Bruising - what's it really like on coumadin?

[afraidofsurgery]

I have my surgery scheduled for Sept 7 and am planning on getting a St. Jude aortic valve, but I'm still trying to come to grips with the repercussions of being on coumadin.

I was wondering - what is bruising like while on coumadin? Do you bruise more easily? Or, do the same type of things cause you to bruise but you just get a bigger bruise? Or no difference? I coach gymnastics and am fairly active and it seems coumadin should not be a hinderance but I'm not sure I understand the bruising thing.

Can anyone offer their experiences?

Patty

 

[Emma]

Its not me, but my 5 year old who has a valve replacement and has been on warfarin/coumadin for over 4 years now.
She does bruise well at times - has had beautiful big black ones at times but I have to say I take the line that, at the end of the day, a bruise is a bruise, and as long as you keep an eye on it to make sure its not getting bigger or darker continuously then they will go away in their own time. Admittedly, they do seem to take longer to go away but dont seem to cause too many problems. She does bruise slightly easier than she used to and bruises at things perhaps I, or someone on warfarin wouldnt, but then some people that are not on warfarin seem to bruise like peaches as well, so perhaps that is not linked?
Good luck with your surgery and recovery!!

Emma
xxx

 

[geebee]

Patty,

You will bruise more easily and the bruises will be larger. I have had some beauties but have never had any serious issues even when I broke my foot.

The one thing to remember is the medicine of choice for bad hematomas is coumadin. Since you will already be on it, you are protected from clots that could be formed by bad bruising.

That being said, any serious injury should be looked at just in case. And you definitely want to be aware of any head injuries.

 

[LisaRose122]

Patty,

I had my surgery 10 1/2 months ago and have been on coumadin since then.I notice that I do bruise easier now.I always did,but it is much easier now and I also get some bruises on my back and didn't know what they was from,though I think it is from having my daughter scratch my back,lol But they don't hurt so I don't know they are there.And I have noticed it takes longer for a bruise to go away.I had bloodwork one time and went back 3 weeks later for another one and the bruise from before was still there.That is only because the lab person that took it didn't know what she was doing and jabbed me twice on the inside,at least that is what I think anyways.

I had a Mitral Valve Replacement on 10-01-04 and now have a St.Jude Mechanical Valve.
Good luck with your surgey..You will be in my Prayers.
(((HUGS)))
Lisa D.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

I just get bigger, more colorful bruises. Every couple of months, I get a big one with no explainable cause ("Wow, look at that one. I wonder how I did that?"). These are usually on my shin or my calves - I guess I kick things without realizing it .

 

[Guest]

You will need to be especially careful that you do not hit your head.

 

[Granbonny]

Patty

Patty

I have been on coumadin for 3 years..5 months..and I never bruise..Think of the things that you have bumped into before that left a bruise..Like, sharp furniture ends, coffee tables, ect... I was making my daughter's bed the other day and hit my thigh on a covered bed post..Hurt..but no bruise.....I hate to post this..may jinx myself Just be careful teaching gym..Don't let one of the kids land on you...Bonnie

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I'm very fair and I always bruised easily, often without remembering the cause. Since starting on Coumadin 7+ years ago, I don't seem to bruise more often, but the bruises are sometimes bigger and take longer to go away. It seems I always have small bruises on my thighs, but the ones on my upper arms seem to be the ones that get really "pretty" and stick around for awhile. When I had my sternal wires removed, my entire chest turned dark purple, and it took about two months to completely fade, but that was a bruise about 8 inches in diameter, so quite unusual.

Strangely enough, when I hit my head with the back door of my SUV, requiring surgical glue to stop the bleeding, it didn't bruise at all!

 

[Ross]

I just get bigger, more colorful bruises. Every couple of months, I get a big one with no explainable cause ("Wow, look at that one. I wonder how I did that?"). These are usually on my shin or my calves - I guess I kick things without realizing it .

*Sleep walker!*

 

[afraidofsurgery]

Hitting my head

Hitting my head

You will need to be especially careful that you do not hit your head.

I seem to have gotten all my head injuries out of the way during my drinking days I try not to do that anymore

 

[afraidofsurgery]

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the info everyone, just trying to get all the info I can pre-surgery so I can make an informed decision. Appreciate it!

