Have you gone on surfing adventures (what if you hit your head or bleed a bit?)
Not surfing, but I've been body surfing, riding some pretty big waves. A couple of times I really got tossed about by powerful waves that had me going head over heals several times. I was aware that it was not an activity with zero risk, but I came through it just fine.
Not yet, but hopefully I will get up the local mountains this season. Some on warfarin wear helmets when they ski. I may or may not wear a helmet when I go skiing next. I think if I was going to do the stuff I did when I was 14-30 years old that I would need a helmet. But, I'll stay on the intermediate runs and take a pass on the steep black diamond mogul fields going forward.
Hiking trips or multi day treks in isolated places at high altitudes? T
I've hiked dozens of times since surgery. There is a local mountain, which I often hike up then run on the downhill. I've also gone on a few 3-4 hour strenuous hikes with my wife. No issues.
Scuba trips in developing countries?
Not since surgery, but I've been diving for 40 years and will dive again for sure. If I go to the third world on a trip, I probably would not hesitate to dive. Doing any type of physical activity in the third world might be an issue if urgent medical care is needed, but I see it as a numbers game. Once every few years, I'm good with the relatively low risk of injury. But, moving to some place that would not have top rated medical and doing daily physical challenges, might not be such a good ides.
Places where you don't speak the language and don't know exactly what's in your food?
I've eaten in a few Asian restaurants in which I can't say for certain that I know every ingredient. No issues. I really don't see this is an issue for a person who self tests and knows themselves. I'd stay away from any drinks that might have grapefruit or cranberry, but other than that I don't worry about it and eat what I want, which includes lots of greens. I'm eating a giant Mediterranean salad as I write this, in fact.
I'd love some reassurance that at least some of these things are possible with those handy coagucheck machines.
As I've covered above, I would not hesitate to do all of the things listed personally. There is not zero risk, but there is not zero risk in life in general. Every time a person drives to the store, there is a certain amount of risk, whether or not they are on warfarin. One can choose to never drive and never travel to avoid all risk, but that's not living life. My dad is 80 and rides his bike to the gym often. He is not on warfarin, but at his age, a spill on his bike could potentially be much more serious than if a young person took a spill. But, I don't tell him to stay off his bike. In my view, the risk he is taking on by riding is totally eclipsed by the benefits he gets from regular exercise and I encourage him to continue his bike riding.
I think it comes down to using common sense and being guided by the actual risks involved and not guided by myths. We each decide how much risk we are willing to take in living life. Personally, I like to live an active life.
