Blood Thinner and Heavy Lifting

Jay2Zee

So I've been lifting since I was 20. I had an aneurysm in my heart at 27 and had open heart surgery with a valve replacement. I'm 39 now and I'm on blood thinners for life but I still remain just as active in the gym. I am wondering if anyone else works out while on blood thinners. I have recently noticed that I tend to tear muscle fiber easier. I don't know if it's just because I'm older or a combination of that and being on blood thinner. After doing squats last week, my entire right leg became black and blue and now I'm out of work, can hardly walk. I didn't injure it while working out that I could tell. Anyone else have these problems? It's a little depressing.

Jay2Zee

Hard to gain muscle if I lighten the load. Especially after progressively gaining for years.

Jay2Zee

Hmmm..I'll get back to you on that lol

knittnponder

Have you talked to your doctor about what's occurring? Have you had a change in diet? I'm sure you know certain foods can be problematic when you're on blood thinners. If you've increased any of those foods in your diet you might be having interaction issues. I'm not one who says "rush to the doctor" at every little thing but blood thinners are nothing to play with. My mom almost died from one. Her situation was entirely different than yours but your entire leg is black and blue and in pain! Might be a good time to consult with your doctor!

Jay2Zee

I'm actually sitting in the doctors office as I write this

marialohin

After a period of bulking, I've recently got on a low calorie, high protein diet so I can continue to gain muscle but lose weight at the same time and it's been going pretty good. Here it is if you're interested.

It's a spread sheet so you may have to zoom in.

stanmann571

Most patients on blood thinners aren't young, healthy and athletic.

Most doctors aren't accustomed to treating young healthy athletic patients taking blood thinners.

You didn't mention if you're on Heparin, Warfarin, or some other blood thinner.

It matters. Also, getting good, meaningful advice from your doctor can be more complicated due to your general good health. Bottom line is: Physical activity REDUCES the need for aggressive thinning. Meaning: your dose may need to be lower than the standard of care, because 1. an uncontrolled bleed do to activity actually increases your chance of clotting if you are injured. 2. Being highly active reduces the need to prevent clotting...

Understanding that your treatment is due to valve replacement and not a DVT, I don't have much more to add

Jay2Zee

Thank you, I'm on 15mg of Warfarin a day, which is very high. My doctor told me I tore my quad and because of the blood thinners, it obviously bled more than normal. I just asked him what I should be doing different when it comes to lifting heavy and he said I don't have to change anything. I don't really think he knows. I could see if I was squatting and heard or felt a tear, but I did my leg day as normal and then the next day I couldn't walk. My leg is now almost black. He said I probably had a small tear that led to alot of bleeding. But that doesn't explain why I can barely walk now.

stanmann571

Jay2Zee wrote: »

Thank you, I'm on 15mg of Warfarin a day, which is very high. My doctor told me I tore my quad and because of the blood thinners, it obviously bled more than normal. I just asked him what I should be doing different when it comes to lifting heavy and he said I don't have to change anything. I don't really think he knows. I could see if I was squatting and heard or felt a tear, but I did my leg day as normal and then the next day I couldn't walk. My leg is now almost black. He said I probably had a small tear that led to alot of bleeding. But that doesn't explain why I can barely walk now.

Yes, it is very high, What is your target INR, or is your INR being monitored.

The bleed likely led to clotting or at least buildup of excess blood, which I suspect constrained your range of motion.

I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, this is not medical advice.

Is it possible to adjust your Warfarin to a lower target?

gamerbabe14

30 years old, I take 150mg of Pradaxa twice a day and have not had to change any of my eating or exercise habits. I bruise very easily. My doctor said to just be cautious if anything heavy falls on me due to the increased chance of internal bleeding. But she said I can continue lifting, playing softball but just to avoid high impact sports. There goes my dreams of the NFL.

stanmann571

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

30 years old, I take 150mg of Pradaxa twice a day and have not had to change any of my eating or exercise habits. I bruise very easily. My doctor said to just be cautious if anything heavy falls on me due to the increased chance of internal bleeding. But she said I can continue lifting, playing softball but just to avoid high impact sports. There goes my dreams of the NFL.

