Bumps and Bruises
Summer was unofficially welcomed on Memorial Day weekend, and for the most part, the summer-y type weather has shown up with it. Some days have been in the high 80s, but with little to no humidity, and I've been loving every minute of it! I finally have been able to wear my skirts, and tank tops, and walk around with bare feet and pretty painted toenails. Makes me feel happy and free, and yes, I'll say beautiful!
Until I look at my legs. And there they are, bruises. They can either be very small and almost unnoticeable, to very large, making me wonder how the heck that happened. There are very few times when I recall bumping into something. And sometimes when I do whack myself, I think, "Well, that'll be a great bruise." Why do they occur so easily? Well, I'm on Coumadin, which is a blood thinner. My blood is usually pretty thick because I have such low oxygen levels, that more red blood cells are created to carry around more oxygen. While that is nice, more red blood cells can cause clotting, and if a clot gets loose, a chance for a stroke can happen. Soooo, a blood thinner was added years ago to help try to prevent this. But, being on Coumadin just stinks! I have to watch my Vitamin K intake, meaning I need to watch how many foods with Vitamin K I'm eating. It's usually found in dark green leafy veggies, but there are a variety of other foods that include K. Does it mean I can't eat salads anymore, or spinach?? Absolutely not, although so many people who are put on Vitamin K think that they aren't allowed. The key is consistancy. I can't go from eating salads once a day for an entire week, to nothing the next week. I can't sit down and eat a whole plate of spinach (not that I'd really want to eat that much!). What I need to do is just make sure I eat the same amount every week. Is it easy? No, but it's doable. Does my Coumadin levels stay the same every time I get bloodwork done? Not all the time. There are times when I go fine for months, and then all of a sudden, something is out of whack, and I need to adjust how much Coumadin I'm taking, and then go back for more bloodwork a week or so later. It's a frustrating med to be on, but the aggravation, I feel, outweighs the risks of not being on it!
Which leads me back to the bruises on my legs. While I'm sure that I get bruises all during the winter, too, I don't normally pay attention to that fact, since I'm so covered up in layers! That's not the case in the summer, so I tend to see how banged up I really do get. For many years, I'd be so embarrassed to have them showing while I'm wearing a skirt, or shorts, but now I'm just not caring. I got past wearing the oxygen tubing out in public, what's a bunch of bruises gonna hurt?? Just as long as no one thinks I'm being beat up!!
Until I look at my legs. And there they are, bruises. They can either be very small and almost unnoticeable, to very large, making me wonder how the heck that happened. There are very few times when I recall bumping into something. And sometimes when I do whack myself, I think, "Well, that'll be a great bruise." Why do they occur so easily? Well, I'm on Coumadin, which is a blood thinner. My blood is usually pretty thick because I have such low oxygen levels, that more red blood cells are created to carry around more oxygen. While that is nice, more red blood cells can cause clotting, and if a clot gets loose, a chance for a stroke can happen. Soooo, a blood thinner was added years ago to help try to prevent this. But, being on Coumadin just stinks! I have to watch my Vitamin K intake, meaning I need to watch how many foods with Vitamin K I'm eating. It's usually found in dark green leafy veggies, but there are a variety of other foods that include K. Does it mean I can't eat salads anymore, or spinach?? Absolutely not, although so many people who are put on Vitamin K think that they aren't allowed. The key is consistancy. I can't go from eating salads once a day for an entire week, to nothing the next week. I can't sit down and eat a whole plate of spinach (not that I'd really want to eat that much!). What I need to do is just make sure I eat the same amount every week. Is it easy? No, but it's doable. Does my Coumadin levels stay the same every time I get bloodwork done? Not all the time. There are times when I go fine for months, and then all of a sudden, something is out of whack, and I need to adjust how much Coumadin I'm taking, and then go back for more bloodwork a week or so later. It's a frustrating med to be on, but the aggravation, I feel, outweighs the risks of not being on it!
Which leads me back to the bruises on my legs. While I'm sure that I get bruises all during the winter, too, I don't normally pay attention to that fact, since I'm so covered up in layers! That's not the case in the summer, so I tend to see how banged up I really do get. For many years, I'd be so embarrassed to have them showing while I'm wearing a skirt, or shorts, but now I'm just not caring. I got past wearing the oxygen tubing out in public, what's a bunch of bruises gonna hurt?? Just as long as no one thinks I'm being beat up!!
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