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Posaune

sliding
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Bellingham, WA
I take blood thinners (warfarin) and have had no problems with excessive bleeding. I always have a small first aid kit with me but I can't think of a time I've needed to use it. I bruise a lot easier and small scrapes and cuts look a bit like someone went after me with a chainsaw, but they really don't bother me any more than before I went on the blood thinner, at least as long as I don't look at them.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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I had A-Flutter, not A-Fib but the symptoms are pretty similar. The blood thinners are what I feared the most, especially from things out of my control, like someone running into me. The doctor usually suggests that someone shouldn't ski but he wasn't so much concerned in my case because being more competent than the average Joe skier, I would say the same for Dano.
 

Tricia

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When I was skiing with @Philpug during his heart concerns last season I carried a small first aid kit with a Quick Clot dressing, some kerlix, and a few other dressings just in case. I still carry it when I ride and will continue to do so when skiing. It's small enough to put in my pocket. It makes sense.
Does anyone skiing who is on blood thinners carry any bleeding control stuff: skin closures, coagulant powder, dressings?
I didn't carry bleeding control stuff. I carried an Andy. :D
 

DanoT

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I had A-Flutter, not A-Fib but the symtoms are pretty similar. The blood thinners are what I feared the most, especially from things out of my control, like someone running into me. The doctor usually suggests that someone shouldn't ski but he wasn't so much concerned in my case because being more competent than the average Joe skier, I would say the same for Dano.

I am at the perfect mountain for zoomer groomer skiing as Sun Peaks with it's wide long runs, is a lot like Snowmass with less vertical but more skiable acres and less people....and near perfect grooming on what is often a soft carvable ego snowpack Getting hit by someone at SP is not an issue, finding someone to share a long chair ride on a weekday often is. :ogbiggrin:

Speaking of Snowmass, it looks like my plan of spending 4-5 weeks gypsy-ing around the Roaring Fork Valley (coinsiding with the Aspen Gathering) in my truck camper by myself with my dog is likely now not gonna happen. I was hesitant about doing it anyways with Covid regs and expensive negative test requirements and other hoops to jump thru getting back to Canada.
 

Tricia

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Speaking of Snowmass, it looks like my plan of spending 4-5 weeks gypsy-ing around the Roaring Fork Valley (coinsiding with the Aspen Gathering) in my truck camper by myself with my dog is likely now not gonna happen. I was hesitant about doing it anyways with Covid regs and expensive negative test requirements and other hoops to jump thru getting back to Canada.
Just take care of yourself and get ready for the next gathering
 
Thread Starter
TS
graham418

graham418

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I have never heard of coagulant powder or quick-Clot , or such. Is that something over the counter at the pharmacy? Maybe I should get some to keep around in the truck or on the boat. I am on Xaralto, and when I bleed , it just keeps coming. Fortunately, it hasn't happened that often, usually in the kitchen.
@DanoT , you are lucky to get converted on the first try. Mine didn't take until the 3rd time. I'm stuck taking a bunch of medicines now.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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I have never heard of coagulant powder or quick-Clot , or such. Is that something over the counter at the pharmacy? Maybe I should get some to keep around in the truck or on the boat. I am on Xaralto, and when I bleed , it just keeps coming. Fortunately, it hasn't happened that often, usually in the kitchen.
@DanoT , you are lucky to get converted on the first try. Mine didn't take until the 3rd time. I'm stuck taking a bunch of medicines now.
There's s pretty good line up if products by Quick Clot (Quik Clot?). You can get it at sporting good stores, grocery, pharmacies, online, etc.
 

Dwight

Practitioner of skiing, solid and liquid
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Something like this. Add an israel bandage and you stop pretty much anything.
1634825873908.png
 

SpikeDog

You want Big Air, kid?
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@DanoT have you gotten to a cardiologist yet? Sounds like just your primary and the ER so far. From what I've gathered from this thread, Canada puts you on some kind of a waiting list for surgeries & procedures. Once you get a cardiologist, hopefully things will start to sort themselves out and options will come your way.
 

Lake n Ski

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95% of atrial fibrillation/flutter cases are easily managed by a family practice or internal medicine physicians.

I'd estimate at least 10% of skiers above age 50 are in atrial fibrillation/flutter on any given ski day.

Rate-controlled atrial fibrillation RARELY limits activity for most adults. Running a PR 10k or marathon with atrial fibrillation is a different story.

