Slashdot Mirror
Long Computer Sessions Could Cause Blood Clots
kac5 writes "The Australian reports that extended stints in front of the computer can cause blood clots to form such as those that occur from Deep Vein Thrombosis. Researchers have named it e-thrombosis (what is it with naming everything to do with computers e something?). So /.'s get up out of your chair, slowly so not to make your body go into shock, and walk to the other side of the room and back. Now do that every hour and you should be right according to this article!"
So all this time sitting in front of my computer refreshing /. to say FIRST POST is bad for me??? ...sorry...
Of course, we already know this from all the slashdot articles about people who died after marathon Everquest sessions and deathmatches.
Missed first post cause I was walking across the room.
:)
Karma burning
- gtaluvit (prnc. GOT-tuh-LUV-it)
Let's face it -- if you're hanging around Slashdot waiting for the first post, you're a prime candidate.
-- Askari: Give JavaScript the bird.
... I must be due for a heart atta
No one else ever believed me when I said that taking that cigarette break every hour was healthy. Now I've got proof ;)
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
Let's just say this is true, it would have affected many other people in the past. There have been many jobs throughout history in which you do not move and sit at a desk... So how is a computer any different?
this shouldn't come as a surprise, if you think about it. I'm reminded of the high occurence of lower-extremity (particularly foot) swelling that occurs on airlines. This isn't due to a change in pressure, it's due to the fact that you're sitting in one place for a longass time. Stands to reason that if you stagnate for too long, bad things happen.
filter: +3. Hey, look! all the trolls went away!
First Stroke!
Actually, I might have a stroke after I see how bad I get modded down for this comment....
Remember that you are unique, just like everybody else.
Haven't we always been told to get up and away from the computer at regular intervals?
And why would sitting at a computer be any different to sitting in an aeroplane seat or sitting in ANY seat for that matter?
If you sit for too long you'll probably become a fat bastard and have a stroke.
so maybe all the lag i was experiencing was inside my head...
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
How about if I hook myself up to one of those zap-me-and-get-me-in-shape things (you know the stomache excercizers and the muscle toners)
won't do jack for strength, but it sure will look nice, and should keep the blook flowing through the muscles.
btw - I hear that those things do bad to your skin, does anyone know the straightdope on that aspect?
and before anybody start, yes browsing porn will probably another method, but only good for (one of) your forearms.
My life in the land of the rising sun.
So, this means you should take a break in between taking time to look at all of the pr0n :)
*
troll blacklist. Please mo
but seeing as I am having severe chest pains and my leg is bloated, I think I will call 911.
Who would have thought that sitting in a chair for 8 hours straight without moving would be bad for their health?
I hope these researchers didn't have a big grant.
Jason
ProfQuotes
Did it in high school (ahhh, those were the days...) It said that extended periods of work (anything more than two hours) could cause a stroke and high blood pressure... No one believed me though...
The suggestions at the end of the article include avoiding alcohol, however they do suggest aspirin to thin the blood. Doesn't alcohol thin the blood as well? It seems that alcohol should actually reduce the risk of a blood clot rather than increase it.
Get one of the food patches discussed on here a while ago, and hack it to include some of these.
Instant success. Really. Really you won't die. Oh yeah IAMAD (doctor) or anything. Really, my knowledge of the human body is limited to the parts that give me pain. So try at your own risk :)
Karma: pi (Mostly due to circular reasoning in posts).
p.s. is there a stopwatch program that interfaces with X to see how much time a day yo put in on the computer?
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
Man... I wish I had haemophilia.
is large amounts of p0rn to keep the blood flowing, well to the important body parts at least...
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
It's sad that people need medical proof before they would even consider getting up a few times a day instead of sitting at a computer for 18+ hours straight. Back in the day, we called that common sense.
today is spelling optional day.
Now, all of this scientific stuff is great.
OK, all of us here are going to die from blood clots while our arms are aching from carpal tunnel syndrome...
What I'd really like to see is some general data on roughly how many hours (per day or per week) people are spending in front of a computer to get symptoms like these, and after how many years.
Is it because it's 'too random to judge accurately' or something like that? Or have they (meaning 'people smarter than myself') just not narrowed it down yet?
eggs are good, eggs are bad, make up your fuxing minds.
I wonder if DVT is related to the law requiring truckers and buses to take a 15 minute rest stop every 5 or 6 hours (I don't remember the exact period of time, I heard it from a charter bus driver a while ago.)
The article says that the man would sit at his desk for up to 18 hours a day. Perhaps we can try to convince employers to allow chair racing in the hallways.
Yet more evidence that a sedentary lifestyle is an evolutionary dead end.
Oh boy, what a startling discovery.
If you think about it, the average slashdotters diet of Cheetos and Mountain Dew, coupled with the inactivity of sitting for 3 and one half hours per article (only 1 and one half for dupes) reading at a -1 threshold, invites this sort of thing...
But,in the name of public interest, here's a good way for the average lazy-ass slashdotter (myself included) to prevent it: get up and do stretches every hour or so (the whole walk to the other side of the room and back seems a bit light). Just stretch your arms some and do a little leg stretching. The blood flow should increase enough to help prevent e-petrification blood clots.
Of course, if you're actually too lazy to do even that, just stand up and do a couple of toe touchs every once in awhile... basically, anything that gets your muscles moving should help prevent it (of course, your heart is still going to turn to slush and bleed out your pores - but hey - you can't be expected to take ALL the responsibility for your well-being, right?).
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
The Solution: Space
/. all day long without worry of blood clots.
If you lived in space you could read
Fight Spammers!
I shake so damn much that blood clots could never form.
/me downs another tin on penguin mints. That's the same as 25 cans of cola for those that are counting.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
I think the radiation from years of long days of having a CRT monitor less than a couple feet away from my face will give me a brain tumor that will take me out before the clots get me.
IANAD, but stuff like this have kept me clot/trombose free for over 10 years now. Oh yeah, I do get up from my chair every now and then to get coffee, and stuff like walking/feeding the doggies or feeding/entertaining the cat.
Damn you who ever sent this in! May the fleas of one thousand two hundred and twelve camels infest your armpits!
Just kidding :)
---
But it truely was excessive amounts of time. Essentially what had happened was I threw one one of my knees vaccuuming the inside of my car (twisting my legs funny trying to get all the corners under the seats and all. Anyhow, because of that, my left leg was put into an immoblizer. So I basically couldn't walk very well, or very much. So I sat in my chair, almost the entire day for about a week while my knee healed.
:)
During that week, my right leg just hanged down off the edge of the chair all the time. Eventially I noticed it started to swell by my caff, and it hurt real bad. After a few days it was the size of one of them long watermellons, and deep purple colored. I went to the doctors, and sure enough it was a fairly large blood clot logged under my knee (where my leg was bent on the chair all day). The impaction from sitting at the chair all day caused the blood circulation to slow, resulting in a clot forming. It's a lot like a snowball effect, a little clot forms, and more and more platelets attach to it.