My wife has been on warfarin for nearly 20 years I think its 7/6 repeating. She bruises easily, but that hasn't kept us from doing just about whatever we want. That being said, when we do combatives or other martial arts training, she generally has an extra consult with the doctor, and with permission(for weekend long events) will skip a dose depending on what's planned.

Some of our doctors have been very understanding, and some of them have gotten fired because they lost their minds, suggestions like increasing the dose by 1/3 or more, never run, never lift weights, etc.

As above I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, this is not medical advice.

gamerbabe14

stanmann571 wrote: »

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

30 years old, I take 150mg of Pradaxa twice a day and have not had to change any of my eating or exercise habits. I bruise very easily. My doctor said to just be cautious if anything heavy falls on me due to the increased chance of internal bleeding. But she said I can continue lifting, playing softball but just to avoid high impact sports. There goes my dreams of the NFL.

My wife has been on warfarin for nearly 20 years I think its 7/6 repeating. She bruises easily, but that hasn't kept us from doing just about whatever we want. That being said, when we do combatives or other martial arts training, she generally has an extra consult with the doctor, and with permission(for weekend long events) will skip a dose depending on what's planned.

Some of our doctors have been very understanding, and some of them have gotten fired because they lost their minds, suggestions like increasing the dose by 1/3 or more, never run, never lift weights, etc.

As above I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, this is not medical advice.

Yup! I will skip my doses as well usually during my TOM or before going to see the dentist. Again, not a doctor and I was placed on blood thinners as a precaution until the root of my issue can be identified.

leajas1

Okay, I have NO idea if this is a good site or not (I just picked one from a google search, so vet appropriately), but it might lead you to something helpful. I thought, there has got to be cardiologists who specialize in sport medicine. Maybe you can follow that lead....?

http://uwsportscardiology.org/

Jay2Zee

stanmann571 wrote: »

Jay2Zee wrote: »

Thank you, I'm on 15mg of Warfarin a day, which is very high. My doctor told me I tore my quad and because of the blood thinners, it obviously bled more than normal. I just asked him what I should be doing different when it comes to lifting heavy and he said I don't have to change anything. I don't really think he knows. I could see if I was squatting and heard or felt a tear, but I did my leg day as normal and then the next day I couldn't walk. My leg is now almost black. He said I probably had a small tear that led to alot of bleeding. But that doesn't explain why I can barely walk now.

Yes, it is very high, What is your target INR, or is your INR being monitored.

The bleed likely led to clotting or at least buildup of excess blood, which I suspect constrained your range of motion.

I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, this is not medical advice.

Is it possible to adjust your Warfarin to a lower target?

I aim for 3-3.5 INR. I can't adjust it unfortunately. It's that high to prevent blood clots forming on my valve.

Jay2Zee

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

30 years old, I take 150mg of Pradaxa twice a day and have not had to change any of my eating or exercise habits. I bruise very easily. My doctor said to just be cautious if anything heavy falls on me due to the increased chance of internal bleeding. But she said I can continue lifting, playing softball but just to avoid high impact sports. There goes my dreams of the NFL.

What team were you hoping for? heh heh

gamerbabe14

Jay2Zee wrote: »

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

30 years old, I take 150mg of Pradaxa twice a day and have not had to change any of my eating or exercise habits. I bruise very easily. My doctor said to just be cautious if anything heavy falls on me due to the increased chance of internal bleeding. But she said I can continue lifting, playing softball but just to avoid high impact sports. There goes my dreams of the NFL.

What team were you hoping for? heh heh

I hear the Niners might need a QB!!

stanmann571

Jay2Zee wrote: »

stanmann571 wrote: »

Jay2Zee wrote: »

Thank you, I'm on 15mg of Warfarin a day, which is very high. My doctor told me I tore my quad and because of the blood thinners, it obviously bled more than normal. I just asked him what I should be doing different when it comes to lifting heavy and he said I don't have to change anything. I don't really think he knows. I could see if I was squatting and heard or felt a tear, but I did my leg day as normal and then the next day I couldn't walk. My leg is now almost black. He said I probably had a small tear that led to alot of bleeding. But that doesn't explain why I can barely walk now.

Yes, it is very high, What is your target INR, or is your INR being monitored.