Neither atrial fibrillation or anticoagulation is a contraindication to skiing. Yes, intracranial hemorrhage would be the most worrisome finding after trauma, but: 1. This is already extremely rare in skiers wearing helmets following significant head trauma. 2. The number of intracranial hemorrhages requiring neurosurgical intervention in skiers wearing helmets, with or without anticoagulation, is even rarer still. Far more things I'd lose sleep about concerning skiing than the above.

Highly doubt a competent physician would tell Philpug (as stated a few posts above) that he shouldn't ski if on anticoagulation.
 

DanoT

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@DanoT have you gotten to a cardiologist yet? Sounds like just your primary and the ER so far. From what I've gathered from this thread, Canada puts you on some kind of a waiting list for surgeries & procedures. Once you get a cardiologist, hopefully things will start to sort themselves out and options will come your way.

My doctor has not done a referral to a cardiologist yet. I have a phone consultation scheduled with my Dr this Thurs.. He has already told me he wants me to not leave for Sun Peaks for the start of the ski season in late Nov. but to stay in Victoria for 2 or 3 months past that. Probably a good idea to get a handle on my meds and how I am reacting to them before leaving town for 5-6 months.
 
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SpikeDog

You want Big Air, kid?
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I had a 3 day Holter monitor test earlier this month, with 13% PVC load. Premature ventricle complex (or contraction) seems to be increasing, up from a 5% load back in 2019. I'm heading in to see the doc next week, see what my options are. I thought it took about a 20-25% load for PVC's to be an issue, but recent literature seems to point towards 10% being an action point. I hope I can sort this out before ski season.
 

no edge

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Highly doubt a competent physician would tell Philpug (as stated a few posts above) that he shouldn't ski if on anticoagulation.

I had three cardiologists come into my room and proclaim... no more skiing. I spoke firmly over time about this new rule and they backed off. Then I took a nasty fall and smashed my head - worst one yet. Went right to hospital and they did a scan, everything ok as far as brain bleed.
 

no edge

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Last December I had a pacemaker installed. This past spring "we" decided on a Watchman. Now "they" are telling me that I need a proceedure for A-fib. I have my pulmonologist working a second opinion. I told them... whatever they think best. Just don't screw up my ski season.
 

DanoT

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I had three cardiologists come into my room and proclaim... no more skiing. I spoke firmly over time about this new rule and they backed off. Then I took a nasty fall and smashed my head - worst one yet. Went right to hospital and they did a scan, everything ok as far as brain bleed.

I had a bad fall in early March, knocking myself out for about 30 seconds. I woke up as a witness to my crash was taking my ski off, followed by me being concussed up until the time I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital at which time I became clear headed. However, I don't remember the crash or anything leading up to it

The hospital did a CT scan as I am on Eliquis blood thinners. Everything was OK but they found a large non cancerous cyst on my liver and a cracked rib. I could have got back on skis by late March but with the season ending in early April, I decided to wait until next season.

My Dr. had me do an MRI last April and I had an appointment with a surgeon who specializes in livers several weeks ago and he has scheduled me a CT scan in 3 weeks so he can see how much cyst growth from when I had the MRI to now and then make an operation/no operation decision.

My doctor also had me do a CT scan 2 days ago, looking not at my liver but my heart and coronary artery.
 

no edge

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Amazing, MRis and the extra findings. Sounds like some good doctors.
 

Jwrags

Aka pwdrhnd
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Portlandia
I had a bad fall in early March, knocking myself out for about 30 seconds. I woke up as a witness to my crash was taking my ski off, followed by me being concussed up until the time I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital at which time I became clear headed. However, I don't remember the crash or anything leading up to it

The hospital did a CT scan as I am on Eliquis blood thinners. Everything was OK but they found a large non cancerous cyst on my liver and a cracked rib. I could have got back on skis by late March but with the season ending in early April, I decided to wait until next season.

My Dr. had me do an MRI last April and I had an appointment with a surgeon who specializes in livers several weeks ago and he has scheduled me a CT scan in 3 weeks so he can see how much cyst growth from when I had the MRI to now and then make an operation/no operation decision.

My doctor also had me do a CT scan 2 days ago, looking not at my liver but my heart and coronary artery.
The good thing is hepatic cysts almost never need surgery.
 