(love these smily icons!!! )
Also need to change my signature since my surgery's scheduled. Jeez, after so much agony over "to fix or not to fix" I'm sooo ready to do this and get on with things.

Patty

 

[afraidofsurgery]

gymnastics and bruising

gymnastics and bruising

Speaking of gymnastics, what age group do you coach? Up until about three years ago, I coached a couple of elementary school age classes in Estes - I miss it! But I had spinal surgery so I don't do it anymore - can go to open gym anymore either! Watch for the flying feet!

Pam, I only coach on saturdays since that's all the time I have with my "real" job taking up M-F. I coach beginner classes, from 4-6 years old (they're SO cute!!) up to high school age. I've given up spotting a lot long ago - better equipment now, especially for beginners - but I do occasionally get "clocked" now and again. But, since the girls are doing beginning level skills, they're not moving too fast . I have coached higher levels (level 5-8 all ages) and really enjoyed that, a whole different story interacting with the gymnasts' psyche and biomechanics, it's pretty cool. I coach at www.aerialgym.com.

I still like to bounce on the tramp though - a nice soft landing - and sometimes land on my back or "bottom", and from what I"ve read I wouldn't expect to bruise from general messing around in the gym (whew - very relieved) .

Patty

 

[CCRN]

Coumadin repercussions?

Coumadin repercussions?

Hi,

Don't worry about the coumadin. Just take your dose as directed and be fairly consistant with your diet. I haven't changed anything with the exception of stopping my daily multivitamin. Even went out with friends and had some margaritas. Surprisingly, I have bruised less on coumadin than before I started taking it. With the exception of the second week home from the hospital, I have been in the therapeutic INR range so I know I'm getting enough of the stuff. Don't consider it a problem. However, in the past I had tried taking vitamin E and bruised really badly. I was on low dose aspirin prior to surgery as well and noticed a bunch of bruising. I guess I'll be able to get a better evaluation when I go back to work and busting my body against medical equipment.

I really did not want to take coumadin. Being a medical professional and seeing most of the management mishaps had a big effect on me. I realize now I was at a disadvantage because I am beginning to see that for every negative coumadin situation I've seen, there's more than ten times the positive. This is one thing I sit back and laugh about when I reflect on my recent "medical journey". I consider my physical restrictions after the surgery more annoying than the coumadin, but that's just me and I've just been on the stuff since about the 9th of June. Hope this helps.

 

[MarkU]

I guess I'm lucky. I didn't bruise easily prior to being on Coumadin, and I still don't. Maybe I'm just thick-skinned or something (my wife has always said I was hard-headed...).

I crashed my bike yesterday afternoon. Got run off the road by a driver that never saw me (and kept on going). Rolled and skidded on my right side -fortunately, I landed on grass rather than pavement. I'm no worse for wear today and no marks or bruises.

I do have a pretty muscular build from years of sports and weightlifting, so maybe that has something to do with it. I honestly don't know. Most likely luck and genetics, I think.

As mentioned previously, my main fear is head injury, so I do always wear my helmet.


Mark

 

[imhayley]

Just wanted to thank everyone as I just found this web site and all my questions about this topic have been completly answered. Good luck with your surgery and Thanks again.

 

[catwoman]

Patty:
Get connected with a knowledgeable person for anti-coagulation management -- hopefully a CACP like Al Lodwick. Educate yourself through places like here and Al's website, get your own testing machine and learn how/when to adjust your dosage. Those are empowering steps that will help you stay healthy.

Two days after my discharge, Dad took me to Baylor Medical Center's heart hospital for my first post-op INR and a visit with the anti-coagulation nurse. She asked about my lifestyle, what my normal daily diet was, etc., before we talked about anti-coagulation in depth. She said long-term warfarin (like mechanical valvers) tend to stay in range more than short-term users. Because, she said, short-term users know they'll be getting off soon, so why bother? I live 50 miles away from Baylor, so when I was back in my own home, I transferred warfarin management to my PCP. His office understands warfarin pretty good. I got a ProTime 3 about 5 months post-op and now do my own dosage adjustments.