[CQ-Contest] KC7V's SECOND lesson

[David Gilbert]

Excellent comments, John.  Before I retired I was doing a LOT of 
traveling to Asia, and 12 hours in the air over the Pacific was not 
uncommon.  For the first couple of years I would often get really 
painful blood clots in my legs.  They were always in the shallow veins 
that the doctors said were less threatening (those in the deep veins can 
more easily travel to the lungs), but they'd create flaming red paths up 
my leg and the veins would be literally as hard as steel rod.  The 
merest touch was very painful but they'd typically dissipate on their 
own in two to three weeks.  I was in really good physical shape back 
then, by the way ... I exercised a lot both at home and in the hotels.

I eventually learned ways to avoid the clots, some from the doctors and 
some from personal experience.

1.  As others have said, drink lots of fluids.  Plane trips dehydrate 
you, exercise dehydrates you, and it's easy to forget to drink fluids 
while operating a contest.  Thick blood can be a killer.  As a side 
note, you get sleepier with lack of fluids as well.

2.  I always take an aspirin a day, even now that I'm retired since my 
right leg has a mild tendency toward phlebitis anyway (a couple of weak 
valves, apparently).  I think it would be excellent practice for anyone 
to do the same thing a couple of days prior to a long contest in the 
chair, unless of course you have a medical condition that precludes it.

3.  Here's a biggie, at least for me.  The blood vessels that get 
constricted while sitting are in the backs (and insides) of your 
thighs.  I found that it made a huge difference if I slid down in the 
seat and let a lot of my weight rest on the back of my hips ... almost 
on my lower back.  Airline seats usually recline enough to let you do 
that (the seat belt ends up on your stomach, though), and my chair in 
the ham shack was chosen to let me do the same thing.  It's a little 
awkward at first, especially for CW, so I alternate between sitting 
upright and slumping down.  For those that find the position unworkable, 
at least try to elevate your feet enough to get your weight off the 
backs of your thighs and on to the bony part of your butt.  I do that 
while driving on long trips since slouching down would be very unsafe.  
Stack a few books on the floor in front of your chair for your feet to 
rest upon.

4.  Keep your legs moving.  I used to ask for aisle seats on airplanes 
so I could occasionally walk around, but I'd also flex my legs or bounce 
them around while "sitting" on my lower back in the seat.  In my 
opinion, it's at least as important to keep your thighs moving as it is 
the calves.  You sometimes get weird looks for that on an airplane, but 
anybody who sees you operating a ham radio contest will have already 
formed an opinion on you anyway.

I used to get clots in my legs a couple of times a year before I started 
taking these measures but haven't had a single one for years now.

All the best to Mike for a quick recovery.

Dave  AB7E




W0UN wrote:
> I am very glad to hear that Mike, KC7V, is doing much better after
> his medical emergency with pulmonary embolus, associated with
> his flight from Brazil.
>
> Obviously there is an important lesson here about being sedentary
> on long airline flights.  But there is also a secondary lesson that should
> be mentioned.  Our hobby of radio contesting is not all that much
> different from extended airline flights.  And it probably has some risk
> for the same type of medical problem.
>
> I am always impressed with someone who can stay "in the chair" for
> extended periods of time in a 48 hour contest.  But it should be clear
> from Mike's recent experience that some form of regular exercise
> should be done while operating.  And this is only compounded by
> the demands of SO2R, where you minimize your periods of lessened
> activity, where you might be able to stretch a bit for a few moments.
>
> I have always liked using a foot switch for T/R -- but that forces you
> to keep at least one foot in the same position all of the time.  So I
> may reconsider how I operate.  I have watched W0UA operate at
> times while standing up, but then he is not as tall as I am so it is
> not that much of problem for him to reach the controls and keyboard
> when he is standing!    ;-)
>
> Even ideas of an operating table with a hydraulic lift come to mind.
> Anything that would force some sort of regular change of position
> to help minimize the possibility of blood clots.  We are all getting
> older and we need to be a bit more careful!
>
> 73--John  W0UN
>
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