update on wls etc

hi everyone sorry it has been so long since i have gotten back. i had my wls 4-1-08 was doing real good have lost since surgery 61# and total since i have started this journey 160#. have had a couple setbacks  my first was having a hurting in my throat and at the topmof mynew stomach (pouch) had to be scoped but found nothing. And then my left leg starting swelling and hurting had a ultrasound done and they found blood clots in my leg. have been in the hospital ( riverside-columbus, ohio they are giving me heparin 12 bags iv and cumadin, from what the doctors tell me i might be on it (coumadinn)  the rest of my life have to wait and see. I am still in here and can't wait to get out. i have only been in the hospital 2 times my bariatric surgery and this but this place all the staff has been superior to me i would reccomend it to anyone with the highest reguards. mcconnel cardiologist and dr. myers bariatric surgeon  have been with me through all this. just wanted to update how i am doing, i will try to get back more often. thanks to all the guys that have kept me in there prayers through all this. Scott

That sux but at least you caught the problem in time before serious damage was done. Wonder if the blood clots are a side effect of WLS.

My dad has been on coumadin since he was 50 he is now 73. 

Get well soon.

Bud 

Scott, sorry to hear you had a rough start. Prayers and positive vibes to you. The Coumadin? I actually have some experience there.... (sorry it's a copy/paste of my old crap, but saves typing) Many WLS Folks are often put on a prescription of "Blood Thinners"
Usually Heparin shots following surgery to reduce the risk of Blood Clots/Deep Vein Thrombosis.  But, suddenly faced with ‘self-injecting’ and being a temporary "Borderline Hemophiliac"  Can be quite distressing for many.
So-
Below follows some info on "Injections."
Injection-Info 
(just follow that link and scroll down past B-12 Injections to Blood Thinners)
RE-POST:__________________________________

The Coumadin’s not as bad as it seems.
I’ve been on it now for about 5 1/2 years.
Here’s what I wish I had done from the beginning.
Take it or leave it....

Get a Styptic Pencil from the drug store.
They are around $2.00 but are so "Old-School"
That they can be hard to find.
"Nick-Relief" or "Nik-Aid" are the ones I’ve bought.
They do sting a little, but stop the bleeding quick.
There is one that comes in a little ‘roll-on’ applicator
Like Under-arm deodorant for mice.
Avoid it! That will sting the **** out of you.
I don’t know what genius down at that lab mixed that stuff up
But it’s like Tabasco sauce for a cut.
If you are really concerned,
(like if you are picking up a second part-time job at a Bennehanas,?)
Or, with scissors flying you might think about this-
Look for just some "Blood Clotting Spray"
Sold as Homeostatic Spray or powder to go in First Aid kits.
I use Exacto knives and razor blades all the time to build little
Scenic models of my sets, so I actually have needed it.
If there is a "Theatrical Paint Supply House" around
Like a Norcostco or Rosco distributor
You can get a ½ pound of the stuff in powder form for less than a dollar.
(we use it to shrink up backdrops)
It’s Aluminum Sulfate or you could get just plain old "Alum"
In the ‘pickling spice’ area of a grocery store.

The Styptic Pencil is easiest and "no fuss."
If you nick your self while shaving, or even a deep scratch
You’ll bleed like a hemophiliac. But, not a big worry, It Does stop.
It just takes a longer time. Big problem isn’t "blood loss"
It’s just not getting it on crap and staining something.
If you hit something, that before would have just been a "Oouww!"
Now, it’ll make a big bruise that takes about 3 times as long to fade away.
The "Internal Bleeding" from a contusion kept me scared the first year.
I asked the doctor "How Big a Risk?!"
It actually only really is a serious issue with a serious blunt trauma.
"Don’t get in a Car Wreck!"
Even then as long as you get an injection
Of Vitamin K or Blood platelets, you’re clotting again soon.

Yes, and do take it easy with the dental floss too! That truly suks!

Some Lovenox Experiences at-
http://obesityhelp.com/forums/men/postdetail/25354.html
The "pinch before sticking" is a great one!
The shots will leave big Bruises, like crazy dark and big,
So don’t let that freak you. It’s normal.

You’ll probably have to check your ‘Pro-Time or INR’ every 2 to 4 weeks
To make sure that you are not "Too thick or Too Thin."
The first couple of times they may draw a test tube of blood
But once you are within the 2 to 2.5 range where blood clots aren’t
Likely to form, and you’re not likely to bleed too easily,
They will probably move to just a little "finger stick" to check it.
If you run a little too "thick," you’ll probably have to take a Lovenox shot
For the next 2 days while waiting for the dosage of Coumadin to get high enough.
Until they get you r dosage right (and it takes some fine tuning)
It is a pain in the azz! But, it keeps clot from forming.
A lot of people have to take around 5 mgs of Coumadin a day,
But don’t be alarmed if you have to take much more due to mal-absorbing from the RNY.
I take 15mgs daily except for 2 days a week I have to take 17.5mgs.
Apparently that is a lot, because every time I hit a new nurse
Her eyes pop out reading my chart and they go into the –
"This can’t be right..." song and dance. Bored with explaining to new nurses.
They’ll probably give you a list of stuff to not eat much of, like-
Spinach, Greens, Broccoli, Pistachios, etc... most all green stuff.
I totally screwed my levels up for about 3 weeks because it kept showing
"Thick" and I wasn’t eating ANY of that stuff.
Then the doc said she wanted a "bite by bite journal" of my food.
Turns out, the seaweed wrappers (Nori) on Sushi isn’t actually black,
It’s SO Green that it Looks Black.
I had been eating ‘Super Greens’ every other day for lunch.

So, That’s everything that I know about/ experienced about-
"Coumadin and Heparin or Lovenox Shots."

Best Wishes-
Dx

Sorry to hear about your complications, Scott. Congratulations on your 160 pound weight loss to date. Awesome, man!! Hang in there.  Boner

Well I just wanted to let my friends know i got out of the hospital friday 5-30-08. It was so nice to breath some nice fresh air. Seem to be doing ok so far hope i continue to get better. i also want to thank you for the responses and all the information you gave me. I will keep you posted on how things go next week with my check up on my blood thinners, everyone have a nice evening and again thanks for everthing. Scott