Are blood thinners really safe?

[kickingandscreaming]

I know that many of you take  blood thinners.  I have atrial fibrillation and my cardiologist keeps saying that I really should be on a warfarin-like drug to prevent the clot that will likely kill me some day.  I'm terrified of them and have refused so far to take them.  I now take one baby aspirin/day and even something so "ordinary" has me bruising in ways I never have before. I keep getting those ugly hematoma-like bruises (like old people--like me--get).  People are forever asking me if I'm safe at home or if someone  is beatinging me up daily.  I really don't want to die of a stoke, but I also don'gt want to take rat poison.

Any alternative?

[iolaire]

Years ago in the height of my lupus days I had a blood clot on my leg and I was on Coumadin for a few years afterwards.  As part of preparing for listing at GW (but not INOVA prior) they wondered if I had a propensity to clot so they sent me to a hematology specialist.  She did some DNA based tests and did call with some sort of results saying that I might have a small level of clotting so they would watch for that after surgery.

Sometimes I worry that specialists just have standard treatments and they don't think about it in context of a persons specific unique cases.

My point here is maybe you could see a hematology specialist that could better tell you if you should be on blood thinners especially in the context of your existing bruising?  But I guess the first question is how did your cardiologist respond to your concerns?

[kickingandscreaming]

But I guess the first question is how did your cardiologist respond to your concerns?

He responded by kicking the can down the road.  We will discuss it again.  I didn't bring up how much bruising I was having just from baby aspirin.  I will next time I see him.

[GA_DAWG]

I understand not wanting to take the blood thinners. I take a baby aspirin daily, and even before that, all I had to do was rub up against something and I had these really ugly bruises. The one I have so far refused to take is the statin drugs. Those nearly killed my mother, and it was not all the high paid specialists not the hospital that figured it out. She had lost nearly 40 pounds before her hometown country doctor told her to bring him everything she was taking. When he got to the statin he taped the lid shut and put it in her drawer. It was a nearly immediate recovery.

[kickingandscreaming]

I don't want statins either.  Doctors give those out like M & M's.  I realize that some people have familial uncontrolled LDL levels, but they are prescribed for many who shouldn't take them.  Years ago when I saw a cardiologist (not my current one) it was almost reflexive that she recommended statins because I'm diabetic.  That now know that statins promote diabetes.

[Jean]

I dont blame you for not taking statins. My Dr. wanted me on them, so I got them. It didnt take a week before my legs were so weak I could hardly walk. So I told the Dr. and he said so then take the baby aspirin every day, which of course I did. Then came the ugly bruises, and I thought oh no, I am not doing that, so now I take one baby aspirin every other day and so far, so good. That was about 8 years ago and I have not yet had any repercussins. Oh and I did have blood that clots, which is why I had  the heart attack when the clot hit it and all of my tests show up good.

[MooseMom]

k&s, I agree with iolaire that you should perhaps see a hemotologist.  If a baby aspirin is making you bruise so badly, your doctor really should want to have that more thoroughly investigated, wouldn't you think?  I mean, that's not normal!

I just want to say a word about statins.  I had known I had fsgs for over a decade before I moved back to the US and had to get regular labwork when I joined a new medical practice.  I will never forget those numbers:  my cholesterol was 550, and my triglycerides were 2100.  I still have that piece of paper.  It was so bad that my new doc called me at home and told me that he'd never seen such high numbers in someone that wasn't diabetic.  While living in the UK, my GP had never asked for lab work testing blood lipids, so I had no idea that advanced CKD results in high lipid levels (and no one can explain to me why one leads to the other).

Anyway, I was immediately put on Crestor and was told to advise him immediately if I had any muscle problems.  I didn't, but I did get a rash, so my new neph took me off those and put me on an older statin that was deemed slightly less effective but had fewer side effects.

I've been taking statins since 2003 and have had no problems.  My cholesterol is perfect and my triglycerides are slightly elevated but certainly are not 2100!

My point is that if you really need statins, your labwork will show it.  Go by the numbers because it does seem to be true that docs shovel those things out like candy.

[Michael Murphy]

I take 81mg aspirin, 75 mg  Plavix, 7.5 mg Jantovin(Coumadin, warfarin) every day.  I’ve had several bleeding issues. Last October I ended up in the hospital for 2 tooth extractions that would not stop bleeding.  By Saturday 2 days after the extraction I called the oral surgeon and asked what to do he said bite on a tea bag.  I then asked if the bleeding could get serious he then said no just bite on a tea bag.  By Monday morning my bedroom looked like a crime scene from blood all over.  Didn’t call oral idiot but went to cardiologist ( I’ll explain that visit next).  After cardioligist went to urgent care who sent me to the hospital where I was given a transfusion and vitamin K and the bleeding stopped.  The transfusion was cause my hemoglobin went from 12.5 to 7 and I was so pale I looked like a ghost, I am pale to begin with so the pallor of my skin must have been extreme.
  The cause and the cardiologist visit.  There is a test given to patients on any form of warfarin called a INR (strangely means InterNational Ratio a reading of you coagulation factor mine was supposed to run between 2 and 3.  At the hospital my INR was 3.7 way to high.  It turned out I missed a important note on my Coumadin instructions, antibiotics increase the effectiveness of Coumadin and I should have called the Coumadin clinic at my health group and had my Jantovin dosage reduced.
Now I have a self testing kit for INR similar to a diabetic test kit so before any procedure or after any medication change I check my INR. 
  The only other impact is the list of food items I either avoid or eat the same amount every day, a partial list is cauliflower. Asparagus, Broccoli, Brusselsprouts, cabbage, any lettuce other than iceberg, and finally blue berries.  Actually any food high in vitamin K.