4.5 and gum bleeding

[geebee]

Well, good morning and Merry Christmas eve.

I just woke up with a salty taste in my mouth and realized I had blood in my mouth. Looked at it and realized my gum was bleeding (a bit profusely) from the back of one of my teeth. My stomach was a bit upset so my guess is that it had been bleeding for a little while. I do remember eating something last evening that "poked" into my gum but did not notice any bleeding at that point.

Checked my INR and it was 4.5 not a reading that would normally concern me. It is on the high side of my range (I usually try to stay around 3.6 or so). However, with the bleeding, I am wondering if there is anything I should do.

This did happen about a week ago and I can also recall poking my gum with a tortilla chip earlier.

The interesting thing is both these incidents happened after a couple of days of Pepcid or Zantac (I have both here and last week is was Pepcid and this week Zantac. So I am wondering if these meds can cause bleeding issues in a coumadin patient and/or whether they actually affect INR.

I am also wondering if I had food particles stuck in my gum that worked their way into an irritating area causing bleeding that would only show up like this in a coumadin patient.

I got the bleeding stopped with cold water and there does not seem to be any signs of bleeding elsewhere (excess bruising, etc.) so I am not panicked - just looking for thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Phyllis]

Sorry, Gina, I know nothing about INR and bleeding, but I hope that this turns out to be a non-event and that you enjoy a Merry Christmas. Better stay away from the tortilla chips!
Best Wishes,
Phyllis

 

[Ross]

Didn't your momma tell you not to chew on nails? I dont think it's any event, just one of those things. Tortilla chips are deadly. I did the same last week. The Zantac and Pepcid will reduce the absorption of Coumadin, but that's as far as that should go.

 

[Dustin]

Amicar Solution?

Amicar Solution?

Perhaps an Amicar Syrup/Mouthwash prescription could do the trick to stop the gum bleeding?

http://clotcare.com/clotcare/faq_amicarsolution.aspx

My $0.02 ...

 

[Karlynn]

Like Ross, I don't think it's too much of an "incident". Gums take a while to heal after being injured since they are in a moist environment. If you've injured it a few times it could have a tendency to bleed more easily. And with an INR of 4.5, although not alarming, it will bleed more readily.

Start rinsing your mouth with warm salt water every hour to start the healing process. Does it feel like a little particle is stuck in there? If there is, usually you can feel one particular spot that is more sore than the surrounding area.

 

[Granbonny]

geebee

geebee

My gums started bleeding shortly after my surgery..Ended up having to go to a periodontic.for deep cleaning..They take the measurement of the gums above all your teeth.You may be losing gum above 1 or 2 of your teeth. I rotate between my regular cleaning and periodontic every 6 months. Still, have had to have 5 extracted over the last 3 1/2 years. Maybe JimL's wife, Shirley can chime in..she works for a dentist...After my first visit to the Periodontic.mine never bled again. I'm sure mine started bleeding after I went on coumadin..Bleeding after regular brushing is a sign of gum disease...I'm surprised that so few members have never posted about their gums bleeding. Of course, I'm a lot older than most members. (taking coumadin) Bonnie

 

[EVELYN]

Tyce, too, was 4.5 this morning.....took 2 V8's and will have lots of salad with his lasagne tonight......INR definitely means IT'S NEVER RIGHT.

Evelyn

 

[geebee]

Thanks all. I will definitely visit the dentist to make sure all is OK with my gums but I do regular check-ups so I think something else is going on. Maybe just the "food injury" was enough to cause this along with the slightly elevated INR. I tend to grind my teeth at night so I might have dislodged any clot that formed when I cut my gum with the food.

Anyway, I am sure I won't bleed to death from this. Thanks for all the kind thoughts and ideas.

 

[Natanni]

Antibiotics?

Antibiotics?

Glad to hear your are going to get it checked Geebee. Nathan wound up with a bleeding sore in his mouth around 3 weeks post op, and his MD put him on an antibiotic (Keflex) for 3 days due to his endocarditis history. I am sure he was being overly cautious, but I was like them to error on the side of caution. Good luck with the appt!