Aspirin could save my life this weekend

An Aspirin a Day...

As I've mentioned a few times, I head to Johannesburg in South Africa in order to earn the Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) I need to hit the highest elite status for Alaska Airlines - MVP Gold 75.  With two days to go, I've been preparing for the long journey. I've downloaded several movies to my iPad, I have a backlog of five books in my Kindle account (which I read using the iPad), I have a ton of powerpoint work to do in preparation for speaking engagements here in the Puget Sound area as well as Mumbai in January (more EQMs!) and Vegas in March.  Unfortunately, I've had to make a Sophie's Choice of sorts - AC power outlet or legroom? Delta's 777-200LR aircraft have AC power in coach, but only some of the seats in the first section (rows 30-39).  I choose legroom on both legs. Given the battery power of my laptop (pathetic), I'll have an 90 minutes at most of working time on the flights.  Update - I changed my mind given the amount of work I have. I willingly gave up seat 44J - a bulkhead seat, but one where the legroom is partially blocked by (I'm assuming) the exxit slide protusion. The seat I chose had no one in the middle nor the window, so I figured my odds are good for at least having the seat next to me empty.

m also still deciding how to spend my time in Johannesburg. Initially, I had planned to book a room at the Montecasino entertainment complex in Fourways (25km NE of the airport). It has a casino and poker (which I really enjoy playing) as well as nightclubs, restaurants, cinemas and even a comedy club. Then my friends suggested that I get out to one of the nearby game reserves if possible. Still working on my final plans. Stay tuned.

Back to aspirin.

A week after the rhinoplasty work I had done (and the day from hell that ensued), I had my second follow-up appointment with surgeon. He took out some stitches located on the underside of my nose, right between the nostrils (he makes an incision there, then somehow lifts the skin of the nose up, exposing the cartlidge underneath, which he then chiseled away at in order better shape the tip of my nose).

He told me to return the following week, and I casually mentioned my trip to Africa. He then cut me off and gave me some advice I will very much follow.

A Bad Case of DVT

He was concerned that sitting so long (not as much worry in business class where seats typically lie flat or nearly so) may increase the danger of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis,  a condition where a blod clot forms, which may in the worst cases, dislodge and travel to the lungs creating a pulmonary embolism. Not good. DVT is associated with long haul flights where the legs get little circulation sitting in a fixed position for so long.



Dr. R's advice? Walk around once per hour, drink lots of water, and start taking an aspirin a day. Older folks are often told to take a baby aspirin once per day to thin the blood and help reduce the chances of a heart attack or other problems caused by blocked arteries. In this case, it helps to prevent the creation of the clot in the leg, the DVT itself.


Since I've not yet heeded my doctor's advice, I'm headed to the nearest first aid kit to pop a couple ASAP.