dtg
02-13-2008, 02:25 AM
I'm writing this not so much to ask questions but to inform you of things I've learned over the last 18 months after suffering a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) that luckily did not take my life; like many have been known to do.
I was 32 years old and in great shape... working out five days a week, dieting and supplementing well with Whey, Creatine, BCAAs... no illegal drugs, no smoking, no drinking, no genetic disorders.
For a few days I had shortness of breath, then I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a blood clot in my lungs. When I was admitted, they did another test (Doppler) and found a clot in my right leg as well.
After 6 months of additional testing, they concluded that I have what's called Antiphospholipid Syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease that makes the blood clot faster than normal. They said it's not hereditary, but something triggered it and now I have to be on blood thinners for probably the rest of my life.
I researched for months trying to find out what I did to cause this and the only thing that I could figure out was possibley the combination of aminos, creatine and whey.
However, I did not think that was it so I laid off the supplements (except whey) for a few months then about two months ago I started again (creatine, BCAA, L-glutamine, Vitamin C).
I normally get my blood checked every month to see what my INR level is to make sure the thinners are working properly. It has been very consistent (2.1 to 2.4) in the last several months but then the last time I checked it, it was 1.3 which is extremely low for me.
Again, I asked myself what could have caused this and concluded that the only difference in my diet is the supplements (i.e. creatine, bcaa).
I'm seeing the hemotologist in a couple of days and will ask, but I thought I would post this to a) inform everyone of my experience and b) see if anyone has had any experience of their own with this topic.
One last thing... there is significant studies showing that the amino acid homosysteine is linked to heart disease and blood clotting. This amino acid is formed by the body in its metabolism of other amino acids naturally occuring in high-protein foods.
Thoughts?
I was 32 years old and in great shape... working out five days a week, dieting and supplementing well with Whey, Creatine, BCAAs... no illegal drugs, no smoking, no drinking, no genetic disorders.
For a few days I had shortness of breath, then I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a blood clot in my lungs. When I was admitted, they did another test (Doppler) and found a clot in my right leg as well.
After 6 months of additional testing, they concluded that I have what's called Antiphospholipid Syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease that makes the blood clot faster than normal. They said it's not hereditary, but something triggered it and now I have to be on blood thinners for probably the rest of my life.
I researched for months trying to find out what I did to cause this and the only thing that I could figure out was possibley the combination of aminos, creatine and whey.
However, I did not think that was it so I laid off the supplements (except whey) for a few months then about two months ago I started again (creatine, BCAA, L-glutamine, Vitamin C).
I normally get my blood checked every month to see what my INR level is to make sure the thinners are working properly. It has been very consistent (2.1 to 2.4) in the last several months but then the last time I checked it, it was 1.3 which is extremely low for me.
Again, I asked myself what could have caused this and concluded that the only difference in my diet is the supplements (i.e. creatine, bcaa).
I'm seeing the hemotologist in a couple of days and will ask, but I thought I would post this to a) inform everyone of my experience and b) see if anyone has had any experience of their own with this topic.
One last thing... there is significant studies showing that the amino acid homosysteine is linked to heart disease and blood clotting. This amino acid is formed by the body in its metabolism of other amino acids naturally occuring in high-protein foods.
Thoughts?