusted and cleaned hung them. and decided i wanted life caumadin and this illness did not own me. it only causes bumps in the road that do not define me they challenge me to be better and stronger and learn new ways to live.. live may or may not be short no guarantees. my brother was one year younger than me we were close he had no warnings no illnesses he laid down and died with the remote to the tv in his hands. never sick, no stress of illnesses to worry about worked his job came home liad down and dies. i went to Chicago to take care of his life and threw my clots on the plane coming back. everything the docs say tells me life is gonna be pretty short make arrangements. i am doing that i am living life different so the children will know i love them but i refuse to sit on the couch and let these hemorrhages and clots tell me who and how to be. how to love, laugh smile . if i die tomorrow the kids will remember i climbed trees to scare them. climbed on the roofs to get them off. they will remember reading book after book. they will remember when they did something wrong i did not throw them out i loved them, and taught them. if i die by spinach i went happy. they will remember i came to pick them up in the middle of typing a response gotta go Hannah called me.

After the first 6 wks, my drs haven't told me not to do anything. They tell me to try not to hit my head. They tell me what the risks are and that I have to decide what I can live with. The packet that the hospital gave me when I checked out did have a long list of do nots though. Since I'm on this for the long haul, here are the ones I do anyway.

1. Eat spinach every week. I'm consistent and my INR is fairly stable now.
2. Shave with a razor. I hated the electric razor and getting a nick really isn't that big of a deal.
3. Mountain bike but more cautiously than before.
4. Sky dive
5. Downhill ski but more cautiously than before.
6. I missed the one about walking outside barefoot but I do that too.
7. Today I ran with scissors but I don't make that a habit.

Anyone that knows me on here know I think my doctor is a full blown idiot. (I still haven't fired him lol) He tells me I have to avoid vitamin k altogether... Uh sorry but no
SO what exactly do I do that I am not supposed to...
I eat cranberries
I drink beer and get drunk at least one day a weekend.
I eat broccoli and lettuce when I please, just not big amounts of it.
I walk barefoot although I try to avoid that one. I hate getting my feet icky.
I shave with a regular razor
and I challenge the Klingons whenever possible. :)

HeHeHe I don't think my Doctor advised me not to do anything because he knew I wouldn't listen to him anyway. I still do everything I have always done and the only limitations I have are the ones I put on myself. To be honest if I am attempting to get out of doing something I don't want to do I tell my hubby my Doctor doesn't want me to do that at this time (I know my bad). With that said what I have learned while being on Coumadin is; its not wise to use a fence post driver unless you want bruised hands, And I mean really bruised hands.Also not a great idea to mess with barbed wire, especially if your like I am and manage to cut yourself just looking at the stuff. I found out not to fall down because you bruise easily, and definitely do not slide down steep hillsides/ rockslides on your butt because you bruise more than just your pride, not to hit your head because it hurts like hell. Not to fall asleep on your horse because someone might see you do something goofy like fall off. (How embarrassing)

Yes, I walked out side with out shoes. I was not putting on shoes every time I took the dog out.
I volunteer at the local animal shelter and did show caution about taking some of the bite risk dogs. (I was also very dizzy so I didn't want pass out because some large ill mannered pitt was pulling so much I passed out. One time I took a bigger dog out who was not a puller. Little did I know there was a dead deer just up the road...so I had this 100 plus pound dog dashing to smell the dead thing..into the bushes I went...LOL)

Like everybody else I do what I did before being on Warfarin for life, I still ride a motorbike, cycle, play golf (they were even worried about that in case I got hit by golf ball), since been on Warfarin I have qualified as downhill ski instructor, which means that I now ski faster and more aggressively than I did before. I eat and drink what I like, though I make sure that I don't binge on any one thing.

I spending this winter ( about 3 months) skiing in Mai

Like everybody else I do what I did before being on Warfarin for life, I still ride a motorbike, cycle, play golf (they were even worried about that in case I got hit by golf ball), since been on Warfarin I have qualified as downhill ski instructor, which means that I now ski faster and more aggressively than I did before. I eat and drink what I like, though I make sure that I don't binge on any one thing.

I spending this winter ( about 3 months) skiing in Maine

I do what I did before, but it was a bit of a process to get there initially. Like when I first was on warfarin, I was obsessive about the whole vitamin K thing, but now I don't think twice about it. I eat what I want to eat but just watch that I don't binge on some things that may send things way out of whack. I ride my bike more now that I did before the PE, and I do more city street riding. I'm a safer bike rider now because I am more aware.

Honestly. I wasn't given a lot of restrictions, if any, that I recall. My doc and nurse who treated me for my PE/DVT really made it seem like it wasn't a big deal, which was hard to get my mind around at the time because what you read and hear was so contrary to that. So, once I became a warfarin lifer due to a second clot and had a better understanding of warfarin and INR and all that jazz, I thought, you know, this really isn't that big of a deal. It's manageable. I want to be happy. I want to feel whole. So may of us are young, and by that I mean younger than 80! We have things we want to do in our time here. I couldn't imagine restricting myself for the rest of my life.

It was someone on either the PE or the DVT site who said they gave up what the loved the most- sailing, because of the risk of a head injury. That's a personal choice to give that up and this is in no way a judgment, but for me, there's no way. I'd be more aware of things and perhaps more cautious, but I'd still sail. I'd wear a helmet if it made me feel better. But those are choices people have to come to terms with on their own.

Be sensible, but holy cow, if WE don't know that life is too short , who really does? Get out and do sh*t, indeed.

Good discussion, cjmenjou.

There's this great quote by Warren Zevon. He was at the end of this battle with cancer and his advice to people was "Enjoy every sandwich." I think about that all the time since the PE. Savor all of it. Ride, swim, scuba, ski... .

Life changes in an instant is what my ICU doctor told me when I was admitted with my PE. So, we have to just find a way to live like freakin' gods- with meaning, with intent, with gusto.

On a side note...Ferr, that is too funny, I thought I was the only one to fall asleep on her horse! LoL

I want to thank everyone, I find this thread really empowering. I also now do everything I did pre PE, but like others it took a while to get there, as well as discussions with my wife about the risks. I also mountain bike, road bike, run trails, do triathlons, open water swims, use a real razor (we actually bought an electronic razor at Target on the way home from the hospital... I returned it 2 days later never having opened it thinking how silly it was), I let my barber use the straight razor,

There are a couple things I don't do anymore, that frankly while coumadin was the catalyst, it's probably a good idea anyway. Like bike riding early in the morning in the dark on weekdays (with lights). Ride inside instead on those days.

I also haven't yet come to terms with going on remote trips for diving. Some of the trips my friends go on, and I used to go on, are at least a full day away from medical help. I think that needs to be re thought and taken into consideration. So I guess there's a few things I don't, or won't yet, do while on coumadin

Chris