Once the doctor did an ultrasound on my leg and confirmed it was a blood clot, I was in the hospital for about 5 days with an IV drip of blood thinners. They came in about every 3 hours to take blood from me to make sure my platelet level was fine (don't want to thin the blood too much.) After the 5 days I went home to bed rest for about 6 weeks. During that 6 weeks I had to transition myself off the IV blood thinners to a pill called Coumadin. The only way to transition were shots of the stuff in the IV about twice a day in my stomach. Not very fun. I had a nurse come by the house once a day to take blood to check to make sure the levels were good.
During that time, the doctors kept telling me that if I felt in pain in my head, chest, or trouble breathing to call 911 immediately. Blood clots are very serious. If it breaks away and moves through the blood stream, it can clog somewhere in my body causing a heart attack, stroke, or pulminary embalism. It was funny, because the first night I was home, the nurse told me all about that, and kept saying, "And if you don't call 911 immediately you could die!!!" in this real strict voice. Then she took my blood pressure. "Your blood pressure it too high!!!" My father pointed out she had just scared the hell out of me hehe.
Anyhow, after the 6 weeks, I pretty much had to learn to walk again since my muscles were very weak. I had to wear funny stockings on my leg to make sure it keep my circulation good, and had to continue taking coumadin for about a year and a half. I had to wear a special medical alert bracelet because if I were in a car accident, it would alert EMTs that I'm on Coumadin, meaning any bleeding injuries wouldn't clot themselves anymore because of my thin blood.
It takes a very long time for the body to absorb a blood clot, so during that year and a half I had to make sure I paid attention to any chest pains, and not passed them off as heart burn. Also, during that year and a half, I had to go into the doctors office twice a week and have blood drawn to check my platelet levels. Not very fun, I looked like a drug addict from all the needle marks.
So, safe to say, I pay attention to how long I'm sitting, and how my legs are. I occastionally stand up and take 10 minute walks when I'm at work. I try and tap my food, or move my leg when sitting to keep blood flowing down there. My doctor also told me to pick up some horse chesnut extract. Apparently its been shown to help increase blood circulation. Due to the severe swelling in my leg, its now bigger than the other one pretty much perminately. The veins are also noticably bigger when I exercise. Also, the type of chair you sit in plays a big role. I make sure the chair I'm sitting in has plenty of padding and comfortable around the under paid of my knees, and that my legs don't hang off the edge, rather I'm low enough my feet touch the ground and support my leg.
The only good thing I say I got out of this I had plenty of time when I was in bed to learn C.
..There's a-dooin's a-transpirin'
Here's what you do: you have to stop every four hours of sitting and do some stretches, and take a 10-15 minute walk OUTSIDE.
I used to be a PCB designer, which involves moving the mouse and clicking A LOT, with very little keyboard interaction. Instant tendonitis. The solution was to get those hand grip spring thingies, every 15 minutes I'd stop and do 15 grips per hand.
What happens is that mousing is an incomplete movement, the tendons and muscles stay in a low state of tension, which is unnatural and prevents circulation.
Stretching helps promote circulation.
I recommend the same for all computer jockeys. Some stretches, some walking. Hey I'd recommend a gym and some weights, but this IS slashdot...
It that case, maybe they won't be around much longer so mod points don't get wasted on them.
Warning: Breathing air could kill you! Someone could poison the air and you could die! You must take percautions to make sure that doesn't happen! Major health risk!
Come the hell on. How many times are we told a year that one of our daily activities will kill us? Well I got news for ya, scientists, doctors, etc. I'm gonna die anyway. So I'd rather die doing what I love. Clogging my arteries.. uh.. yeah.
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
Does it require different treatment? Would doses of cyber-warfarin cure it? If not, would the implant of a Bayesian vena cava filter be an alternative?
And how would you locate the clots in the first place? By ultrasound, of course. Gotta ping 'em!
I have wondered about this. Reading articles about people having a stroke because they sat in coach for 6 hours, realizing I've been sitting at my desk that long, my hypochondria grows. The real problem is the chair. My HM Aeron is so comfortable I don't even notice long stretches. Maybe uncomfortable chairs would solve thins.
Nowadays if this happened I'd have a solid case against Herman Miller (a joke, they are the best)
That is why hard-working coders (like you, me and everyone who reads /. 7 times an hour) drink so much coffee. In one our, either you stand up and go get some, or you go to the bathroom.
We had already solved the problem before they "e-discovered" it.
I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, but my feet are up all of the time, so does that mean I'm okay?
iThrombosis from Apple.
Also look for gThromb, kThromb, gtkThromb, gnuThromb, and ThrombCurses for Linux and UNIX.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
I drink about 3 large glasses of iced tea an hour.
That means I have to get up 4 times an hour. 3 times
for refills, and once to P. That and I'm so hyped on
caffiene I'm constantly tapping my feet while
talking to myself and the other deathmatch players
in (place any first person shooter that works
on linux here) while in absolute heaven on my caffiene
high. Lately it's been the navy seals covert
operations mod for quake3. Damn slick.
The most important thing any republican needs to know.
The article says that alcohol is a no-no. I was always under the assumption that alcohol thins the blood and prevents clotting. Do they refer to alcohol for the fact of it making you somewhat sluggish and lazy? (I'm drinking red wine right now - which I thought was healthy.) This hits home for me because I woke up this morning dizzy and last night had a tingling numbness in my left arm. I do spend a fair number of hours in front of the computer as well.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell, 1984
A couple of years ago (when I was 31) I came down with Deep Vein Thrombosis in my liver.
I needed a liver biopsy (not fun) and six months on blood-thinners and twice-weekly blood tests.
At the time the doctor couldn't explain a cause, as I was way younger than people who usually get this, but now it makes perfect sense, as I'd been doing a lot of dawn-to-midnight programming in a very comfy new chair...
Water. Exercise. Got it.
there's just something too funny about a disorder called "Deep Vein Thrombosis"... sounds like the name of a porn flick.
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
1st of all, blood thinners do not affect platlets. Heparin, and fractionated heparins such as fragmin affect a lab known as ptt or aptt, which is a measure of one branch of the clotting cascade. Coumadin affects one of the other branches, and is measured by pt. These agents may be used at the same time because of this. Coumadin is also known as warfarin, and is the main ingredient in many rodent poisons for this reason. Blood should be checked frequently while on heparin iv because it has a short half life, and can increase or decrease pt dramaticly. Neither are "clotbusters" For a simple DVT a 'clotbuster' drug is unlikely to be used for the simple reason that the risks are too great for the benefit. Surgical intervention is possible to remove the clot, as well as placement of a device called a greenfield filter, which is usually placed in the inferior vena cava to catch any emboli which are thrown as the clots break loose, they typically are used in patients who get thrombosis frequently for whatever reason.
I mean, the three-some sex alone with our model girlfriends is a workout in itself, but I guess lesser people wouldn't be able to keep up.
"Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaarrrrggh".
I use a Mac, so I have iThrombosis.
