I was on Coumadin for about a year following a DVT. Thankfully they took me off that and I now take an aspirin (81 mg) almost every other day. Usually about three or four times a week.
I haven't had my blood thinness checked in quite some time. Quadius On Fri, May 9, 2014 at 5:03 PM, Bob Vogel <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Naomi and all, > > I forgot to add--I am on the "old fashioned" blood thinner Warfarin > (coumadin). > > Here is a good site that shows the suggested INR (International > Normalised Ratio--how thin your > blood is) range for various maladies: > http://www.globalrph.com/warfarin_inr_targets.htm > INR target varies from person to person and should ALWAYS be figured out > with your doctor. > > I find the most important part of being on blood thinners is to pay > attention to what > you eat and any medications--over the counter or prescription--you take. > For instance > eating foods that are high in vitamin K (spinach, broccoli) will lower the > effects of blood > thinners, thus lower your INR. Certain medications like antacids and > some antibiotics will > make blood thinners work too well and raise your INR. > > In general I get my INR checked once a month--but if I add or change > medications I will my > doctor and ask. In my health system there is a specific blood thinner > clinic called the Coumadin > Clinic that is available 24/7 to answer questions. If I start a new > medication I'll call the Coumadin > Clinic and ask if changes the way my blood thinner will work--if it does > they may suggest a smaller > dose of Warfarin and having my blood drawn every 2-weeks etc... > > Bob V > > I've been on blood thinners since last November (Xarelto). I prefer to > take that because I don't have to have my blood checked. I was put on blood > thinners when they found I had a blood clot in my lung (pulmonary > embolism). At one time the doctors suspected I had a blood clot in my leg, > did a Doppler, but didn't find anything there. I haven't had any problems > as of yet. the doctors said I will be taking from now on. > > Naomi Hudson > C4 quad since July 2005 > Due to Transverse Myelitis > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bob Vogel <[email protected]> > To: diannal767 <[email protected]> > Cc: quad-list <[email protected]> > Sent: Fri, May 9, 2014 3:01 pm > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Blood thinners > > Hi Dianna, > > I've been on blood thinners since 07'. I'm a T10 para, 29 years post > injury. I've had two blood clots, both > in my right leg. The first one happened when I was still in bed, about > 2-weeks after my injury, it broke loose > and ended up in my lung--I got lucky, blood clots can easily kill you when > they break loose and end up in > the lungs or heart. Back then I was on blood thinners for 6-months then > off them for 20+ years. > > Then in 07' I fell out of my chair and broke my femur--a week after the > fracture my knee swelled up, turned > red, got hot. Turned out it was another blood clot. I spoke with a > hematologist and he explained in my situation, > SCI with a history of blood clots it is safer to stay on blood thinners. > > Bottom line for me--standard INR (blood thickness) is 1.0, with blood > thinners I shoot for 2.0--just enough to help > keep clots at bay. I have had small cuts shaving and the like and they > don't seem to bleed any more than usual. > To me it is no big deal--the main thing is to get my blood checked every > 2-weeks to make sure the range is around > 2.0. > > The clincher for me was when a friend was on blood thinners and decided > to go off of them, 3 months later the friend > had a major stroke--word is because of a blood clot. The person was a > "supercrip" para, now has difficulty with speech > is a para and hemiplegic. > > Hope this "survey of one" helps. > > Bob V > > On May 9, 2014, at 10:05 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > Is anyone on blood thinners? When I was in the hospital they found a clot > in my leg. Dave found it strange that 'we quads' weren't all on them. I > really don't like the #1 side effect of bleeding to death. I really don't > like them. > Dianna > > > >
