26 year old playing sports on Warfarin

[pino458]

Hi everyone,

i am new to this site, but i have an upcoming aortic valve replacement ( going mechanical option ) and also having an expanded piece of my Aorta replaced.

i am 26 years old a keen soccer player. i play goal keeper for a Semi Pro team in Australia. i am going to be on warfarin after the operation but dont want to give up my soccer, can anyone provide me any advice on this? the doctors always seem to take the safe approach by saying " we don't recommend it" but then they have also said they don't have much experience with someone my age and how warfarin will impact me playing sports....

any info/thoughts would be awesome guys

thank you very much!

 

[ski girl]

Give up soccer cos of warfarin ? Give me a break, some docs are SO cautious. You'll be fine. I mountain bike very badly and my crashes would be much more damaging than what a soccer ball could do, and while I have a nice collection of bruises, I've never been in trouble of bleeding to death from a fall.

And I'm in Western Australia which as you will know is hardly full of people so I'm not terribly close to medical help. You will be on a football pitch with cars right next to it, on the off chance you really need to get to the hospital.

Warfarin will not turn you into a fragile flower.

 

[SumoRunner]

I've been running track, long distance, throwing shot, whatever, for 22 years post AVR. You can get some pretty ugly bruises. Here's one I got running track a few years ago. Tore the calf muscle and it bled internally to "fill up the leg" like a giant grape. Nothing life threatening but worse than if I wasn't on a blood thinner.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~sumorunner/jpegs/foot1.jpg

 

[ski girl]

Nice one Jack! That makes my mtb bruises look like nothing

 

[TheGymGuy]

Avoid crazy head butts and you should be fine. I did not give up my sport before or after. Training as hard and intense as ever.

 

[pellicle]

To the OP

This thought made me think what may have been the concern of the doctor

Avoid crazy head butts

It may be that heading a ball is what he's worried about

Training will only be good for you

I had hesitated to reply to this as ... well its such a common theme and because far keener sportsmen (and women) have replied here in the positive.

I used to do enduro dirt biking as a kid. You can bet the surgeon I had was not in favour of that. I had my first surgery at 9, and you can be sure that if I'd lived the cotton wool life the surgeons seek I would not be as healthy as I am. Probably I'd be more likely to have some of the more typical co-morbidities that the majority of heart patients die from.

If I had obeyed the directions of my doctors I would not have done most of what I did in my life. Taking risks (calcuated risks all the same) is what living is all about. Pushing yourself and going places you never went before. As you come from Brisso you'll know the place I come from (the Goldie) and its far away from this place...

I've taken a lot of risks, been to a lot of places and lived a very interesting life. I challenge you to do the same. Listen to the advice, understand it, and then make decisions on what you want to do. Anything less is just sitting around metabolizing.

 

[pino458]

Thanks for the reply guys and girls

I was hoping for replies like the above to be honest, the thought of not being able to play the sport I love was really getting me down!

Thank you

 

[spartangator]

Quality of life matters. Keep your care team in the loop and take their advice seriously, of course, but don't stop the things that are essential to you.

 

[Liam]

I also play soccer, and have surgery in two days. Surgeon told me to expect to be back on the pitch in the fall. I did play keeper for years, but have started playing center forward for the running exercise. Glad to hear so many replies around not getting turned into a fragile flower. I will have a tissue valve but will be on warfrin for the first two months. Best of luck.