Slashdot Eds Link Anonymous Posts With Logged Posts
They Are Vermin Feeding On Each Other's Feces.
I Hate \.
They discovered the link when a 32-year-old man who sat at his computer terminal for up to 18 hours a day nearly died after he developed a blood clot in his leg which travelled to his lungs. Is this really news? Doing anything in a chair for 18 hours a day is going to cause a problem. Long flights can be a problem. I am willing to be that underwater basket weaving in a chair for 18 hours a day would be a problem. I guess what I am tryign to say is I see the authors point but if you get a blood clot due to sitting in a chair for 18 hours a day then you have no one to blame but yourself.
I know a guy who got a stroke from running through an airport with a computer back hung from the left shoulder to the right hip. It was compressing the artery and KERPOW. He recovered.
And I just read a story about another guy who got a stroke from crinking his head to the side to hold a phone on his shoulder. It was a 57 minute call, and he was pinching a blood vessel in his neck.
So be careful.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
IANADoctor, but I work in a hospital. To combat DVT from occuing in patients recovering from surgery with extended bed rest, we would hook them up to a device called an SCD (Sequential Compression Device). It basically would stimulate the blood flow. They also had an ankle compression device that was a lot less invasive.
M
Bottom line, you don't have to give up any PC time, just buy one of these units. Contact your local hospital, or Durable Medical Equipment (DME) for ordering information.
Below is the first search result I found using Sequential Compression Device for further reading about the topic.
http://www.msdistributors.com/biomed/meh/SCD.HT
Sequential Compression Devices, or SCD's, (also known as Lymphodema pumps) are designed to limit the development of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Peripheral Edema in immobile patients. When a patient is immobile for long periods of time, as in recuperation from an injury, blood tends to pool in the calf area of the lower leg. To combat this tendency, clinicians use the Sequential Compression Device. This consists of an air pump connected to a disposable sleeve by a series of air tubes. The sleeve is placed around the patient's leg. Air is then forced into different parts of the sleeve in sequence, creating pressure around the calves and improving venous return. Hospital units can utilize up to 10 sequential chambers; most home units have three. Available units include the Kendall 5325 and 6325 and the Jobst 7500.
A similar therapy which combats the same conditions is the Foot Pump. These devices artifically stimulate the venous plantar plexus (large vein located in the foot) to increase blood circulation in bed-ridden patients by simulating the motion of blood produced during walking. Devices using this form of sequential compression include the Kendall AV Impulse pumps and the NuTech Plexipulse.
Blood clots should not be the only reason you should get off the computer for brief periods. Although we live in a culture where we are hooked to the internet like our coffee in the morning, we should really take breaks and see how unique the outside world is like. Fortunately, being in a band makes me get up and just play guitar or whatever before spending massive amounts of time on the computer.
Which is the greater risk:
a) Sitting in front of the computer for 20-odd hours a day, risking Deep Vein Thrombosis, or
b) Going outside for a walk and risking being mugged, shot, stabbed, hit by a car, kidnapped, or abducted by aliens. And let's not forget the unpleasant effects that prolonged exposure to solar radiation can have on your skin.
It's absolutely absurd that they reference sitting in front of the computer as the cause.
First, it has absolutely nothing to do with computers, just with sitting.
Second, yes, people sit in front of computers more often now than they used to, but I think it's less a "sedentary lifestyle" and more a "productive lifestyle." People sit at desks a lot longer than they used to for other reasons, too. I've got Ibanking friends who are at work, at their desks, for at least 16 hours every day, except when they have occasional presentations. They're being productive, not sedentary.
Read jack phelps dot net
I drink a lot of water while I sit at my computer at work. It's good for you, and it means you have to get up and go to the bathroom a lot, which is a good thing.
ANYTHING in excess is bad.
I'm not fat, I'm full of blood clots. Yahoooooo ... ack.
I get plenty of exercise because I constantly stand up and walk outside to smoke.
...that programmers intake half as many Cheetos but twice as many Doritos.
I'll form my OWN solar system! With blackjack! And hookers!
The Australian reports that extended stints in front of the computer can cause blood clots to form such as those that occur from Deep Vein Thrombosis
How about if I use 2 computers ? Will it cause blood clots ?
How about 3 computers ?
How about 4 ?
.
.
.
How about 100000 ?[typing with one hand on chest]
How about 100001 ?
How about 100002 ?
.
.
.
How about 100945 ?
How abo
getSexySig();
... the No Duh Institute's proclamations... Didn't They say the same thing about sitting in one place too long on airplanes? Wouldn't THIS logically follow?
I know I'm going to get modded down anyway, so: JOKE! JOOOOOOOKE! Yes, joke! Good boy! HUMOR HU-MOR! YES! Humor! GOOD BOY! Cookie?
I use Windows... like a two dollar wh.. why don't I just go ahead and not finish that sentence.
In late November of 2001 I was walking near my house and felt a rather sharp pain in my right thigh about 4" away from the pelvis connection. Went to MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital) thinking that perhaps I had cracked my pelvis (about what it felt like) but the scans showed I had DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis).
The doctors asked if I had been on an airplane recently as this is often seen in people who sit in cramped positions for long periods of time. I had not. But I was working as a low-level NOC monkey. Combine that with my computer activities post-work and you have pretty much the same thing minus the cramped aspect. But the doctors seemed to discard that theory.
Just to sew the story up, I took self-administered shots of Fragmin for about 2 weeks and then coumadin/warfarin (blood thinners) for about 8 months. The Fragmin is necessary because the warfarin will cause blood thickening when starting off so the Fragmin counters this. I should mention that Fragmin is incredibly expensive ($50/ea shot, 2x a day IIRC) so not having health insurance would have really sucked.
But the only thing I can think of that would have caused it is long hours at the computer. Of course it might have had a genetic origin but I've never heard of anyone in my family having it.
My
Limekiller
Drink liquids (any kind I don't care) all the time and you will get up at least once an hour automatically. Your bladder will provide the incentive to get up. It's what I do. I have a pot of tea beside me and I fill my cup up. Every hour (or less) I got out of the room to expel the excess liquid. As well I'm hydrated (which is good for you!). The closer the liquid you're drinking is to water (e.g. tea, milk, coffee, pop, booze) the "more healthy" you'll be living.
No joke, I was coding late a few nights ago, trying to make a survieallance camera program for my spiffy logitech camera, and emacs goes "You've been typing for a long time, would you like to take a break?" Being of the curious nature I agreed, and was treated to a demonstration of the Hanoi Towers in ASCII Art. It was intersting, but it wanted 15 minutes of precious time, so I returned to work.
None of my fellow programmers have ever had this happen? Does someone know the triggers for it? I like to think my computer genuinely cares about me sometimes:)
I wonder if you could die of that... "Programmer dies from writing program to organize porn files and upload them onto his server, all while accessing slashdot, trying to post as much as possible to get good karma so he could moderate up his friend's comments. Parents and ex-girlfriend have nothing to say, aside from, 'Oh, he's not dead. Send him an e-mail and he'll get back to you within a few seconds.'"
