It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

[sapphire.phoenix]

Well, where do I start? lol Let's see, I had my first son on Oct 3, 2008. So I am a new mommy of a healthy almost 5 month old, knocking on 30's door. The pregnancy was rough and I had all sorts of issues...gestational diabetes for one thing. I had some weight to lose before pregnancy due to 3 back to back knee surgeries prior. I weighed 133 lbs before the knee surgeries, 154 lbs after and a bit later I hit the scales at 162 lbs (first obgyn weigh in).

We tried to get the diabetes under control but I was not diagnosed until my 28th of pregnancy so I had already gained a lot of weight despite my knowing that I wasn't eating great but I wasn't eating that bad either.
I had put on about 45 lbs during my pregnancy. I asked not to be told my final weigh in because I didn't want to feel depressed, I am guessing I was around 200 lbs maybe a little more. Since the baby, I've dropped down to around 175lbs (at 5'4). So I need to lose a bit more that's for sure.

I was admitted into the hospital on strict bed rest for 3 weeks until my son was born. I had no activity what so ever before and for a week after. (He was born via c-section). Due to pregnancy, family history and having no activity for the longest time, I develped a blood clot. This was not detected and it went from my leg into my lung (Pulmonary Embolism).

So, I was admitted into the hospital for another week. I am on warafarin (coumidin- blood thinners) for 3 more months (6 month therapy total) and I am wondering if anyone else has used the atkins program as a tool while on such medication. My doctor ok'd it, but said to let him know if my diet changes or if I stop the program all together. I would like to know what the resident experts think as well.

I am doing great so far, I feel good now and have lost 12 lbs in the last 3 weeks or so. I am thinking about moving to OWL now as well.

I look forward to hearing from you all. Thanks in advance!

[sadie147]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Welcome Sapphire!

I've never been in this situation and am not familiar with the drug but I'd say if your Dr. ok'd it, then it should be safe? One thing I would definately recommend though is keeping a food journal, including how your feelling each day. That way if you do have any issues, you can go back and see what you've had each day and pinpoint if it's diet related etc?

Two good (and free) food journalling sites are thedailyplate.com and fitday.com which one people choose tends to be personal preference.

[widget246k]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

It sounds like you have been through the ringer! Hang in there. Like the previous poster said, if your doctor okay'd it, then I would think it would be fine. Good luck!

[ceemarie]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Keep in communications with your doctor on your diet. It sounds like he is supportive and take it day by day to see how your body reacts.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Getting all the "gunk" out of my diet has been a source for cleaning up my arteries and I now have natural, healthy thin blood. At UVA Medical Center they have me listed as a "gusher" on the front of my chart. They ran a battery of blood tests to make sure there was nothing medically wrong, but all tests came back great.

I had an ultrasound of my carotids and my doc said they were completely open and extremely healthy.

The only thing I can tell you is that you need to be seen often by your doc for blood work, in case you need to go to a lower dose of the warfarin, a higher dose or stop it altogether. You are eating (I suppose, or should be) a lot of dark leafy greens, which contain a large amount of vitamin K (this includes parsley, basil, oregano and many popular herbs) which is a coagulant. That's most likely what he meant be "tell him if your diet changes." Quite a few herbs and spices and some herbal teas also cause thinning of the blood, which creates an altogether other problem. Berries are a natural blood thinner.

None of this is bad news on it's own, but you need to have another blood test before adding a lot of different foods to your diet. The foods that clot your blood (vitamin K) and the foods that thin your blood ( salicylates, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E) are the cornerstone of the Atkins diet. The list of coagulant foods and anti-coagulant foods is practically a blueprint of Atkins preferred foods up to rung 5.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that treatment of each patient is a highly individualized matter. COUMADIN (Warfarin Sodium), a narrow therapeutic range (index) drug, may be affected by factors such as other drugs and dietary vitamin K.

Eat a normal, balanced diet maintaining a consistent amount of vitamin K. Avoid drastic changes in dietary habits, such as eating large amounts of green leafy vegetables. You should also avoid intake of cranberry juice or any other cranberry products. Notify your healthcare provider if any of these products are part of your normal diet.

