Paula,
I had a AVR done back in 1997 and had a St Jude valve implanted. I have been on Coumadin ever since.
Do I bruise, yes, but not all that bad. Here is an example for you. Yesterday I took the day off so I could work on my tractor. I had to remove the mowing blades and there are two bolts per blade, with three blades. There is 62 Newtons of pressure on each bolt and the socket wrench slipped off the bolt and my wrist slammed into the sharp side of the deck and I lost feeling in my hand for a period of time due to the impact. I thought for sure that I would be bruised like nothing I have seen before this morning. All I have is just some slight swelling and some red marks from the abrasion. My INR as of last night when I did my test was 3.4.
Sure your son is going to bump into things , fall down, and all this, but just because he is on coumadin doesn't mean that his life will have to change all that drastically. I can guarantee the first time he cuts himself, you will freak out. But you will quickly see that the bleeding stops but it just takes a bit longer now.
Take care!
- John
