Coumadin and side air bags

[SJJ]

I'm just curious to run this by others on coumadin and see what you think. I purchased a new car yesterday, but not because my previous car needed replacing. I don't drive that much, just around town basically on errands, etc and although it was 5 years old, it didn't even have 25,000 miles on it. On trips we take my husband's car. This new one will now become our basic family car and if I'm on wheels, I plan to be in this one. It really started to bother me though that being on coumadin, I was at much greater risk should I ever be in a car accident (haven't so far, knock on wood). I was particularly concerned about head injuries. Some years ago, I did neuropsych testing on head injury patients and also worked with them on cognitive therapy. That experience was enough to let me know that I sure wanted to avoid head trauma, even before being on an anticoagulant. I guess I feel a little more protected now that I have a vehicle with front and side air bags, including the side curtain for head protection-that was my sole motivation in buying a new car. Have any of the rest of you been concerned about extra car safety since your surgery or have I just indulged in an elaborate rationalization to upgrade my wheels?
Sue

 

[Ross]

Umm, I've seen just as many people get killed by air bags as I have those that wore seat belts. I hope that makes sense. Sometimes safety devices are the cause of death, not the protector from it.

 

[tommy]

Sue,

I just purchased a new car last week and went through the same thought process. In addition, my car was being replaced due to a side collision that totalled the old one. My son is getting over his injuries (leg and shoulder, glass cuts), and will fully recover, but it scared me on several levels. In a smaller car, he would most surely have more serious injuries including head injury. If the impact were a foot higher, he would have broken ribs and who knows what! Any of that would be more complicated with coumadin (me).

So I bought a "full size" car with all of the safety features I could find. ABS brakes. Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). Side air bags (low). Side curtain air bags (high). The works. I paid dearly for them. On the bright side, those features came in packages that have some comfort/convenience 'benny's" as well. I normally don't buy that stuff, but will enjoy the heck out of them.

Also, we are re-thinking our strategy for a vehicle for our second teenage son. Our first son drives a medim pick-up. We are weighing two thoughts. One is the pick-up truck that restricts the number of other passengers (distractions). The other is a "tank" that provides more protection in a collision. Pick-ups do not do well in crash tests. So what is the priority - avoidance or protection? Do they still make El Camino's? With air bags?

 

[Les]

Sue,
I have been involved in two auto crashes while on Coumadin. The first was in a vehicle with no air bags and I had several stitches in my head from glass cuts. Bled like crazy waiting for the ambulance, but head wounds bleed profusely anyway so I really wasn't aware of anything out of the ordinary. The second, the air bag smacked me so hard in the face it drove bits of glass, etc in and caused some fairly good bleeding / stitches. Either way, did not pass out, bleed out or anything. Just took it in stride and let 'em patch me up. Certainly, newer cars provide better protection ( rationale for a new ride... ) than older models. There's just no way to determine "How Bad Is Bad" while on Coumadin or in any model of vehicle.

 

[JimChicago]

Ouch - I don't like thinking about what can happen in car accidents - makes me wonder if coumdin users should have an emergency kit with some products that stop skin bleeding like this Bleed X one.

From:
http://www.cfamilyresources.com/bleed-x.htm
>>>>
Bleed-X? or TraumaDEX?

Stops Bleeding Fast!

When applied to actively bleeding areas, Bleed-X? acts as a molecular sieve that rapidly absorbs the fluid component of blood while concentrating the platelets, thrombin, fibrinogen, & other proteins on the outer surface of the particles. This produces "instant gelling" followed by the formation of a fibrin mesh. Bleed-X? can be directly applied to a wound through a patient friendly bellows applicator. Sterile Foil Pack.

Can be a true life-saver. A must have item for everyone, especially campers, hikers, hunters, construction workers and anyone that might find themselves more than 5 minutes from medical help. Can use 2 or more for larger wounds.
>>>>

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Yikes Les! Sounds like you had a few rough ones. Glad you are ok!

The thought of having a car accident/air bag coming out and all really bothered me the year after surgery. Guess that was just in part that my body had already gone though one major trauma. Don't think about it much anymore. I figure if the good Lord says it's time....that's it.

I do recall Al commenting on head injuries in general. They will vary from person to person. Guess in light....someone with a soft head may not have survived your accidents. Does this mean you are a hard head my friend JK

Anyway....I feel very comfortable driving my large SUV. I always complain about finding parking.......but the way people drive in this city I feel better protected behind the wheel.

Ps. Thanks for that link Jim. Would not be a bad thing to carry along.

 

[Ross]

You are all a bunch of wussies. Look at you worrying about being hit by todays fiberglass and bendable steel. What would you do if a blast from the past, say something of 50's vintage iron and steel, ran into you? I think that vehicle would come out the clear winner over yours. Not even Gina's SUV could stand a pounding from something like that. That's when they knew how to make a real vehicle!

 

[SJJ]

Ross,
Who you callin' a wussie?! Dem's fightin' words and I'ma gonna sic my cats on your cats and the fur it'll be a flyin' ev'ry whichaway. They're big 'n ornery with gnashin' teeth and slashin' claws.....we'll just see about who's a wussie!
Sue

 

[ALCapshaw2]

One VR.com member (John Cochran?) bought an athletic Chest Protector (inflatible umpire's type?) which he wore while driving shortly after surgery.