And from the Mayo Clinic:

Warfarin (Coumadin) diet: What can I eat?

Warfarin is a blood-thinning medication that helps treat and prevent blood clots. There is no specific warfarin (Coumadin) diet. However, certain foods and beverages can impair the effect of warfarin. For this reason, it's important to pay attention to what you eat while taking this medication.
Until recently, doctors advised people taking warfarin to avoid foods high in vitamin K. This is because large amounts of vitamin K can counteract the benefits of warfarin. However, recent research shows that rather than eliminating vitamin K from your diet, it is more important to be consistent in your dietary vitamin K intake. The average recommended daily allowance of vitamin K for adult men is 120 micrograms (mcg). For adult women, it's 90 mcg.
Certain beverages can increase the effect of warfarin, leading to bleeding problems. Avoid or drink only small amounts of these beverages when taking warfarin:

• Cranberry juice
• Alcohol

You should also avoid beverages that contain large amounts of vitamin K, such as green tea.

If you take warfarin, eat a sensible, consistent diet. Talk to your doctor before making any major changes in your diet and before starting any over-the-counter medications, vitamins or herbal supplements. If you are unable to eat for several days or have persistent stomach upset, diarrhea or fever, consult your doctor. He or she may need to adjust your warfarin dose.

This article explains the vitamin K thing very well:

Vitamin K and Warfarin (Coumadin): What You Should Know - ClotCare

[PolarBearKing]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Excellent reply SunnySmile501....

[peacefuljourney]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Hi,

Firstly congratulations on a difficult pregnancy - healthy mom and healthy babe! Children are true gifts from God.

SunnySmile said it well. I'm also a physician and Sunny put together a nice resopnse; the key thing with your medication does have to do with the vitamin K and the other coagulants. The only caveat with your food intake and coumadin together has to do (mostly) with the dark, leafy greens.

It seems like you understand your coumadin, how it works etc. There isn't a problem with that and Atkins. Atkins is a very healthy way to eat and live.

BUT................ what you need to be careful of is REGULAR habits regarding leafy greens and broccoli. So, let's say 1 week you eat 3 cups of spinach and 1 cup of broccoli EVERYDAY and then the next week you decide to radically alter that - i.e. no salads and no broccoli. Then that would be a change that you should talk to your doctor about. But I'm sure your doc told you that - it doesn't really have to do with Atkins so much but rather a sudden change in what you are eating. i.e. you are 'allergic' to veggies and salads and then start making that most of your diet.

I don't mean it has to be perfectly balanced everyday but I'm talking about radical movements here.

When patients are on coumadin they are regularly monitored with regards to blood viscosity. You sound like you are in good hands.

Please know, that I'm giving these comments NOT in my capacity as a physician but as a contributor on this board. This is NOT medical advice.

Atkins would be a great way to get your body back in shape post-pregnancy and is a healthy way to eat and live.

One last note. You didn't mention if you are still breastfeeding or not. Again, if you are, I would specifically mention that to your physician. You need to say: "For 14 days I would be 'in starvation mode' (biochemical pathway name) and my body will be producing ketones." I'm not so sure I would recommend being in ketosis (induction) to a breastfeeding Mom. I didn't do induction/ketosis while I was breastfeeding. Glucose is important to an infants developing brain. I read everything I could on this at that time, but I don't think it has been determined via research how many ketones are released into the breastmilk and if ketones alone are sufficient for the rapid neural development of a new baby. (It is different for adults). I think there is a section of this site for moms/babes/pregancy - maybe there is more info there. Regardless, talk to your doctor about doing induction if still breastfeeding.

Anyhow. Hope this helps and happy to see you around.

S-

[Elizellen]

Re: It's been a rough road (possibly questions for the experts here)...

Just to add to what the others have said - Dr Atkins said in several places in DANDR that someone pregnant or breastfeeding should only be following the maintenance phase of Atkins, not the weightloss phases.

The weight loss phases of the Atkins Nutritional Approach are not appropriate for pregnant women and nursing mothers.