If you have just been diagnosed with a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) it can be very frightening. It is a painful condition for many people and results in a discolored and swollen leg, and has some very serious complications.
Often the first thing someone finds out they have a DVT is early in the morning, when they get up there is sudden pain, and their leg starts to swell.
If your leg is discolored, warm to the touch, and has started to swell or is painful, you should go to the doctor right away.
Once diagnosed with a DVT, you are likely to be given Warfarin or Coumadin in the states.
Special Dietary Requirements during Warfarin treatment
When you are taking Warfarin there are some thing you absolutely must avoid:
- Foods containing cranberry juice
- Alcohol
In addition to this there are foods that contain Vitamin K, which should not be avoided but should be regulated. Vitamin K is a blood clotting factor which interferes with the effect of Warfarin. You need it, but if it varies too much in your diet day by day this can affect how much your blood clots, and this interference is a bad thing.
What you should take away from this is that you should not avoid these foods, but should aim to keep the portion of your diet consisting of these foods as stable as you can.
Foods high in vitamin K
These include
- Vegetables such as Kale, Spinach, Chard and Brussels’ Sprouts
- Green leafy vegetables such as Parley, Collard Greens, Oriental Greens and Mustard Greens
- Green tea.
Consistency in diet
Basically the main requirement is that you avoid the two foods, while on Warfarin, and you try to eat a consistent diet. Because what you eat will affect your medication, the treatment for your disease depends on eating more or less the same diet for the six months of treatment, making changes only in a slow and supervised way.
Losing weight after a DVT
If you are overweight, you should discuss with your doctor an exercise and diet plan to lose this weight. You need steady, regular exercise and diets. It is important not to build up too fast, or exercise too vigorously at first.
Obesity is one of the main causes of a DVT. By tackling it you will reduce the risk of future DVT’s quite considerably.