Kneale Brownson

Making fresh tracks forever on the other side
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Amazing, MRis and the extra findings. Sounds like some good doctors.
I had a chest area scan after I got thumped by a poor woman who was driven into me by some dumbass who chose to knock her down rather than hit a tree. I'd been standing with my class in an open area below the trees. The poor woman had a concussion and had to be transported. The radiologist report commented on my AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) having increased in size by a minimal amount. I never knew about having an AAA. He must have seen my only previous CT scans from 2003, when I had an otherwise invisible kidney stone trying to free itself. Nobody told me. Thanks to the thumping, I now have annual checks.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
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Just saw this thread. Had my own series of events, possibly starting back a couple years, but undiagnosed.

I had been occasionally been having heart palpitations but since I was on propranolol for migraine prevention (a beta blocker), and I knew it helped with heart palpitations I would just take my next dose a bit early. I mentioned this once or twice during my annual physicals, but we didn't dwell on it. At that point, I had realized it was doing nothing for my migraines (at least at that dosage) but now I wanted it for the palpitations.

Some time in 2019 I went to urgent care because I was feeling strange and was afraid I was having a heart attack. Ran tests, EKG, nothing.

Then summer of 2020 during lockdown, I felt really strange again and it was bad enough that I went to the ER. They also found nothing, but wanted me to do a stress test. Was not thrilled about this during lockdown, but did it. Ran out of steam before the desired "score" but no one had told me to stop the propranalol, and I had come within one heartbeat of the "pass" score, so no one was alarmed.

Then in November 2021 we called the ambulance this time I was in a-fib in the ambulance, but fine at the ER. They recommended I talk to a cardiologist anyway. A visit to my primary 2 days later had me in A-fib. He upped my dose of propranolol. (By the way, the higher dose cut my migraines in half, so I was thrilled.) Got a referral for a Holter monitor for 2 weeks. Showed me in A-fib 15% of the time, but, the sensor fit poorly due to its placement (I'm a female) and I had zero faith in its results. (It wouldn't make a beep noise when I pressed its button either.) Anyway, when I had picked it up I was in A-fib. Then when I saw my primary to discuss the results, I was in a-fib, and when I then saw my cardiologist, I was in a-fib. What are the chances it's only 15% when every time they give you an EKG you're in A-fib? Zip.

So they switched me to metoprolol, put me on Eliquis, and scheduled a cardioversion. Three zaps of increasing strength didn't do it. Put me on amiodarone and scheduled another cardioversion. Arrived for the 2nd cardioversion and... I'm in sinus rhythm. We all waited around another couple of hours, hoping I'd go into a-fib. Nope. So, sent home.

But they referred me to their ablation guy (again in a-fib, of course) and I had the ice kind of ablation in June, having stopped the amiodarone a month before. Recovery from the ablation was longer than I expected. Felt like hell for a week and tired for a few more days. But have been feeling better and no a-fib on the 2 follow-up visits I've had. Still on Eliquis, but I've gotten the impression they might take me off it if I pass the next EKG at the end of the month. Unsure of that, but really leery of inserting a little "fairy umbrella" thing in my heart, the Watchman. Also worried about a fall while skiing. I do have a really nice rubber Eliquis wristband, but it's under layers of clothes when I am skiing. My cardiologist is a hardcore skier tho, so at no point has he told me not to.
---
All this was what was going on when we were in Lech for a much-postponed luxury mother-daughter trip. Needless to say, for me the trip was like being in purgatory. I was exhausted at the slightest thing and we'd brought our own equipment which we were dragging onto busses and trains. Just the walk to the hotel was exhausting. And of course conditions sucked there while back home, they were getting one powder dump after another. So, I'll always have a poor opinion of Lech while knowing it was in reality bad timing. Best I can say was the food was good and the views amazing, but I was relieved to move onto Innsbruck after a week.

I came home ready to give up skiing, and did not ski for a couple weeks when we got back. Fortunately, I skied closing day and it was absolutely stellar with fresh pow all day.

I'm also down 19 pounds, so I have hopes of a better season this year and have bought my first Super Senior pass plus shelled out $$$ for my locker. We'll see.

Oh, yeah, I also was sent for a sleep study, which ended up meaning I have to wear a CPAP at night (not happy about it, either.) Plus, they found some nodule thing on my thyroid during all of this. Very small, but some other thing we're keeping an eye on. We're also keeping tabs on something they found in a mammogram. This is why old people spend so much time comparing notes on their medical conditions. It's always something.
 
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