I had a blood clot in my leg, a DVT, deep vein thrombosis, I think it is called. I had to be in the hospital for several days. However, it got worse. The blood clot broke off and went to my lungs. That was possibly the worst pain I've ever had in my life. Every breath was a serious pain. I had a condition where I was losing a lot of blood which contributed to it. As a result of the condition I had to be bed ridden for several weeks. The inactivity also contributed to it. I highly recommend excercising every hour. It isn't just medical conditions that cause blood clots; movie marathons, all night computer sessions, plane flights... and don't cross your legs for a long time when you sit. hey, it might sound like silly advice, but it's worth not having a blood clot!
Deep vein thrombosis - the type that some airline passengers say to of received from flying occurs when their fear of flying becomes great and the flow of blood around the body increases. The result is the blood clots. Unless one has a fear of computers I don't think we have much to worry about.
Analytic & algebraic topology of locally Euclidean meterization of infinitely differentiable Riemmanian manifold
Friend/coworker of mine died last Wednesday, and blood clots were a large part of the problem.
He had other medical conditions (he'd been in a wheelchair for about 25 years), but it was the blood clots that sent him downhill.
I'm sorry my friend is gone, and while I'm happy he's no longer in pain (i hope).... his memory has given me some motivation to get the hell away from this fantasyland.
Time for a walk.
Darwin 1 : Frosty-Pisters 0
... in the latest issue of the medical journal Duh.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
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"Somethin' about that boy just ain't right, Jethro."
I am currently on medication for DVT. As somebody already mentioned, it is not just from the computer, but sitting in general.
I program long hours. I'm generaly considered to be fit and healthy. I've gained a few pounds since I got married a few years ago, but I'm certainly not overweight.
I started a company last year that relies heavily on my development efforts. I knew better, but I still spent 15-20 hours, 7 days, every week for three months. That gradually dropped to 12 hours a day, but no less.
In October 2002, I went to the ER for some pain in my calf. They did an ultrasound on my leg and then decided that they would hospitalize me for three days to see how I would respond to high amounts of Coumadin they then gave me. The injections made my stomach look like someone beat me repeatedly with a crowbar. Pricks. According to my doctor, if I'd left it any longer, I risked death, plain and simple.
The Coumadin I take now is in pill form, and the doctor says I will be on it for another six months or so. I get blood tests weekly (and I am so sick of being poked and prodded) but my INR is steady, though I think kept balanced only by the meds.
These days I walk more. I code just as much, but until my company can afford to hire someone to replace me, there's no way around that... But I've managed to train myself to at least stand up and stretch every 20-30 minutes, and I move about every hour or so.
It sucks. Period. I recommend just avoiding it in the first place.
Now I don't men to say that sitting at a computer terminal for hours on end is a good thing, but how is that any different from sleep? Sleep seems to fit their definition of "repeated prolonged immobility." So why don't we all die of fatal blood clots every night?
Is it the act of sitting or the posture we use while sitting at a computer that apparently makes this a health risk? Since this article doesn't seem to address these issues I'm gonna have to say these clots were likely caused by a bad chair and poor posture, in addition to repeated prolonged immobility.
Once again I'd like to point out that I don't think sitting in one place for more that an hour at a time is good for you regardless of what you're sitting on. But that I don't think these down under researchers are seeing the whole picture.
Why haven't I gotten a heart attack in my 4 hour OOP class?
Sometimes I pray for a heart attack. Or a pen in the eye.
It's much easier to mod me down than to post an intelligent reply.
any form of inactivity... such as sleeping (for example) will cause a heartattack. I guess standing at the computer and insomnia are good things after all.
Oh, shoot... it's getting dark in here.
Is this why I am dizzy most of the time and almost pass out when I get up from sleep? :)
Was the nurse hot?
In bed, the best place to learn C
once an hour
With this topic, the scores Informative, Interesting, and Insightful are bound to be less frequent than Funny; at least if know my /. well enough.
so I could die from sitting in front of the comp. too long...
so fucking what...anything less short of imminent death is a fucking release from boredom...
i say bring it on, you fucking biological bioorganisms....fucking white/red blood cells anyways...what the fuck are they any good for...
RB
----------
ah honey, we're all resplendent - Bill Mallonee
i can't imagine sitting for too long in this thing
Apparently coaches have been getting athletes to wear high tight socks (I suppose somewhat like "executive stockings") on long plane trips, with good results. So now high socks will become standard geek ware, instead of pocket protectors?
-- When you look to see how the system works, you usually find that it doesn't.
Dr Beasley told AAP it was important the community was made aware of this new risk factor for developing fatally potential blood clots.
Fatally potential? Potentially fatal, sure, but just because it's potential doesn't mean it's fatal.
If you actually try and spend an hour and the gym a day you will find your productivity improving as well.
I don't know what it is, but it is *so* easy to get caught in the trap of lethargic sessions in front of the computer. Often the web browser is the biggest cause of problems. It is just too easy to go around browsing the same sites over and over again. P2P and chat is a close second. Really, just a little activity breaks the spell and will HELP. A few hand stretches helps avoid stress injuries as well.
I keep my body alcoholated enough that this shouldn't be a problem.
if [ "Alcohol" = "Thin Blood" ] then;
RETCODE=`NoWorryForClots`
if [ "$RETCODE" = 0 ] then;
echo "Right"
else
echo "Wrong"
fi
fi
The next time you take a stab at something, aim for your eye. Then take a nice long break.
Sigs are like bumper stickers.
This is your day GabrielF. Enjoy the Karma ride...
what does that have to do with sucking cock? (inquiring minds want to know!)
DVT as a result of prolonged sitting was first recognised during the Blitz in World War II, when cases of fatal embolisms emerged among Londoners who sat for long periods in deckchairs in air-raid shelters.
So why is this being treated as something new? I mean, surely the cause is sitting for long periods of time, and is the same whether you are siting at a computer or otherwise. Yes, it might be worth drawing attention to, but why act like it is a new condition and give it a new name?
whatcha think bout that? huh?
In the EU there has been legislation for 10 years regarding the use of computer workstations. Employers are obliged to carry out risk assessments of all work stations, and to re-assess them if anything about the workstation changes. You have to assess seating (which must be fully adjustable), provide footstools if required to relieve pressure on back of legs, reflection and glare, lighting, desk space, ensure operators take regular breaks....
Our tiny 20 desk operation took half a day to assess - I'd hate to have to do it in a call centre!
"Blood thinners" is a very general term. Blood clotting is a fairly complex process, involving one of two clotting cascades (intrinsic and extrinsic). One can inhibit one of these two protein pathways, or one can attack the platelets themselves. Platelet inhibitors are often lumped into the general category of "blood thinners" (asprin is a platelet inhibitor).
