Unexplained pain and numbness

[krosson62]

For a couple months now my left shoulder will begin aching badly if I lay an my right side and the finger tips at first would only go numb when shoulder ached but for couple weeks now numbness although only slight it is constant. Am over a year out for artificial mitral valve replacement. Found very small artical mentioning numbness as side effect to long term warfarin use. Has anyone heard or dealt with this?

 

[pellicle]

personally in the first few things that come to mind warfarin would be under point 100 on the list. I've be very interested to see that article you found.

I did however have shoulder issues post surgery and that is caused by what they do to you during surgery to make the access better for the surgeon. Everyone I've spoken to (meaning in person) who has had any sort of shoulder issue has had some sort of "frozen shoulder" issue emerge after surgery.

I'd "finger" that as the cause first.

As it happens I can't sleep on soft beds now (meaning since my 2nd surgery) without my shoulder going to sleep. I moved to a proper cotton Japanese futon back in about 1994 and never looked back.

Definitely sleeping on one side is better (for me its the left).

Still, I'd love to read that article about warfarin you found. I've never seen a drug more maligned by the less qualified than Warfarin. President Truman was in office unti 1953 and as such was one of the first high profile warfarin users. So now nearly 70 years later we only have murky shakey fluffy bullsh1t articles maligning warfarin, and you can bet your your bottom dollar that the makers of modern (more strokes and deaths than warfarin) drugs would be all over every actually provable side effect of warfarin ... interestingly they haven't managed it yet (despite great financial backing).

Best of luck with the shoulder ... have you seen a good physio or chiro?

 

[dick0236]

... have you seen a good physio or chiro?

That's the question I would ask. I have been on warfarin for a while and I have had almost every muscle, joint, or bone ache at one time or another. I doubt that my lifetime use of warfarin has contributed to those issues.

 

[krosson62]

personally in the first few things that come to mind warfarin would be under point 100 on the list. I've be very interested to see that article you found.

I did however have shoulder issues post surgery and that is caused by what they do to you during surgery to make the access better for the surgeon. Everyone I've spoken to (meaning in person) who has had any sort of shoulder issue has had some sort of "frozen shoulder" issue emerge after surgery.

I'd "finger" that as the cause first.

As it happens I can't sleep on soft beds now (meaning since my 2nd surgery) without my shoulder going to sleep. I moved to a proper cotton Japanese futon back in about 1994 and never looked back.

Definitely sleeping on one side is better (for me its the left).

Still, I'd love to read that article about warfarin you found. I've never seen a drug more maligned by the less qualified than Warfarin. President Truman was in office unti 1953 and as such was one of the first high profile warfarin users. So now nearly 70 years later we only have murky shakey fluffy bullsh1t articles maligning warfarin, and you can bet your your bottom dollar that the makers of modern (more strokes and deaths than warfarin) drugs would be all over every actually provable side effect of warfarin ... interestingly they haven't managed it yet (despite great financial backing).

Best of luck with the shoulder ... have you seen a good physio or chiro?

Healthline.com searched effects long term warfarin use clicked on the when to seek help link.

 

[pellicle]

Healthline.com

well I personally wouldn't go to that cookie fest site, but if you have an actual link I'll install a browser that I can delete afterwards (and no, I won't use incognito window because google still knows I went there and thinks I may be well served by some of its ads.

 

[pellicle]

I doubt that my lifetime use of warfarin has contributed to those issues.

****, we both know it has, because you'd be dead by now if you weren't taking it ;-)

 

[pellicle]

anyway, @krosson62

This is a well known issue post surgery (irrespective of which valve)

https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/collateral-damage.34874/
https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/bad-shoulder-pain-after-avr.40060/
https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/shoulder-problems.15910/
just the first three. The real mystery to me is why everyone insists on blaming everything on warfarin.

 

[drleng]

For a couple months now my left shoulder will begin aching badly if I lay an my right side and the finger tips at first would only go numb when shoulder ached but for couple weeks now numbness although only slight it is constant. Am over a year out for artificial mitral valve replacement. Found very small artical mentioning numbness as side effect to long term warfarin use. Has anyone heard or dealt with this?

Could very well be cervical spondylosis which is very common. Need to see an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist. Probably need MRI cervical spine to rule it out if your doctor thinks it's required.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi @krosson62
I had a few years very bad left shoulder pain. Had steroid injections in shoulder but they didn't help one bit. Physio gave me exercises etc but they didn't help one bit either, in fact they made it worse. Eventually I had an MRI of my sternum which showed I had an effusion at my left sternoclavicular joint almost certainly damaged during heart surgery when they retract the sternum. Problems with the sternoclavicular joint can cause referred shoulder pain. If you had sternotomy then maybe that could be the cause of your shoulder pain ? I no longer get the shoulder pain because I sleep flat on my back - took about a year to get used to that - and I no longer do heavy weight lifting which was aggravating the sternoclavicular joint. All the best finding the cause and treating your pain.

