Robbyn said:
No it's not personal at all, I should have mentioned it. It is a large cyst and I am sure it will require a fairly large incision. So they want me on Lovenox for 5 days before, stop it the day of surgery and then 5 days later.
I had an infected Cyst under my arm, a few inches below my armpit. My Surgeon understood the 'Stroke Risk vs. Bleeding Risk' and agreed to drain it while still fully anti-coagulated. It was somewhat bloody but not terribly, until day 2 when I went to a nearby Urgent Care facility for a bleeding ear (my first) and asked them to check the cyst. I bled all over the table / floor when they pulled the packing out. They put on a Pressure Bandage after repacking and that worked quite well.
The Surgeon agreed to re-pack the dressing every other day after that (but he didn't have any Pressure Tape!)
Ended up putting in ONE stitch and doing some cauterizing. After that, my S.O. was able to change the dressing every day at home with NO problem.
SO, it IS possible to 'fix a cyst' while anti-coagulated.
Some stitching / cauterizing is likely.
A Pressure Bandage from the get-go is Highly Recommended!
Alternatively, Lovenox or Heparin will cover your anti-coagulation needs. Of course you would need to go into the hospital to get a Heparin drip. Lovenox can be administered at home. Do a Search for Lovenox to find many posts about self injecting and some of the 'tricks of the trade'.
It would be nice if you could get your A-Fib under control before and during the procedure. Sotalol works well for me.
Hope all goes well!
'AL Capshaw'