Coumadin attacks the vitamin-K-dependent clotting factors (factors 2, 7, 9, and 10) where they are manufactured in the liver. This is why coumadin takes a bit of time to take effect. Heparin is much more immediate, but requires close monitoring of the Partial Thromboplastin Time to ensure adequate anticoagulation. However, there is a different preparation of heparin, called "Low-molecular-weight heparin" that is preferred, since you don't have to monitor it, and as a result it's often used in the outpatient setting to treat DVTs.
The factors that contribute to DVT formation are stasis, injury (I've seen a DVT from being hit in the leg with a baseball), and hypercoagulable state (blood is too thick, or platelets are too sticky). The more factors you have, the greater your risk... but sometimes it's not simply additive. For instance, young women that smoke AND take birth control pills (both make you hypercoagulable) are at greatly increased risk for clots... those two particular risk factors seem to have a synergistic effect.
Most geeks should not get these... Pulmonary Emboli are rare in healthy people. However, if you get a big one (a so-called "saddle embolus") it can turn you out like a light. In the case of large emboli, "clot buster" thrombolytic drugs ARE used, but usually only on a truly unstable, dying-in-front-of-your-eyes patient. Clot buster drugs are NOT benign, and can cause strokes, and uncontrollable bleeding. You'd hate to fix a guy's emobolus, only to have him die from an intracranial bleed. There's a reason those drugs are given very cautiously.
Certain genetic susceptibilities also exist that can make you prone to DVT/PE. Protein C, Protein S, Antithrombin III, Factor V, just to name a few (I'm not a hematologist). If someone in your family gets an unexplained DVT, your doctor will probably be checking all of these and more. If a first-degree family member has one of these that is abnormal, you might consider getting your own blood checked.
one more thing... I have to take issue with the name "E-thrombosis"... sheesh. Why couldn't he just call it a Pulmonary Embolus? Then any doctor would know immediately what he was talking about... God save us from neeto buzzwords.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
Though not mentioned, genetic conditions related to clotting factors might also be a factor (pun intended) in the development of DVT. For example, those most prone to problems on long flights are people with conditions like Factor V Leiden (3-5% of US population has this condition, most don't know about it) are likely to contribute to this. My hunch is that the guy with problems mentioned in the article likely had a clotting factor condition, which predisposed him to trouble, and he (unintentionally) found it working long periods of time at his desk.
fuck you!
I'll wait for iThrombosis so I can get it a higher price, in a overly designed package, and with Steve Jobs raving about it.
I had a blood clot that lead to a minor damage in the brain.
The symptomps were a partial numbness on the right side of my body, that lasted for three days. Now I'm fine, apart from a small area on my right thigh that is a bit numb and psychological effects that I'm getting over now after a year from the event.
I guess I was lucky (or unlucky). Doctors were unable to find any cause for the clot. I had been gaming for more that ten hours straight before I went to bed, next mornig I woke up and had the symptoms. I was then thirty, no lifestyle or hereditary risk factors. So I guess this fits the bill fine.
This time anonymously
If your clot was in the portal venous system, a sedentary lifestyle should have had absolutely nothing to do with that particular thrombosis.
So they never came up with anything? Most people that get PVTs have cirrhosis (probably why they did the liver biopsy), some kind of intraabdominal infection... something.
Check out this article
What you had is extremely rare in normal people...I'm not presuming to tell you what to do; your doctor knows you better than I do. Still, you might consider following up on it sometime, just to make sure everything is kosher.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
Everybody knows that too much of things is bad. /. so it has some marrit =P
Eating too much hamburgers from Mc D's will prolly
give you the same result. I dont see the
point in telling this. Ok it's another post
on
It's all up to the individual: use your head!
Check my site: http://pixel.pagina.nl
"Pricks"
C'mon now... is that any way to speak of the people who were literally saving your life?
But you know... that's the most honest feedback I think I've ever heard from someone getting heparin injections!
Thanks... you brought a smile to my face.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
I recall something about a
Man dies after 86 hours gaming.
P.S. for non-aussies dunny == throne == toilet == wc
in my life God comes first.... but Linux is pretty high after that
Francis Smit
I should bring this to the attention of my doctor as i was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in my legs and neck last year. though they determined there were other reasons for it (getting a catheder pulled from my vena cava in my chest) this never accord to me. Ever since i was diagnosed i've been taking a healthy dose of warfarin (Or Rat Poison to the un-educated bunch) and i will be for the rest of my life. If you can avoid it, avoid it, you don't want to be stuck on blood thinners every day for life like i am. Get good exercise and make sure you get your circulation up, blood clots usualy form slowly over time. they could have been developing for months by the time you're diagnosed.
The Blade Itself
What an appropriate name for a drug that combats a computer condition.
FRAGmin
John Kerry is a Joke!
Diores, Scribe of Euripides: Master, I've been copying your latest play for hours and my limbs are getting numb.
Euripides: Well of course they are you idiot. Get up and move around once in a while why don't you? Sheesh, slaves these days are such incredable doofuses they don't even know how to take care of themselves.
Diores: Oh bless you master! I never thought of that, who would have even thought that moving around for a bit now and then would be advisable?
Euripides: Well, I guess that's why I'm the genius and you're the slave, eh? It's no wonder we conquered your pansy assed people.
So this scene need not be repeated in *another* few thousand years let me spell it out for you people. It's common knowledge that if your work keeps you sitting for long hours you should get up and move around for at least a few minutes every hour. If it keeps you on your feet for long hours you should sit down and take a rest for at least a few minutes every hour.
Geez, ain't modern science grand?
KFG
Yet another reason I feel good about fidgeting at school.
1, it burns of calories, around 300 per day.
2, I don't get DVT...
So, I suppose school causes more DVT than work, since at my school the seats were hard plastic, non-reclining.
At work I generally lay back and spread my weight.
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
A round of pyddr or Stepmania each two hours should be enough to prevent DVT and it is also a lot of fun. (Well, you probably won't want to do that in your office, but I think it should be ok at home.)
But you shouldn't do that when you already sat down for 10 hours, then you would maybe even trigger the DVT with that.
Jan
Since one year the crisis of
Now there is not much left of the glory of earlier days. Today's occasional trolls can not catch up to the glorious trolls of the past. What remains are honourable memories.
So it is time to mention some of the great heroes of the past to give them the merits they deserve. Of course, i have forgotten many, so please post any names that you consider worth to be named.
Egg Troll
Trollaxor
Klerck
* Spork
Turd Report
Fecal Troll Matter
Weather Troll
Grammar Nazi
WIPO Troll
Remember the article posted a few months ago regarding a gamer in Soth Korea who died after playing for 86 (??) hours on one of those Cyber Cafes there. I don't know the details of the case, but it's be possible that the gamer died because of this. The only time he got-up was after 86 hours of gaming just to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately for that guy, he died at the bathroom.
Isn't this what masturbation is for?
you mean I can get out of this chair?
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Does that mean I should drink one cup of coffee every hour, or should I start smoking? Or print something useless every hour?
These are the legitimate reasons for leaving your computer at my workplace.
