[CQ-Contest] Deep Vein Thrombosis from extended sitting

[David Gilbert]

For many years I used to put in a lot of long distance air travel to 
Asia and often got small clots in the shallow veins in my leg.  While 
not as dangerous as the DVT stuff, they were VERY painful for two to 
three weeks afterward and created bright red streaks that traveled up my 
leg.  Ironically, I was more prone to developing them when I was in 
really good shape (low body fat) and had been exercising (sweating) a 
lot.  I learned to do three things that dramatically reduced their 
incidence:

1.  Drink a lot of water.

2.  Take an aspirin each day as a blood thinner

3.  Sit slumped down so that the weight of my body was on the back of my 
hips, which is mostly bone, and not on the backs of my thighs where the 
blood vessels are.

That last one (#3) seemed to have the most profound benefit.  During a 
contest it is not practical to slump down in the chair, so I keep my 
feet on the base of the chair (a footstool would also work), which 
raises my knees and keeps the weight on my butt bones and off the backs 
of my thighs.  It truly does make a difference.

DVT is nothing to take lightly.  My dad almost died when a clot from a 
knee surgery went to his lung, and a stroke is also a possibility.  To 
paraphrase someone on the TowerTalk reflector who expressed the opinion 
that he rather fall from 80 feet than from 8 feet because the fall from 
8 feet might not kill him, one of my fears is that I might suffer a 
stroke that doesn't kill me.

73 to all and keep the red stuff flowing,
Dave   AB7E



> 2010/7/8 Jim Reisert AD1C<jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>
>
>    
>> I was corrected, it was Mike KC7V.
>>
>> On 7/7/2010 6:55 PM, Gary wrote:
>>
>>      
>>> Was it Vince or Mike KC7V?? Gary K7ZD
>>>
>>>
>>> On 7/7/2010 3:57 PM, Jim Reisert AD1C wrote:
>>>        
>>   >>
>>      
>>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/health/06glob.html
>>>>>            
>>>> I think it was Vince Thompson, K5VT who suffered DVT on the return
>>>> flight from WRTC-2006.  Interesting on the timing of this article!
>>>>          
>>