Coumadin and Bleeding

[Gemma]

Jim's worst (most blood) was a few weeks ago when his friend managed to trap his finger in a towhitch. Nearly took the top off his finger and it bled for quite a while.
The worst "incident" in cringe terms was around the same time when he was working on a Mini engine for his new kit car: it was on a trolley, and as he loosened a bolt it slipped so what did Jim do? He caught it with his forearm trapped under all the big bolts - 2 nice grazes took a few inches and a couple of layers of skin off. Didn't bleed much considering...

 

[terryj]

About 6 months after my husband started on coumadin he was at work and one end of a 6 ft. pole of steel popped up and hit him in the mouth. He drove himself to the hospital, got 6 stitches and drove himself back to work. He said it hardly bleed at all and even the doctor who stitched him up expected to see more blood from a coumadin patient. Of course I didn't find out about it until I got home from work and saw the stitches.

 

[Gisele]

11 hours

11 hours

I hate to admit this, but my worse bleed was when I got my belly button pierced and bled for 11 hours. I remember right after my piercing I had an appt with my neurologist regarding my severe headaches. I recall sitting in his office thinking I had to get out of there because I could feel the oozing. My husband brought me to the ER after about 7 hours of heavy bleeding. The ER doc had to remove the ring because the bleeding just wouldn't stop. I had just had my INR & Hct & hgb done the day before and if I recall my INR was about 4.1. Wasn't the brightest thing I have ever done.

You think I would have know better. Plus I got scolded by the triage nurse for not taking my antibiotics before the piercing. Next day my Hgb & Hct revealed I lost about 2 pints of blood.

So if I ever decide to get that piercing again now that I am no longer on Coumadin, I will remember to take my amoxicillen...............

Warning: To anyone considering this........take antibiotics and make sure your INR is a bit on the low side.

 

[Ross]

I always knew you were just a hippee!

 

[Gisele]

Maybe................

 

[Sierra Bob]

I had a tooth extracted last December. Since I do not want a stroke, I had not reduced my warfarin intake and my INR was my normal 3.5. Because of severe bleeding, I went to the ER two days after the extraction. (My oral surgeon was out of town and there was no replacement. One of the joys of living in the Sierras.) The ER doc finally got the bleeding stopped, but it restarted shortly after I returned home. Back to the ER the next day. Again the doc stopped the bleeding, but again it resumed bleeding shortly after returning home. Finally, I lowered the warfarin intake until my INR was 2.0 and the bleeding eventually stopped. However Osteoradionecrosis (dead jaw bone due to radiation for Head & Neck Cancer) has set in at the site. I am scheduled for sequestrectomy surgery at 3:00 PM today to remove the dead jaw bone. I am now on Lovenox and stopped it at 12:00 AM and will restart the Lovenox (and warfarin if no bleeding) tomorrow morning. The surgeon is going to have a very tough time as I can only open my mouth 30.2 mm (1-3/16") due to trismus from the radiation. I'll take a valve replacement any day compared to a H & N C! Have only positive thoughts. I do!!!

 

[Mary]

Golly, Bob.
The process sounds tough. My mom had radiation to her neck for lymphoma and has suffered years of tooth and mouth problems. The radiation destroyed her salivary glands, and that loss led to many of her teeth slowly rotting away.
She has also been on coumadin for ten years, so she faces the same problem with INR when she needs extractions.
I wish you good luck today.
Mary

 

[Sierra Bob]

Yep---The radiation to the neck presents a very serious problem. I also have no salivary glands. I have to carry water with me every where I go, as I can only talk for a few minutes without a sip of water. But I keep on smiling, crooked mouth and all. Bob K

 

[Sierra Bob]

There is a product approved by the FDA for use by EMTs, ER's and you and me to control external bleeding. It is called Bleed-X. It uses potatoes as a base to make starch-based particles manufactured to a controlled size and shape. The particles contain pores which act as a sieve to collect fluids but prevents red blood cells, platelets, and certain proteins from entering the particles. Supposedly these surface blood products allow a clot to form and control the bleeding. The technology is called Microporous Polysaccharide Hemispheres.

Bleed-X is not cheap. A 0.5 gram package supplies only enough material to cover a wound 4" x 1/4" and costs +/_ $7.00/package. Never-the-less, living in the Sierras and using chain saws, axes, spliters, etc., I ordered 6 packages. I can not remember which distributer I ordered from, but you can find several on Google if you search for Bleed-X. I also spoke to a Bleed-X representative with Medafor, Inc. (the manufacture 1-877/633-2367) in Minneapolis, MN regarding using it for a bleeding socket as a result of a tooth extraction. He said: "No problem since it is a vegtable base." But, I didn't try it last December when I had the socket bleeding problem. I went to the ER instead. Twice to no avail. Finally, reducing my warfarin stopped the bleeding. (See prior post 3 back.)

As an aside, my surgery yesterday was a success in removing the dead part of the jaw bone. The surgeon did have to use a tissue flap from my cheek to cover the remaining live bone. I restart Hyperbaric oxygen therapy on Monday. Hopefully, I'll be what is called a Stage II responder, and the problem will be over. If not, it's bone graft or forget it. :-(

Have only positive thoughts. I do. Sierra Bob