Of course I could start disturbing the pointy-haired ones, but that increases the risk of getting fired.
From now on, I make one wasted print/hour just to be on the safe side. At least my son will now get all the drawing paper he needs. But some poor owl will lose its home, again.
"I'm also going to give them super-human, undefeatable ice hockey players who will
be admired and feared by all who come across them."
Now your just blowing smoke.
-loud mouth
If news agencies could be moderated down for trolling I would drive this one to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
I could have told that guy that sitting in front of a computer for 18 hours a day would cause cardiovascular difficulty. I would think that your body frowns upon you filling the lower 33% of your body with 80% of your blood. He didn't die because the computer or the job killed him, he died because he was too stupid to figure that out.
I am so tired of news agencies printing medical stories. 99.9% of it (including this story) is biased, non-representative shite that jumps from conclusion to conclusion to get more funding. Then other groups just refute the claim because they found a 143-year-old Norwegian homeless lady with 12 cats and a propensity for eggs. It goes something like this:
Eggs are good!
Eggs are bad.
Eggs cure cancer!
Eggs ARE cancer.
Eggs fight crime!
Eggs abduct and eat your young.
The end result of this will be that eggs are okay for you but lethal in doses of 146 at a time. So don't eat 146 eggs at a time, or you will die. Thanks for the tip guys! I'll just go out and eat 39 McDonalds hamburgers 'cause I'm feeling a little peckish.
I use KDE so I'll go down with kThrombosis..
eh, yeah a bit obvious but had to be said.
Sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours a day is 'less a "sedentary lifestyle"'?
/. there are people who actually think that banding together to assaut a keep on Dark Ages of Camelot is a productive endeavor. The mere fact that I know that DAOC exists makes me think Ted Kaczinsky was more correct than we know (except for the killings, of course.)
The word sedentary is derived from the Latin sedentarius -- the present participle of the verb "to sit." There is this thing called a dictionary, use it. Yes, they are available online, but guess what, they also comes as books. You remember books don't you? I shudder to think what your life was like before computers.
I won't even touch the "more productive" assertion, because on
The long and short of your tirade is this: you can sit and be productive. The two processes are not mutually exclusive. Duh.
BTW, my brother lives in Wellesley just down the street from Babson. He needs someone to shovel his walk and mow the grass. You can supplement your "non-sedentarian," yet somehow still "sitting" lifestyle if you wish.
Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
nuff said
The e-doctors were feeling very e-unimportant despite the e-ducation. So they start e-research in their e-labs and realized there's a lot of undocument e-illness that needed to be defined and brought the e-public's attention.
E
sitting down and watching tv doesnt count, especially when its next to your computer (or is your computer).
I know you are psychotic, but please make an effort.
like e-mail originally was electronic mail, probably for ease of use it was shorted, e-tail probably derived from electronic retail. nowerdays i think it just sounds snappy
dybia felly dwi a hampster (i think therefore i am a hampster)
An animation student when I was in college either had this conditionor something similiar As a result parts of both legs were removed. The combination of factors were that he was above average in height 6'4, long hours animating and the animation table were archaic in design. At first, it was difficult to beleive until various departments started making changes to furnitures. Eventually there was a law-suit, but I was unsure of the outcome.
To prevent DVT, doctors suggest flexing one's toes and ankles, drinking water and avoiding alcohol, and getting up to stretch one's legs at least once an hour. An aspirin, which helps to thin the blood, can also help.
Another study shows that large consumption of alcohol may actually be a benefit because people tend to fall out of their chairs and trying to get back up gives the legs enough exercise to prevent the blood clot from forming.
A guy I know had this happen to him last month. He went to the doctor after about a week of pains in his leg. He ended up having to go to the hospital to have the clot loosened with anti-coagulants.
"Now do that every hour and you should be right"
;)
You know.. the thing is... some people around here, no matter how many times they walk across the room, well, they're just wrong.
Good point. People in general seem to expect to be told everything they need to know, rather than going through any effort to figure it out for themselves. "Oh, sitting on a plane for six hours is bad for me; but sitting in front of a computer for six hours is okay!" Or, as you pointed out, "I'm coughing up my lungs, but smoking must be okay, because no one's told me otherwise!"
This may be why we have lawsuits like the McDonalds "I'm suing because you made me fat" suit that a judge recently dismissed. When you hear someone say, "I didn't know because someone else told me," just think: that's Darwinism in action.
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
Is this something new because of computer programming? There are plenty of people who sit all day long as part of their jobs.
While we're on the subject, I've been wondering about something. I went to music school some years ago. The piano majors there practiced regularly anywhere from 4-8 hours a day. They didn't sit in front of their keyboards for 8 straight hours, but they sat plenty. They didn't use the chairs that most office workers use, however.
Piano players sit on a bench, sometimes padded, sometimes not. They don't sit back in their benches either, the way people do in office chairs, but sit on the edge of the bench with their weight forward.
So what I'm wondering is, does anyone out there sit like this? Do we have any accomplished programmers/pianists who could shed some light on the ergonomics of this? I'm wondering if we "keyboardists" shouldn't sit the way pianists do.
quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.
I shake so damn much that blood clots could never form.
On a serious note, I've got that annoying habit where I shake my legs when I'm sitting still... I wonder if that will actually protect me from DVT?
bp
I am an emphatic leg jiggler, bouncing one leg or another while I toil at my work or home computer. People gotta HATE watching me do this, but it does flex the toes, ankles and calves (just as the article suggests).
Now I can tell my spouse that my annoying habit is a life-saving technique. Think she'll buy it?
Looking at the bit in the middle...the way they formatted it, it looks like they had a fit of poetry. The meter's a bit confused, but overall it stands as free verse. I dub it, "The Blood Clot."
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. --Edmund Burke
I wonder if it makes a difference if you sit in one type of chair/seat vs. another. My seat can recline, so whenever I feel like I need to stretch I just lay back and let the blood flow...
On a Friday after a particularly long night at work - about 14 hours of sitting in front of my 'puter trying to finish a project this past September.
I was trying to finish a project for work the Friday before Labor day in September. Saturday morning I woke up with a pain in my chest. After 4 days in one of the local hospitals, they told me it was an ulcer and discharged me. 2 hours later, I was in another hospital where they diagnosed me with a pulmonary embolism - which the pulmonologist later told me was probably caused by sitting too long. My adventures with the first hospital are for another story.
I gotta tell ya - if you ever get a PE, you'll know it. The pain is excruciating. Obviously I recovered with no complications. Now, however, I make it a point to get up, walk around, and do some thinking during the day instead of the ol' marathon caffeine / code sessions.
It's weird to think that if that clot broke loose one more time I could have cashed-out.
If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
I suppose I do spend a pretty good amount of time in my seat, but I don't think I have to worry about this. I generally get up quite often, but even apart from that, I'm just restless as hell. I'll switch from sitting normally to sitting cross-legged to sitting with one leg crossed under me to sitting in half-lotus to sitting in full lotus and sometimes have to type around my knees because I'm using them as a chin-rest. I'm pretty damn active for a sedentary person.
