PrisonBull

I use the Sigvaris open-toed knee-highs. I prefer the black ones. I occasionally go without stockings when I am doing something active while wearing shorts.

Great story! As a side note, I have found that my family get colds/flu and I don't. Weird.

Trying to find out if this drug is covered by my health plan. My doctor recommended it as I am very delinquent on my blood sampling. (I know, I know but 10mg a day w/o variance for 22 years will get anyone complacent)

So now the pharmacy vampires are coming to harvest us?

I agree with orangefoot. I can go for several days without wearing the stockings but my legs feel so much better when I wear them.

I've been on warfarin (10mg) since 1989 and I only get headaches from dehydration.

I was hired with their knowledge of my anti-coagulant usage. I hide my name as inmates might use this information. A popular misconception is that persons with PSD are on 'blood thinners'. As we know, our blood is just as thick/thin as everyone else's - we just clot faster. My only hang ups are with surgery or obtaining life insurance. Luckily I purchased life insurance (monthly payments) when I was 19, a year prior to being diagnosed. I would recommend everyone who has PSD to get their relatives to buy life insurance prior to being screened.

I know you are looking for someone in the UK, but if you want a Canadian perspective, I am your guy. * 41 (name withheld due to employment as a correctional officer) * Vancouver, Canada * Blood specialist visit after initial DVT * 1990 - PE mis-diagnosed followed several months by a complete DVT of full right leg, venous return requiring intensive care for 5 weeks * Daily management as below but nothing special. Wary of being hit in the nose. * 10mg warfarin sodium daily, compression stockings, very moderate consumption of alcohol, irregular INR checks (dosage hasn't changed in 21 yrs) * Almost always asked by practitioners if I have a artificial heart when getting my INR checked

I have been working graveyard and dayshifts for 21 years with zero effect on my INR.

Still ticking here!

I never have them.

Lots of experience with ulceration (ankle to hip right leg and left knee). My ulcers came from not wearing stockings. I totally agree on upping your compression level. Try swimming as an exercise if the ulcer isn't too bad. Need to get oxygen to the tissues.

You don't need an anti-coagulant if you are within normal ranges. One of the reasons for concern is the normally cramped conditions of a long-haul flight. You probably have nothing to fear. My personal emergence of PSD only occurred after receiving a slap shot to my ankle (only in Canada, eh?). I've been on many a plane prior + post diagnosis. I do/take nothing different than my normal meds and compression stockings when flying. My 'man-hose' as my wife so eloquently puts it. Just get up and walk around a bit during the flight. Normal advice for any traveler. Sorry James!

You should be checked at least once a month. Your INR should be kept within normal ranges. Make no mistake - this is can be a very serious problem if left untreated.

Welcome to the forums! If you haven't clotted before you should be 99.99999% fine. There is nothing wrong with having one aspirin a day if all it does is give you peace of mind...or a glass of beer... Do get the socks as that will relieve stress on your legs. Do get up and walk around during the flight. I flew around the world before I was diagnosed and I didn't get up much. I've never had any altitude problems. Worst case scenario: Let a stewardess know that you may be prone to clotting just in case anything happens.

Coumadin is a brand name for Warfarin Sodium. I sometimes take Taro (a Canadian brand). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt0BjNwF6IU

Just wondering if this link between cranberries and warfarin has been proven. While I was in the ICU in 1989 (in addition to copious amounts of ice water) I drank 2 liters of cranberry juice daily for 28 days. I had no ill-effects (that I know of). I lost 30 pounds even while being given double servings of hospital food. I don't drink cranberry juice regularly now because I don't enjoy the taste as much as say blueberry juice or coffee. I certainly don't avoid it or any other products. I eat lots of vegetables, like broccoli, garlic and onions etc. Keep checking your INR!

I was in the ICU for 28 days after a full-length DVT (hip-to-ankle) in 1989. 9 days in 1990. I think I went back to work a week or two after being released from the hospital. If you are being treated you shouldn't have any problems but I suppose if you are a professional boxer/wrestler or rodeo clown you might want take a break for your baby's sake! Being treated for PSD shouldn't have any effect on your life other than avoiding vitamin K, taking medication and checking your INR.

After having a full-length clot in my venous return in my right leg in 1989, my veins lost their natural one way valves causing blood to pool. This causes swelling, itchiness, ulcers in the lower ankle area and discolouration from iron saturation. I don't believe the lack of wearing compression stockings leads to clots. My legs tend to ache if I don't wear them. I wear them in the public with shorts but occasionally I don't wear them to get a bit of sun on my legs! A major mechanism promoting venous return during normal locomotory activity (e.g., walking, running) is the muscle pump system. Peripheral veins, particularly in the legs and arms, have one-way valves that direct flow away from the limb and toward the heart. Veins physically located within large muscle groups undergo compression as the muscles surrounding them contract, and they become decompressed as the muscles relax. Therefore, with normal cycles of contraction and relaxation, the veins are alternately compressed and decompressed (i.e., "pumped"). As illustrated in the animated figure, muscle contraction propels blood forward through the open distal valves (upper valves in figure) and impedes flow into the muscle as the proximal valves close during contraction (lower valves in figure). During muscle relaxation, the proximal valves open and blood flows into and fills the venous segment. Initially during relaxation, the distal valves close, but then they open as the volume of blood and pressure increases in the venous segment. The net effect is that the cycle of compression and relaxation propels the blood in the direction of the heart. Venous valves prevent the blood from flowing backwards, thereby permitting unidirectional flow that enhances venous return. When a person is standing, postural muscles in the legs alternately contract and relax to keep the body in balance. This muscle activity promotes venous return and helps to maintain central venous pressure and venous return, and to lower venous and capillary pressures in the feet and lower limbs.