Warfarin / coumadin / steroids. What a combo.
I'm supposed to take 1 mg of warfarin every night. It's supposed to thin my blood so my Hickman catheter doesn't clog or block an artery. It's prophylactic. It's on Dr. B.'s procedures list. Dunno if the list is his or the SCCA's. (I suspect the latter.)
Doctor A doesn't like the stuff. He finds it excessive and wasteful. He thinks it's medically unsupported.
Myself? Let me tell you what happens when I take 1 mg every other day - half of Dr. B's recommendation.
I bleed thru my skin.
Why? Because I also clear my Hickman catheter every day with two saline flushes and two heparin flushes. What does heparin do? Prevents clotting!
Thus, two drugs that prevent clotting, some moving and carrying of boxes.... some associated banging on walls and boxes.....
Bruising that makes it look like Ed's an abuser..... and then the spontaneous bleeding thru the skin that leaves blood on my clothes....
Yeah, it sounds like drama. It looks like a cry for help. It's real medically stupid stuff and I'm stopping warfarin completely. If my blood isn't thin enough now, it'll never get thinner.
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3 comments:
Oh dear - I've heard of the blushing bride but not the bleeding one! Of course you don't need both, or is that just a layperson's naivety speaking?!
I only took blood thinners while I was on Thalidamide and did get a blood clot in my leg. When I was on Revlimid I took a small asprin every day and had no problems.If I was not taking either drug I had no problem keeping my Hickman clear with just the heparin.
Good Luck,
Mike
Does Dr. A know you are using heparin to flush your port? When is the last time you had a PT/PTT/INR?
You might taking too high of a dose of blood thinners.
Whatever you do, don't cut yourself shaving. :)
Keith
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