The bleed likely led to clotting or at least buildup of excess blood, which I suspect constrained your range of motion.

I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, this is not medical advice.

Is it possible to adjust your Warfarin to a lower target?

I aim for 3-3.5 INR. I can't adjust it unfortunately. It's that high to prevent blood clots forming on my valve.

WOW!! and it's taking 15mg to get you there...

3-3.5 isn't all that high.. IIRC, my wife is at 2.5-3.5

Jay2Zee

Yes I started at 2mg but over the years it increased.

coachkallyv

WOW! This is nuts but I am on the same dosage of mg of Warfarin...15mg everyday. I am 38 and when I was 20 years old I had a blood clot in my brain (left sagital sinus venous system) that was 98% occluded. My therapeutic target INR is 2.5 to 3.5 and it takes a lot to get it there....hence 15mg. I am in the medical field and when I discuss with coworkers they freak out, like thats a lot! After numerous tests and being able to dissolve the clot with aggressive use of blood thinners I was diagnosed with a Protein C and Protein S Deficiency, placing me as a lifer for blood thinners since the age of 20. Very rare indeed, not a lot of studies of young healthy people on blood thinners out there. I was told that I hit the genetic lottery as my doctor broke the ice to me as a collegiate athlete, after two years of playing college softball and transferring D2 I was unable to continue playing softball, the NCAA declared me a liability and I was not allowed to play in college anymore, let alone any time. By the "Genetic lottery" I got one gene from my mom and one from my dad and I was a rare case, 1 out of 15,000 people have both deficiencies. I have found throughout the years that I suffer more in muscle soreness. I have never had pain like you explain or bruising to that extent. However when I am in a heavy load phase I feel torn, ripped into...my muscles feel like they have been shredded. Like my entire body just aches and point tenderness is on a whole different level. I have found that this pain and tenderness has increased as I get older. There are not a lot of studies out there with both of my deficiencies and there is not cure beings that it is a genetic disorder. Most other people with clotting disorders have one or the other (C or S deficiency) or factor 5. I have learned though that not only is my venous system full of anomalies but my arterial system as well. There is a fb group called Stop the Clot and their website is very informative. With proper care I was able to have 3 healthy babies via c section but each one was high risk and there was always the chance I would bleed out, even though I was off all thinners 3 days prior. I am glad I came across this! I hope you are healed from your injury.

coachkallyv

WOW! This is nuts but I am on the same dosage of mg of Warfarin...15mg everyday. I am 38 and when I was 20 years old I had a blood clot in my brain (left sagital sinus venous system) that was 98% occluded. My therapeutic target INR is 2.5 to 3.5 and it takes a lot to get it there....hence 15mg. I am in the medical field and when I discuss with coworkers they freak out, like thats a lot! After numerous tests and being able to dissolve the clot with aggressive use of blood thinners I was diagnosed with a Protein C and Protein S Deficiency, placing me as a lifer for blood thinners since the age of 20. Very rare indeed, not a lot of studies of young healthy people on blood thinners out there. I was told that I hit the genetic lottery as my doctor broke the ice to me as a collegiate athlete, after two years of playing college softball and transferring D2 I was unable to continue playing softball, the NCAA declared me a liability and I was not allowed to play in college anymore, let alone any time. By the "Genetic lottery" I got one gene from my mom and one from my dad and I was a rare case, 1 out of 15,000 people have both deficiencies. I have found throughout the years that I suffer more in muscle soreness. I have never had pain like you explain or bruising to that extent. However when I am in a heavy load phase I feel torn, ripped into...my muscles feel like they have been shredded. Like my entire body just aches and point tenderness is on a whole different level. I have found that this pain and tenderness has increased as I get older. There are not a lot of studies out there with both of my deficiencies and there is not cure beings that it is a genetic disorder. Most other people with clotting disorders have one or the other (C or S deficiency) or factor 5. I have learned though that not only is my venous system full of anomalies but my arterial system as well. There is a fb group called Stop the Clot and their website is very informative. With proper care I was able to have 3 healthy babies via c section but each one was high risk and there was always the chance I would bleed out, even though I was off all thinners 3 days prior. I am glad I came across this! I hope you are healed from your injury.