[insert witty quote here]
"Knowing the risks of prolonged computer sessions, I've had my lower extremities amputated, you insensitive clod."
Rick.C
You were 80% angel, 10% demon. The rest was hard to explain. - Over The Rhine
"Math in a song is good."-Linford
This increases your DVT risk as it can reduce blood-flow.
word.
I've actually been concerned about this for a couple years. My rationalization was that, since I have "nervous leg" and bounce my legs around all the time, I was at less risk.
pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
I was sitting at the computer, typing my report, when all of a sudden my legs just went BLOOP-BLOOP-BLOOP-BLOOP-BLOOP. I tried to stand up, but completely collapsed. It was a...bummer.
Does anyone know if people who have to remain in wheelchairs are subject to DVT? It seems that would be the most extensive cramped sitting situation. They must have some way to counteract this effect, or be very aware of its symptoms?
A relatively bodybuilder died because he was on a fuckload of drugs (largely it was the diuretics that got him - bodybuilders use those to shed the last bit of water, largely from under their skin to get that paper thin covering look and all the veins). He was on a plane and for some reason denied himself water (post competition) and his blood then clotted with the sitting for the prolonged time (states -> germany). Although to be fair, I think what actually killed him was kidney and liver failure in the end. Ahh drugs.
Pro and olympic cyclists (as well as bodybuilders) use various substances to increase their red blood cell count (more red blood cells means more oxygen in the blood to be used - very useful in endurance racing - and bobybuilders use if for blood volume so they get those huge veins everywhere among other reasons).
EPO was used for a long time but has recently been dropped due to finally having a good test for it in the drug tests (although technically we all have it in our system since it is a normal thing - just at different levels). There is now a new one out that isn't detectable - go figure.
Also the steroid "A-Bombs" - anadrol - that too increases red cell count and is frequently given to cancer and aids patients - it has the added benefit of huge weight gain (muscle and water) and prevents muscle wasting.
When on these drugs, one has to do just as they say in this article and get up and walk around at regular intervals so as to prevent the blood from clotting (since it is at a higher density, there is more of a chance of it clotting) - there are many stories of the olympic cyclist coaches waking up their athletes every 1-3 hours to have them move about so as to prevent the clotting.
Also - there are heart conditions (my dad has it, as does arnold schwarzenegger (sp?) where the aortic value has one too few flaps and thereby throws off the normal flow of the blood, causing more turbulance, which then causes clotting - which can then move about the body doing all kinds of things that are bad - worst being a stroke and/or heart attack).
As for the sitting issue - I wonder if various chairs are better than others... please say the Aeron - then I can demand it of all of my employers and claim they are threatening my health if they won't give it to me.
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
Thrombosis is bad, but if you get into a cycle of chronic constipation, you will feel like [a] shit.
:-)
Inactivity causes major constipation. So get out of that chair and stay regular -and- keep the blood clots at bay.
mogorific carpentry experiments
Dr Beasley told AAP it was important the community was made aware of this new risk factor for developing fatally potential blood clots.
Fatally potential? I think they've got their adjectives and adverbs up mixed.
... "Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the w
You'll be forced to get up every hour or so. :)
Amazing how mother nature can help enforce OSHA guidelines (which recommend getting up from your desk and walking around for about 1 minute every hour or so).
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
I'll sit, thanks. And I'll happy with a Mac in my cold dead hands. Piss on Microsoft.
the concept behind this is very simple. Your veins do not have blood pumping through them like your arteries.
Veins only move blood by muscular action. You need to contract your muscles to move blood from your veins.
So instead of sitting the normal way in your chair, try sitting cross legged, or maybe lotus-style yoga sitting. Just get that blood moving.
The article recommened aspirin. Note that Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is extremely rare. Given the approximate rate of DVT in airplane passengers, you would need to treat 17,000 people with aspirin to prevent one event of DVT according to this source. Just my 2 cents
...name it iThrombosis.
Though, I can't imagine what the API for that would be named.
I can picture a new lethal Internet Worm "Clot Red."
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Coumadin (warfarin) does not cause thickening of the blood. Why one uses heparin or a low molecular weight heparin is to provide near instantaneous anticoagulation. Coumadin takes anywhere from 48-72 hours to see the full effect of the first dose usually. So if you start taking 5 mg of coumadin on day 1 and take it every day, you are still seeing the effects of the first days dose on day 3-4 as the INR keeps rising. Once you reach therapeutic levels (INR 2.0-2.5) you can discontinue the LMW heparin.
Sitting in Church praying for long durations causes bloodclots.
solution: ban churches.
Going outside for all those smoke breaks is good for me after all. ;)
/*drunk.. fix later*/
So jerking off to porn site is actually good for you?
Ultimately, it was a blood clot from sitting in front of the computer that killed my mom. I wish this had come out 18 months ago.
With all the pr0n I surf, most of my blood goes straight to my nose and nether regions.
Since I have been taking Coumadin for 14 years and generic sodium warafin for another 3 years after that (still am), I would like to make a minor correction. It's Sodium Warafin, not warafin that is the primary ingredient in Coumadin and rat poison. I have been getting blood tests every month (minimum) for this entire time to measure Prothrombin Time, which is the 'PT' the parent post mentioned.
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
"I went to the doctors, and sure enough it was a fairly large blood clot logged under my knee"
:)
"Also, during that year and a half"
OK, I'm no doctor, but... You say it was A clot, and that it took you 1.5 years for your body to absorb it?
Why not cut in, and just remove it surgically? Wouldn't that surgery recovery take a lot less than a freaking year and a half?
Just curious... there's no way they'd be sticking needles up me for that long
"If you could only see what I've seen with your eyes..." - Roy Batty
Sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours a day is 'less a "sedentary lifestyle"'?
/. there are people who actually think that banding together to assaut a keep on Dark Ages of Camelot is a productive endeavor.
The word sedentary is derived from the Latin sedentarius -- the present participle of the verb "to sit."There is this thing called a dictionary, use it. Yes, they are available online, but guess what, they also comes as books. You remember books don't you? I shudder to think what your life was like before computers.
So he got the word wrong; I've heard many people use "sedentary" meaning "lazy." Yes, they are wrong, but I don't see how the last three sentences there are justified.
I won't even touch the "more productive" assertion, because on
How does the existence of these people negate the "more productive" assertion?
The long and short of your tirade is this: you can sit and be productive.
I believe the long and short of his tirade was that people are sitting longer in general, not just at computers.
[Sitting and being productive] are not mutually exclusive. Duh.
Nowhere in the original post was it asserted they were mutually exclusive. It was only asserted that people are being productive while sitting more than in the past; ie a greater percentage of jobs are jobs done while sitting.
I use one of those huge rubber exercise therapy balls for a chair.
:) for visitors to our cubicle farm...
