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Thread: How I discovered I had a DVT

  1. #11

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    Best I was able to figure it was I was stopped and crouched in bad positions for very long stretches during the demo. That plus the pull caused it.

    While the swelling was sudden onset, I stupidly walked around with it for two weeks before it got unmanageable (not so much the pain, but the swelling and the fluid in the foot that would not drain/go away). I was concerned about some kind of sepsis. That's what finally sent me to the doctor.

    The discoloration and swelling might be valve damage/bad return. Talk to your doctor. Clots will damage the valve. I treated it gingerly for about six weeks and then started up a walking regimen.

    I did not feel any adverse effects from the Xarelto, other than I cut myself putzing around in the shed and it took a LONG time to stop. Blood was running like Kool Aid off of my forearm. Took me the better part of 20 mins with quikclot and 3 shop rags to get it under control. It does lower your blood pressure a good 20-30 points.

  2. #12
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    Nov 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Look 60, when you went on TRT you should have been advised to never let your H&H get very high. If you are taking an 81mg aspirin daily, keeping your H&H down to sane levels with either regular blood donation or therapeutic donation (requires a prescription -- get one) as needed, and stay hydrated like an intelligent Texan already knows to do, you should not have a problem with DVT unless you're just real unlucky with genetics. So let's not blame TRT unnecessarily, because doing so might well discourage guys who need it from trying it.
    I'm one of those guys who needed it. I tried it, I like it, and I plan to be back on it once this episode is over because of the benefits. And I'll be a more knowledgeable, therefore safer, user.

    I'm relating a true story as it unfolds. I'm exposing errors in my thinking, omissions and prejudices of some of the players. I didn't blame lifting, because I saw no possible mechanism connecting the two, and especially since 2 doctors advised me to get right back at it. The PF was probably a coincidence, but had to be considered. The dehydration, who knows? Internet research tells me water intake can lower or raise BP. When I drink a lot of water, I just pee a lot, but Doc Strength thinks it's important, based on something he saw in my test results, so I'm continuing.

    I've had 3 prescribing doctors for TRT, and cannot recall hearing about H&H concerns. It's likely they all were monitoring and just not telling me. I moved too far away from the first, fired the second for incompetence in unrelated areas, and the third, a urologist, had been prescribing for the past two years or so.

    I don't understand how he didn't see this coming. He monitors my blood and adjusts dosage, but doesn't discuss other components of the blood test. Maybe high levels can develop rapidly, and anyone should have missed it.?

    Mostly I'm trying to inform others so they dont hesitate when they see the signs, and don't get mislead by some.

    I'm very curious by nature. I want this to continue safely. My hematologist told me how, and you seconded it. I still want to know how quickly H&H rises; what other methods are there for controlling it; why, if baby aspirin is prophylactic, isn't a larger dose just as good as Eliquis, Xarelto, and others?

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bestafter60 View Post
    I've had 3 prescribing doctors for TRT, and cannot recall hearing about H&H concerns.

    That right there is a huge red flag. Obviously you learned the hard way, but to anyone else looking at TRT - if the Doctor doesn't mention this, they are either (1) not nearly informed enough to be your doctor on this or (2) not very good at communicating with patients.

  4. #14
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    The fact that 3 doctors don't know their jobs very well is not particularly surprising. Have you had a lot of interaction with the medical profession that made you think you were in the presence of either SuperGenius or above-average competence?

  5. #15
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    Monday I had the phlebotomy. No big deal, just blood donation in a group setting with more cautious nurses. On the way out I bumped into my doctor in the hall. Luckily, he remembered me. I asked him how long it takes for hematocrit to rise from normal to a level like I had (60). He said it can happen quickly, maybe over a period of 6 weeks. That was all the time he had, but he had given me a key data point.

    My summary advice:

    Don't be afraid to try TRT. It's worth it to me to get back on it as soon as this situation clears up. Just leverage my experience and be an informed, watchful, self- reliant user.

    Take these easy precautions to counteract TRT's tendency to raise hematocrit:

    1. Take a baby aspirin daily. It makes your blood "slippery", lowering the potential for clotting.

    2. Hydrate aggressively. Dehydrating correlates with polycythemia. Who cares which is cause and which is effect - it can't hurt, it reduces risk at negligible cost, so just do it. Kinda like the baby aspirin. I now start each day with a 16 oz glass of water, because my body has been losing water for 8 hours through respiration. When working outside, I drink ahead of my thirst. Whenever I pee, if the color is more than pale yellow, I drink a glass of water. Simple. And practice "holding it" - good for the local muscles.

    3. Give blood every 45 days. That way your hematocrit won't have time to get out of control. It costs you nothing, they test your hematocrit each time before they start, and who knows, you just might save the life of some worthy individual. Scheduling is very easy. If you let your hematocrit get too high, a doctor will put you on an expensive blood thinner. You'll still give blood but they'll call it a phlebotomy, discard your blood and send you a bill. Oh, and you might wind up with a DVT.

    When you go on a long drive, constantly rotate your feet around, tensing and releasing your calf muscles. Calf muscles act as a pump to circulate blood from the lower extremities, which keeps it from pooling up and clotting. Leave a little earlier so you have time to stop and walk around every 1.5 -2 hours. A DVT is much more inconvenient.

    Hope you guys find this helpful. I would love to hear what others can add to this!

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    keeping your H&H down to sane levels with either regular blood donation or therapeutic donation (requires a prescription -- get one) as needed
    What would you recommend if people won't take your blood? I'm not allowed to donate.

    Could they just drain me and throw it out?
    Starting Strength Indianapolis is up and running. Sign up for a free 30-minute coaching session.
    I answer all my emails: ALewis@StartingStrengthGyms.com

  7. #17
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    Get a prescription for "therapeutic donation." Like I said.

  8. #18
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    I think this is useful. Source, a vascular surgeon writing in Healthline:
    If your leg is swollen, elevating or icing the leg won’t reduce the swelling if it’s a blood clot. If icing or putting your feet up makes the swelling go down, you may have a muscle injury.

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