Question Coumadin and blood clots is it harmful to stay on it?
I had or have a blood clot in my calf why cannot they check to see if its gone? They say its too hard to detect if its gone due to vein damage is that true? Should I request to stay on it longer?They want me to wear a stocking to prevent swelling I hate them.

Best Answer as long as you're on a safe coumadin therapy, meaning, the right therapeutic dosage, the right length of therapy, without the unexplained bruises and bleeding, it should be okay to stay on coumadin.. if they can't detect it through vein damage, well it could be difficult to visualize, but i think routine duplex scan or doppler ultrasound might be recommended just to check for clots.. compression stockings could be very helpful in preventing any more clots. it's harmful if you don't have prevention. although it's difficult to wear, you should comply for your own health.. you should elevate your legs too whenever you've got the time.. and be cautious in wearing compression stockings because if it gets too tight, it might impede your circulation. you can always ask for a second opinion.. good luck! :D

Question Long-haul flight risk for serial clotter (DVT/PE) ?
I had my second DVT/PE earlier this year after a long-haul flight between Europe and the US (previous one was in 2007). It looks like I'll now be on Warfarin indefinitely as there is probably some genetic factor or other disorder which makes me a "serial clotter". Normally I travel between the US and Europe several times a year for business, but now I'm wondering what the risks are in continuing to do this ? The haematologist was very vague but advised against long-haul flights "if possible". Given that I'm on Warfarin and my INR is a steady 2.5 it seems to me that the risks should now be quite low, but I have no way of assessing this risk objectively. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on this or links to data on DVT risks for people already on Warfarin. Thanks for the answers so far - I do appreciate them but I want to point out that as someone with a history of DVT/PE I've already been doing all the "right things" when flying - I wear compression socks, drink fluids, move around the plane regularly, do stretches, etc. Despite all this I still got bilateral DVT/PE after my last long-haul flight. I'm now on Warfarin (Coumadin) indefinitely and what I am really looking to find out is how that affects my risk factors for future flights. Am I relatively safe now that I am permanently on Warfarin or is there still a significant risk of DVT/PE ? Thanks in advance for any info/advice on the risks.

Best Answer Long flights cause a risk of DVT for anyone. The reason is that people will sit still for most of those hours and as the calf muscles are not flexing the valves in the veins do not get the force needed for strong return blood flow so blood can easily stagnate in the lower leg veins and allow clotting to occur. You can still take long flights but do prevention methods such as: get up and walk up and down the isle every couple of hours, or while sitting do flexing exercises by pointing toes sharply down towards floor then up towards your head, and wear compression stockings which help increase circulation back towards the trunk of the body. Your INR is in a good therapeutic range and your risk is indeed lowered, but highly recommend the previously mentioned preventative measures also be followed. Hope you have many safe flights and peace of mind.