Went for aride tuesday in an ambulance, and I go to tell you that my EG's ride is better. Now a coulpe of days later I'm sitting here in a trauma IC room because I have a blood clot in mylungs. It's winter here inChicago and snowing like abitch.The doctors have put me on a blood thinner called Coumadinand have suggested that I may have to change my ways.One of those ways is to consider stop riding my bike. Apparently as you get older some of these medical things start showing up.I was wonder if any of you older guys have come across this challenge. I'm53 and one of the best things in my life is sitting in the my garage waiting patiencely for me. Kind of rambling but trying to make sense of what is happening.

 

i ride on blood thinners got a 2000 ultra clasic and i got congestive heart failure a kidney transplant and a heart valve replaced all i do is have regular blood test to make sure my blood isnt to thin been an bloodthinners about 8 years now i live in wisconsin snow storm here now

 

One way to get blood clots in your lungs is by blood "pooling" in your legs. The clots develop there, in your veins, then travel to your lungs. One of the ways that the clots can form there is sitting in one position too long. Such as cramped in a car for numerous hours like that reporter in operation Iraqi Freedom some time back. The coumadin helps keep the clots from forming. Talk with your doctor or nurses about what you might have done to contribute to this problem. Good luck. Ride hard! P.S. If you have to stay on coumadin, it is of UPMOST importance that you have your blood checked as ordered.

 

My wife was on Coumandin for several years. Had to have it checked regularly, She was "A Fib" Continued to ride and did all that was advised, Long struggle but now she is not on any Blood Thinners and everything is good. So in spite of what is said it is not a life sentance. The sooner you can get everything back to normal and get off of Coumandin the better. It is a life saver but it also has it's down side. If you ever need emergency surgery there are things that must be done to counteract the coumandin before the surgery can be done. Exercise and diet were key factors in my wife's case. Good Luck

 

All of the above advice is good and sound. Realizing your potential for bleeding with trauma (blunt or otherwise) is paramount. Do you have to be more cautious than you are now when riding? Absolutely NOT. As long as you are touring and not stunt riding, your present level of precaution is enough. And, as stated above several times: keep on top of your lab results to ensure your clotting studies are at their target values. Ride safe, but ride!

 

Just make damn sure that while you are on it...that you wear a Med-Alert ID saying that you are on Coumadin...!!

 

I've been on coumadin for 15 years due to a genetic clotting disorder. Like the others said, make sure you follow the guidelines they give you. Get your blood tested to ensure your clotting level is where it needs to be. If you vary your diet get it checked more often(just try to eat the same way because it effects blood thickness). So long as you take breaks every couple of hours and walk around to get your circulation flowing it shouldn't be a problem. Talk to your doctor in case there are other medical considerations in your case. Being on coumadin, in itself, shouldn't stop you from riding. Something I did was to add ergo guard highwaybar so you can vary your leg position while you ride. (It gives you an excuse to get Kuryakyn ergo guards and looking at their long boards now too)

 

They make a nice flat black dog tag that doesn't look too bad...

 

I am on blood pressure meds. These also have thinner in them. Just a little scratch and I bleed like a stuck pig. As far as the doctors go, most sing the same song about motorcycles. For some reason I blacked out on the stairs at work and fell six steps into the wall of the landing, putting two tears in my spinal chord. I was a quad for a few hours. I'm slowly coming back, it just takes time. My last visit to my neuro surgeon, he said I could resume my normal activities, but he still wants to do surgery and wanted me to stay off my bike. I asked why, he said that I might be involved in an accident at an intersection and be re-injured. I asked why that was different than driving my truck or car, muchless falling down stairs again? I assured him that I am very careful at intersections and that I had been riding motorcycles longer than he was old, sonny.

I think it comes from them seeing many motorcycle wreck victims and we all get lumped together no matter whatwe ride and the way we ride. What's that addage, those that have had an accident and those that will have. You can determine your fate by the percautions that you take. My fate is in my hands.

 

I'm 45 and on Plavix among other meds... 5" of stents in my chest arteries... I don't sweat it... I have accepted that the next time I go down hard, odds are I will bleed out before they can get me to hospital... All in all you have to assess the risk and decide what makes life worth living...

Good luck and hope you are on your feet soon!