It keeps me moving around, makes me stay awake even if I'm short on sleep (if I don't, I end up on the floor), is really easy to shift into a situp position or for stretching my back for a few seconds, and makes for a good laugh (at me, not with me
The main disadvantage is that I can't really wear shorts sitting on this thing, since my exposed skin sticks to the rubber...
This is the second Article which has come out since I went into the hospital with DVT and Pulmonary Emboli. I was admitted January the 9th and they didn't release me until the 17th when my INR (the rate at which blood coagulates) was between 2.0 and 3.0 - the average person's INR is 1.0.
I'm now taking warfarin, a generic version of Coumadin, a blood thinner and I have to wear circulation tights for six months.
What's interesting is the blood clots didn't go diagnosed for about 2 months. Why?
Well, most people don't expect 19 year old girls to have DVT.
Despite my age, the fact I'm a non-smoker, a moderate drinker, anti-drug and decently healthy, I now am attempting to irraticate a large blood clot behind my left knee. One of two factors could be the reason for my condition - a medication I was taking or the fact I sit around in front of a computer for hours on end. I suppose I should have taken a break when doing my late night CS homework or wandered down the hall at work (I work as a Helpdesk Phone Tech), but hindsight is 20/20.
If it happened to me, I suppose it could happen to anyone. I'm going to take a walk down the hall to find coffee and stretch my legs. Be sure to take a break people.
bwah-ha-ha-ha
They were giving me Lovenox while I was in the hospital (thread farther down) - bruised my stomach something awful. I get my INR checked bi-weekly right now... (meh. needles. ick)
You'd be amazed how embarassing it is to have to stand up and walk around in the middle of a college class - yeah, it does suck.
bwah-ha-ha-ha
Canadian scientists found that sitting on top of your computer for long hours actually promotes blood flow.
will not be M$VM compatible though.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
it proves that 86 straight hours of gaming is not deadly after all, but 86 straight hour of sitting is killer. Note getting up to go sit on the toilet does not help.
So /.'s get up out of your chair, slowly so not to make your body go into shock, and walk to the other side of the room and back. Now do that every hour and you should be right according to this article!"
Crap, wish I was a sleep walker.. oh well, guess I'll have a cig then if it's gonna be these damn blood clots that get me
Notable side effects of heparin: thrombocytopenia (in rare cases, heparin actually will destroy your platelets) Notable side effects of warfarin: skin necrosis, where large patches of skin turn black. Of course, either of these two can cause you to bleed massively. Luckily, they are reversible: unfractionated heparin with protamine sulfate, low molecular weight heparin with Factor X, and warfarin with Vitamin K.
Yes! Mod down! Yessssss...
Now give me a back-rub, smithers!
I have Phlebitis. I got it in 1986. Also called Thrombo-Phlebitis it is where blood clots form in your arteries or veins. Mine is in my left ankle and is the size of a half dollar. My body has built additional small veins to go around the problem. Here is how I got it:
In 1986 I had started working on a database called Nomad for NASA as a subcontractor. I worked at Unisys and was working fourteen to sixteen hours a day. I jogged one to two miles in the morning and one to two miles in the evening. I weighed a little less than my ideal weight (225lbs at 6'5"). I ate lots of leafy green veges, yogurt, nuts, a little red meat, mostly chicken and fish.
One of the major problems I had was that the chair I sat in had a hard ridge running around the front of the chair. I liked to rock back and dangle my legs from the chair. Since I was into Yoga a lot at the time (less so now) I was used to sitting in one position for long (like hours) periods of time.
My first indication that I was having problems was when my left leg began to feel stiff and my feet would act as if they had gone to sleep. When I realized this I'd get up, walk around for a while and then come back. But sometimes I'd just shake my feet to wake them back up and go back to coding.
My second indication was when my leg began to hurt. I thought I'd pulled a muscle running or from my working out. It is funny how you make things up to fit the picture when really you are in need of medical help. But as I've posted here - I don't really trust doctors a lot because of the way my dad died. So I didn't do anything about it.
My last indication that I was in trouble was when my leg began to swell up. I went to Personnel and asked them for the name of the doctor who had examined me when I started to work at Unisys. I had already gone to another doctor but the guy was a wimp so I knew I had to find someone more capable. I did. I was put in the hospital immediately.
When the nurse came to draw blood they found out that they couldn't draw blood. My coagulation factor was so high that the blood dried in the needle and couldn't be made to go into the glass tube. "You should be dead." is what the nurse told me. They had to give me injections of Heparin so the blood would uncoagulate and then they'd give me the real dose of Heparin. Every day they upped the amount of medicine to give to me. 10cc, 20cc, 30cc, 40cc, 50cc, then Coumadin was given to me because they feared I'd bleed to death from the Heparin. 10mg, 20mg, 30mg, 40mg, 50mg and then it happened. My blood went from thick as ketchup to almost nothing but water. I was put on 24 hour watch and told not to move at all. I was lucky - I didn't bleed to death. After a few days my blood was thicker so they began trying to steady me out. I'm presently on 10mg of Coumadin a day - about two to three times what is normally given to someone.
Somehow, eating so many green leafy vegetables, and so much "healthy" food I'd managed to make my body over produce vitamin K. Vitamin K, for those of you who don't know what it is, is what is given to pregnant ladies before birth. It is the coagulation vitamin. Watch out for it. You get it by eating the dark green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and the like. You can also get it in vitamins. Men should never take it. Like iron - it can kill you. It can take up to five days for vitamin K to remove itself from your body (under normal circumstances). So make sure when you buy vitamins that you are not taking vitamin K.
I have been on Coumadin since 1986. Every day I have to take the medicine. I can still walk but jogging is now in the past. I still exercise but Coumadin makes you feel weak, exhausted. My feel swell up so I have to take a dieuretic. Whatever you do - be very careful about what kind of dieuretic they give you. hydrochlorothiazide or HCT is very dangerous if you happen to have a reaction to it. It took over ten years for me to have one but I had a very severe reaction to it. It damaged my kidneys and the doctors are now saying I've become diabetic. It also affects your heart, liver, and gives you sinus problems. I went off of it last May and onto a holistic dieuretic. I feel a 1000 times better.
The guy is right. Every hour on the hour you should get up and walk around a bit. Failure to do so could kill you. I was lucky - my blood clot didn't break off of where it formed and lodge itself in my brain, lungs, or heart. You may not be so lucky. So do yourself a favor - get a cheap alarm clock or set your watch up so it reminds you to do this. Either way - do it. It's better than having to take medicine for the rest of your life.
Oh yeah - and one more thing. If you get this it never goes away. You can reduce it's effects to where you won't have to take the medicine again only if you catch it in time. But it will never go away. It's just hiding. Waiting for you to foolishly do the same things again. Most people don't catch it in time. Know what you get if you don't catch it? Or if you don't keep taking your medicine? You get to lose your feet and eventually - your legs. That's why I work out. To keep from having that happen. And that's why I always take my meds.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Someone put a black hole in my pocket and now I'm broke.
I drink n' code so much that my blood is too thin to clot. Of course, my code ends up with the strangest variable names...
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat