Giant Bruising

[Dale]

With my new artificial aortic valve I am on coumadin of course, and I am trying to keep my level around 2.5-3. I have been a little over lately, (3.4) for a week now. Anyway, every time I bump into something I get a serious bruise for weeks. People could think my husband beats me, (he says he would beat me where it doesn't show...... As if.....).

Well, on Friday afternoon I was at our school graduation ceremony and I fell off a chair while students were getting organized.... I was tired and sat on the arm and it fell over. Now I have a GIGANTIC bruise on my right arm that will last for most of the summer and I am MAD. I have iced it which helped, but I am wondering if this is what I can look forward to now anytime I do anything physical. On Monday I have my last day at work for the semester and I will wear a long-sleeved shirt so people wonèt get concerned. It is trivial in a way, but I just want to know if it is something I should get used to.

Otherwise I am 5 months past surgery and I feel AMAZINGLY energetic and well.

Dale

 

[Bina]

Hi Dale,
Actually I had alot more trouble with bruising and bleeding when I was taking a daily Aspirin with my Coumadin.

 

[terodac]

I also have the same problem when my INR is high it seems to be worst. My way of dealing with them is ice, epson salt soak in warm water and I have found some bruise cream at CVS that seems to help. Oh yea some witch hazel will help.

 

[Philip B]

Bruising?

Bruising?

Hi Dale,

If you're on coumadin and bouncing off things, you're going to bruise. I often tell people that my wife beats me with a broom handle when I'm sleeping.

The reality is that if you pursue any kind of active lifestyle while on coumadin you just learn to live with getting some bruises. If you think you've got a major bruise from falling off a chair, you should see the ones that are appearing on me from being the victim of a hit & run on Wednesday.

Yeah, bruising is a pain, but life goes on!

-Philip

 

[Dale]

Thanks Bina, Terodac and Philip -- Bina - does that mean you stopped taking the aspirin?
Also, I will check out the witch hazel and bruise cream - thank you Terodac.
And PHILIP -- you were hit by a car? Are you okay? That must have been traumatic - I hope they caught the driver!

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I bruised before my surgery and I bruise now. My INR is generally much higher than yours; in fact, when it gets to 2.9, I don't like it. I stood on a desk in my classroom a few years ago and when I went to step off, the desk tilted and I fell. My arm was bruised from the inside of the elbow to my underarm, my back was bruised, and my butt was bruised. The one on my arm took about a month to go away. The worse bruise I've had though was when I had my sternal wires removed. My entire chest was black and it eventually faded to a green doughnut. Learn to live with it, don't be embarrassed, and make up great stories. In fact, Philip's story sounds like something I would make up, but I guess it's true? Wow!

 

[Gail in Ca]

Now after my latest surgery my INR is 2. I bruise just as bad as when I kept it at 2.5-3.5. I get huge ones as well. A couple weeks ago I was putting paper in the recycle bin and the lid slammed shut on my forearm. Ginormous bruise on the top and bottom of my arm!

 

[catwoman]

Like Bina, I had more trouble with bruising when I was taking 81mg aspirin, on my former cardio's orders.
I quit briefly because I was bruising too much and told him so. So he wrote into his chart notes that I stopped the aspiring because I was afraid of BLEEDING. (DUH! I had told him BRUISING!!!!!!!!!).
That's one of the reasons he's my former cardio.

My new cardio doesn't think I really need it, so I quit.

However, I do notice bruises on my legs within a couple of days of an airline flight. I chalk it up to so many people not paying attention when they take carry-ons out of the overhead bins or yank them into aisles and bang into another passenger.
I've flown two weekends in a row now, and I'm waiting to see where the bruises will pop up.

 

[Freddie]

Been there, done that - even had a black eye. Ice, ice and more ice for 3 days I covered my eye.

Yep, if I slightly hit something I get a bruise. I believe this to be normal........for me anyways

 

[Philip B]

Bruising?

Bruising?

Lisa makes a good point that I forgot to mention. I bruised before I started taking coumadin too. Sure, the bruises didn't seem so big or take as long to heal, but I still got bruises. You should've seen some of the ones I got back when I was doing mountaineering stuff.

Yeah, a car took me out while I was doing a training ride on my bicycle on Wednesday. Law enforcement hasn't caught the driver yet. I'm looking for a vehicle that has a dent the size and shape of my head.

Speaking of bruises...you should see the ones that accompany broken ribs...

-Philip

 

[lance]

It's early days ...................

It's early days ...................

Good morning Dale
When I started taking warfarin--10 years ago--I remember bruising a lot for about the first year. When my dog pushed her head between my calves bruises appeared on both legs and were about 8" long. A root canal left my face bruised and onlookers thought I was an abused spouse From time to time I'm bruised, usually don't know why but on the whole I don't bruise as much or as often.

So I hope your bruising diminishes over the next year or two as well.

 

[Cooker]

As usual I?m not going to be any help .... the ease of which I bruise seems to vary from time to time ... also I will get knots at times in the bruise ... I recently had two unexplained bruises with the knots so I got it checked out, nothing .... and yes, my bruises take forever to go away .... I wish DW would quit smacking me around

 

[Tbone]

As usual I?m not going to be any help .... the ease of which I bruise seems to vary from time to time ... also I will get knots at times in the bruise ... I recently had two unexplained bruises with the knots so I got it checked out, nothing .... and yes, my bruises take forever to go away .... I wish DW would quit smacking me around

Either that or you could quit falling out of trees.

 

[catwoman]

Either that or you could quit falling out of trees.

That's good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bina]

Thanks Bina, Terodac and Philip -- Bina - does that mean you stopped taking the aspirin?
Also, I will check out the witch hazel and bruise cream - thank you Terodac.
And PHILIP -- you were hit by a car? Are you okay? That must have been traumatic - I hope they caught the driver!

I took the aspirin post op and my docs kind of forgot to tell me that I could stop, so I ended up taking it for 2 years.
My INR is usually around 3.3

 

[terodac]

I also take the baby asprin, but my surgeon told me if I did not take anything else everyday I should take it. I will ask him again when I see him in the hospital. My INR has been running high at about 3.9 and I have ten bruises on me right now. The bruise cream seems to really help it is expensive but I think it is worth it, it is always sold out! I had to adjust my meds this past week again, going to check my INR again today to see where I am at! At least I have my one machine and chart! I just love it! I think women are more concerned about bruising than men just a girl thing. I really get tired of it! But it is a small price to pay to be alive!

 

[netmiff]

I bruised before, it's a family thing, and often didn't know what had caused them. Once, in my early 20s, my then-DH grabbed me by the upper arm to hurry me across a busy road between traffic, and I had fingerprint bruises in a coule of days. The worst spot, for me, is my upper legs - corners of tables, chairs and so on.

Either be more careful, or accept it - as terodac says, a small price to pay for still bein alive.

 

[COLLEEN S]

Sorry to hear you are bruising. It comes with the territory though. I am fair and always did bruise easy. In December I got hit by another car broadside, at 10pm with no lights on. My right breast was purple for 5 weeks, then green, then yellow. It still doesnt feel the same. I had seat belt injuries that were horrendous on my abdomen, across my heart surgery incision (at the time it was 4 months post op). I had bruises on my feet from when my car landed and my feet were on the brake trying to stop the car. Now I think I might have broke my hernias loose from the mesh repair done in March of last year.