For a couple months now my left shoulder will begin aching badly if I lay an my right side and the finger tips at first would only go numb when shoulder ached but for couple weeks now numbness although only slight it is constant. Am over a year out for artificial mitral valve replacement. Found very small artical mentioning numbness as side effect to long term warfarin use. Has anyone heard or dealt with this?

 

[carolinemc]

For a couple months now my left shoulder will begin aching badly if I lay an my right side and the finger tips at first would only go numb when shoulder ached but for couple weeks now numbness although only slight it is constant. Am over a year out for artificial mitral valve replacement. Found very small artical mentioning numbness as side effect to long term warfarin use. Has anyone heard or dealt with this?

I never go reading fake misinformation. Warafarin has never affected me that way. If you have numbness in your fingers, toes, feet., hands, etc, it could be many things from nerve damage to neuropathy. It takes going to the doctor and find out what the cause of the numbness. I experience numbness from Diabetes and poor circulation in the legs and feet.

 

[carolinemc]

anyway, @krosson62

This is a well known issue post surgery (irrespective of which valve)

https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/collateral-damage.34874/
https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/bad-shoulder-pain-after-avr.40060/
https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/shoulder-problems.15910/
just the first three. The real mystery to me is why everyone insists on blaming everything on warfarin.

That meds of every kind we take daily is an easy target, since meds cannot talk back. Not to be funny. They blame food for cancer, water for cancer, and every other body pain on pills like warafarin.

 

[pellicle]

They blame food for cancer, water for cancer,

but not the cigarettes ;-)

 

[Paleowoman]

PS - I also had tingling and numbness in fingers of the left hand when the pain in shoulder was at its worst. Never had warfarin.

Hi @krosson62
I had a few years very bad left shoulder pain. Had steroid injections in shoulder but they didn't help one bit. Physio gave me exercises etc but they didn't help one bit either, in fact they made it worse. Eventually I had an MRI of my sternum which showed I had an effusion at my left sternoclavicular joint almost certainly damaged during heart surgery when they retract the sternum. Problems with the sternoclavicular joint can cause referred shoulder pain. If you had sternotomy then maybe that could be the cause of your shoulder pain ? I no longer get the shoulder pain because I sleep flat on my back - took about a year to get used to that - and I no longer do heavy weight lifting which was aggravating the sternoclavicular joint. All the best finding the cause and treating your pain.

 

[carolinemc]

but not the cigarettes ;-)

Yes they blame cigarettes for cancer, and it does for a fact lung cancer.

 

[pellicle]

Yes they blame cigarettes for cancer, and it does for a fact lung cancer.

Only once they get it. Before that they say it happens to other people.

Why else would one keep doing that drug?

 

[Lynn]

I have been taking warfarin for close to 8 months (not long I know) and it has not produced the kind of symptoms you mentioned.

What did produce long standing numbness in my wrist, hands and fingers a few years ago was a pinched nerve in my neck, radiating down into my shoulders, arm and hand. It was hard to diagnose and even harder to treat. A physio worked on it for months on and off. Finally one day she tried a different type of massage, higher up on my neck and it was like magic. Literally went away over a period of two visits after persisting for close to a year.

I’m not a medical professional, but given the numbness is specific to one side I would explore something other than warfarin as the cause.

 

[pellicle]

I’m not a medical professional,

I love the way that this has become a standard problem here. I mean this is not even a site for medical professionals. Heck I happen to know a few members here who are doctors and they don't mention that point. I believe it stems from some members here using "you aren't a doctor" as a flatpack way of denying the validity of advice.

To me what does it matter if you are or are not a doctor or a medical professional? You have experience which you are sharing.

 

[Lynn]

I love the way that this has become a standard problem here. I mean thinot even a site for medical professionals. Heck I happen to know a few members here who are doctors and they don't mention that point. I believe it stems from some members here using "you aren't a doctor" as a flatpack way of denying the validity of advice.

To me what does it matter if you are or are not a doctor or a medical professional? You have experience which you are sharing.

 

[Lynn]

Your right in part Pellicle, trying to avoid the “you aren’t a doctor” comments. However, in this case when my last line included an opinion (an uneducated one) and not just my personal experience I felt it was important to differentiate my views from those on the forum that may actually be doctors lol.

 

[pellicle]

I felt it was important to differentiate my views from those on the forum that may actually be doctors lol.

I happen to know a couple of them and they aren't the ones saying weird stuff that doesn't fit with mainstream science (like peer reviewed journals).

the other interesting thing is that quite a many come here to express frustration with doctors and main stream medical / clinical advice. So "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of thing.

Basically I read it as : if you don't agree with my view then "you aren't a doctor"