Green leafy vegetables. Vitamin K, and the thrombosis conundrum.

P

Paul Gammage

Guest
Having arterial thrombosis and being a vegan is a pain; I'm sure that having venous thrombosis and being a vegan is also a pain, by the way - but not so much of one, methinks.
I'm on Warfarin, an anti-coagulant. Just about everything interferes with Warfarin. My particular problem at the moment being GLVs. Green leafy vegetables are packed with vitamin k: this has the ability to raise or lower my I.N.R. (International Normalised Ratio) like nothing on Earth. E.g., I've just recently become almost addicted to tortilla wraps, four of 'em, for supper. Garlic, baby plum tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, soya chunkoids, Flying Goose Brand Super Hot Chilli Sauce (ace stuff!), and, here's the crunch, SPINACH - Popeye was NOT a vegan....download.jpg Spinach being the main ingredient. Since embarking on my tortilla suppers, well, my I.N.R. has plummeted. My doses of Warfarin have gone through the roof. I do, however, have to keep plugging away at this, methinks, as I'm an incredibly unadventurous eater: porridge with sultanas for breakfast. A 'crock pot' - with exactly the same stuff in it - for tea, and these boat-floating tortilla wraps for supper. I know that a varied diet is marvellous; however, it's not for me - never has been and never will be. Later rather than sooner my body (liver) will adjust, though. One's liver uses vitamin k to make blood clotting proteins. Warfarin works against vitamin K. Specifically, warfarin reduces one's liver's ability to use vitamin K to produce normally functioning forms of the blood clotting proteins.

Ha!

It makes me laugh when I hear about the hyper-healthy green leafy vegetable diet...

Any other thrombotic vegans on here?

Oh well.

Tatty bye.
 
The thing is with having a 'condition', methinks, is that one becomes an expert on it. I know all about the effects of vitamin k. I know a hell of a lot about arterial thrombosis full stop. E.g., I am currently taking double the dose of Warfarin that the 'expert' anti-coagulant nurses have prescribed (none of 'em are thrombotic, it's just their job...): I know the vitamin k angle, and, being below my D.T.R (Desired Therapeutic Range) just isn't clever. I wasn't asking any questions, by the way. My post was, well, erring on the side of lightheartedness. I am not 'gloomy' by nature. I'm sorry that it was old hat. I thought, maybe, there might be some other, one other, person on here that experiences the hassle of the life of a vegan thrombotic, could relate to what I said, and faced said dilemma with humour and fortitude.
 
Well, we are still a growing forum. We're only 15 months old, so I imagine there will be others in the future! :)
 
Well, we are still a growing forum. We're only 15 months old, so I imagine there will be others in the future! :)
Well, as I read that veganism is on the increase, in a big way, in this country, I'm hoping that you are right. The only vegans I know, however, are 'virtual vegans': people on my computer. I'm treated as a freak everywhere I go, here in Northampton. E.g., I spent ten days in hospital a couple of weeks ago. Blimus! Being a vegan was NOT easy. Cornflakes with, erm, water for breakfast, sir? I ended up having vegan microwave meals: all about three spoonfuls-worth; I'd lost five kilograms in weight in a week prior to admission. I pointed out that said 'snacks' were hardly likely to build me up. Their take being: stop being so stupid and start eating meat like everybody else then... They kept putting milk in my tea after I'd told 'em again and again and again that I DIDN'T WANT ANY. The catering staff were hyper-ratty with me. Like I was a vegan just to make their lives more difficult. Nothing easy is worthwhile, and nothing worthwhile is easy, methinks...
 
Have a look at the links I left here on this post: https://veganforum.org/threads/hi-everyone.657/#post-3087
Whilst it's mostly for London vegans there will be several links there that you can use to see if there are any groups in Northampton.

I was also in hospital about two years ago as a vegan and all I was offered was bread and mini packets of blackcurrant jam. Absolutely appalling.

To anyone who might be worried about going to hospital, I did find these two guides:
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/vegetarianism/ALL/479//
https://www.vegansociety.com/whats-new/campaigns/hospital-catering-all
 
Well, things certainly have improved; at Northampton General Hospital, anyway. There is a 'vegan menu', featuring chick pea curries, lentil bakes etc. However, as I said, they are tiny little microwavable plastic pots; no vegetables were allowed with 'em - I asked, and was also refused more than two slices of hyper-thin sliced white bread, to try to bulk 'em out a bit Five or six of 'em would constitute a half-decent portion, methinks. I was treated - unlike, say, a Muslim wanting Halal food, or any other religious or dietary consideration - like I was 'just being awkward'. The thunderous looks a received after sending back cup after cup of milky tea were ghastly. 'Does not compute', being the reaction of catering staff. Put me off being ill...