I wonder about head protection for those of us who do NOT have side air bags. Helmets anyone? (seriously)...
What type would be best?

'AL'

 

[Raverlaw]

Al,

I sense a marketing opportunity here. (Pay attention, Hank...)

We could make and sell inflatable suits to protect Coumadin users from injury. I'm envisioning something here sort of ala the Michelin Man - and a side benefit would be water weight loss from sweating inside the rubber suit.

The suits would cushion us from falls, falling objects, bumping into things, air bags, side curtains, flying glass, you name it. And, they'd serve as life preservers for those unfortunate enough to fall into bodies of water.

Fitting tightly, and being inflated, they could also be fitted out with monitors to give instantanous blood pressure readings upon demand, and they would insulate our chests, preventing others from being annoyed by the constant ticking of our artificial valves.

They would minimize self-image problems (No, I'm not fat; it's just my Coumadin body armor....) and simplify clothes selection in the mornings. Inflation would be handled by a short hose with a port to connect to your TV- simply tune into CNN at any time of day and the hot air would fill your suit in no time.

I think we've really hit upon something here...

 

[tommy]

Helmet?

Helmet?

When my wife drove me to ER with an extremly high INR (17 ), I considered wearing a bicycle helmet. She drove very carefully and stayed off the highways.

 

[Raverlaw]

When my wife drove me to ER with an extremly high INR (17 ), I considered wearing a bicycle helmet. She drove very carefully and stayed off the highways.

!!17!!?

Tom, you must have felt like a tick that was ready to pop!

 

[tommy]

Bill,

Yes "seventeen". It was pretty scary. Actually, I never knew the number until 10 days ago. A nurse practioner was standing in for my cardio (reg. visit). She was pretty chatty while reviewing my chart in front of me. I mentioned "off the charts". She quantified it. My wife remembered "19" but somehow I missed it untill now.

After 4 units of plasma I was fine except for the cardiac tamponade that showed up a few days later. Then, after draining a liter of fluid from my heart sack, I was fine and have been fine ever since.

I am very fortunate. I just wish that I had found this forum then. Better late than never.

 

[djacq]

Don't laugh but I use my grandson's bike helmet during New England snow storms.

Donna

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Was that Sue I saw in that Hummer hummin' by?

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Sue, I just bought a new car last summer. It also has all the bags- side, curtain, as well as all-wheel drive and VDC. The head injury / Coumadin crossed my mind during the process, but truthfully I probably would have bought it even if it didn't have 'em.

 

[Rain]

Comfortable ride ... or saftely?

Comfortable ride ... or saftely?

When I rode home from Denver after my surgery... I thought we were gonna have to take the surgeon down and let him ride around in my car to be sure it was COMFORTABLE enough for me to ride 7 hours in on day 5 after surgery. That and going over the continental divide were his main concerns... and that I got out and walked frequently. He couldn?t believe an SUV could be that comfortable.

It wasn?t until day 6, when I drove myself (in the same car) to visit my local cardio that I found out what an apparent NO- NO I had committed. (Didn?t mention to him that I drove myself to his office!!) When he found out I rode home in the front seat of an SUV with no seat belt... well... I think he was actually a little more than pissed off at my surgeon. Yikes!!

We bought a new SUV since then... it has air bags... but not because I wanted them. I say buy what ever kinda car you want and enjoy the trip! Although... a bag full of that stuff Jim in Chicago was talking about may not be a bad idea. lol

 

[Ross]

One VR.com member (John Cochran?) bought an athletic Chest Protector (inflatible umpire's type?) which he wore while driving shortly after surgery.

I wonder about head protection for those of us who do NOT have side air bags. Helmets anyone? (seriously)...
What type would be best?

'AL'

Al I have that vest in a box here that John sent to me when I was about to be discharged. It's a regular catchers vest, regulation even.

I've been meaning to get a picture of me in it and my VR shirts and the Camoflage shirt that Ev sent me. If only I had a camera!

 

[Guest]

I think that side air bags are a good thing. I can remember one Saturday afternoon when I was working at a small hospital on the Navajo Reservation. My wife and the wife of one of the doc's were away for the weekend. We were sitting in his kitchen after lunch - he was second call at the hospital. He got called to the ER and I went along We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a young woman die because we could not get her stable enough for the air ambulance to take her. She was driving down a long stretch of road when she missed a 2-way stop. She was driving a compact car. When she went through the stop sign, she took the bumper of a full size pickup right in the ribs. Had there been side air bags in those days we would have gladly picked glass out of her face and ribs - at least she would have lived. We sent the tribal police to every possible place to get blood and transfused her until blood was coming out of the pores in her skin before we gave up.

 

[SJJ]

Al,
That had to be a very difficult day indeed. Thank goodness we have more safety options available to us now.

Ironically, we also fairly recently added a new risk-cell phones. I refuse to use one while driving, in fact I'm not even sure if it's legal or not in GA. How 'bout the rest of you? Is it legal in your state to use a cell phone while operating a vehicle? Do you think they compromise one's ability to tend to the business of driving?
Sue