I guess a lot of us elder riders are on some form of Rx medication.In my caseit's hypertension, cholesterol andaspirin (by prescription).This has been brought on by lifestyle butI'm makingchanges which will hopefully get me off some or all of the pills eventually.

 

Hang in there, Buddy! I went through the same mental exercise five years ago. I had a DVT form in my right leg after breaking my foot in a motorcycle accident. I've been on coumadin ever since. I sold the Kawasaki that broke my foot and bought a 2001 Road King. The only time I didn't ride was the 8-week period my foot was in a cast. Inow ride a 2007 Electra Glide Ultra SE that I just bought last October. My doctor has never asked if I still ride, butI guess he knows the answer since sometimes I ride my bike to his office formy periodic blood tests. Bottom line is that you can live in fear every day or you can go on living the way you did before the clot. I'm 61. My Dad died at 68. I want to enjoy the life I have left ever how many years that may be. Yes, you have to be careful riding a bike--with or without coumadin. And let's be honest, if you are in a serious accident, the odds are against you anyway. So the key is don't let an accident happen. Stay alert and watch the other guy. The tourer mentality is much different from the rogue biker so you shouldn't have to change your riding style. I know you are probably down right now. Hospitals will do that to you. Hurry and get our of there and you will feel 100% better--I promise.

 

Too many doctors want you to stop everything once you have any kind of medical condition. I've heard lots of doctors and nurses refer to motorcycles as "donor-cycles" because of the too often fatal accidents they see. Its kind of like this forum, you see a couple dozen owners complain about the same problem on a new bike and start thinking all the new bikes are bad....gotta keep things in perspective. I've had cataract surgery on one eye, will have the other one done this year....prostrate problems, and more recently colon problems. Have been changing my diet, exercise and other routines to mitigate any problems as best I can, but haven't let it affect those things that are most important in my life, like riding. You do need to "listen" to your body....after having a procedure on my prostrate I found the saddle on my Dyna just hurt too much to sit on, so there was one summer I didn't ride much as I needed to let everything heal, then the next summer I was back at it.

Exercise and diet are the 2 biggest things that are totally in your control that can have a major influence on health issues and get you back in saddle. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery and a speedy return to those things that make life worth living.

 

Typical statement for a doctor. No matter what they see you for, the first words out of their mouth will be "you'll need to give up the motorcycle". Mine told me that when I started having back problems. I still have the back problems & the motorcycle, but a different doctor.

Sounds like you'll have to make some changes in your life no matter what, but those changes will be in how you eat & exercize in addition to what activities you can & can't enjoy. Yeah, blood thinners effect the way you live your life, but it's ultimately you that makes the decision. I recently lost a good friend from a combination of blood thinners & motorcycle accident. He was in the 400 lb. range & had been on blood thinners for as long as I'd known him. We all tried to get him to change his life & loose some of the weight, but it just wasn't his style. On a ride he was involved in a minor accident, fell & hit his head. The doctors were unable to stop the cranial bleed & he died. Did the blood thinners kill him? Did the motorcycle kill him? Did his lifestyle kill him? Some will pick the single item they have the most problem with & lay the blame entirely there. He would have laughed at 'em. One of his favorite things to ridicule people about was "single issue arguments". He prefered to look at the entire picture. I wish he could have done that for his own life..........

Take your time, look at your life, make the changes you need, play it safe where necessary, take the risks that make you happy. Be polite to the doctor, just don't believe he knows everything.

 

Drinking is good for your health. Got ya. A study recently released said that a couple of glasses of red wine and light exercise was a way to healthy living. Of course having those drinks first, then riding to the gym probably wasn't considered in the study. [sm=icon_guiness.gif][sm=icon_guiness.gif]

 

My Dad was on coumadin for 21 years. He had a blood clot in his lung when he was 65 and they put him on the coumadin. They left him on it because he had hardening of the arteries from smoking a pack or more a day of cigarettes since the age of 14. He did not give up riding his motorcycle or his cigarettes and at age 86 because of the lack of circulation they removed his leg but had to take him off the coumadin and he passed away several days later from a blood clot.I guess what I'm trying to say is dont give up the bike but if you smoke, give up the cigarettes.................BG

 

Damn.... you guys are depressing me, I just turned 53 yesterday.....STOP THIS

 

My dad has been on this since last summer. The doc told him to not ride his bike and quit smoking. My dad told the doc he may have to find another doctor because he was 70 years old and he was damn sure going to enjoy the time he had left. Of course he may be a little opinionated (?) he rides a honda. Be careful and good luck.

 

I sure wish you the best,Take things slow and go at your own pace.I am sure that you will be the best judge of what your capeable of .And if one of the best things inyour life is sitting in thethe garage waiting patiencely for you,dont keep her waiting for too long

 

I'm 51, and been on it for the last 10 years. 10mg daily. My doc doesn't tell me not to ride, watch the diet, or not drink. His advice was to continue my usual activities, as any change in em will raise or lower the ProTime.
My health is perfect, except for the clotting issue, which is both heredity as well as from the numerous knee surgeries from college baseball.
Don't you dare give up the bike!