Because I am taking Blood Thinners, I havnt been able to go to the Dentist or Hospital. Because they wont do any proceedures until 3 months have passed since you had the stroke. Now I have to stop the b/thinners and start again after the work is done.
Meanwhile I am so frightened about cutting myself, after reading this can be serious for people who are on them.
I feel like I am walking around with this fear, and I cant get rid of it. I have got myself a first kit & have a pendant Alarm.
Has anyone any experiences of being on these blood thinners & bleeding, I would welcome your comments and looking online is hit and miss.
I have been on blood thinners since 2017 when i had my stroke. If i have any doctors or hospital procedure I have to tell them and have extra bandages. I have just got used to it. My latest episode was bleeding under my breast due to the heat. Luckily only my nighty got spattered with blood and soaking in cold water and washing sorted it out. Iâm afraid you just have to get used to it. Good luck! You will get used to it.
I was a joiner and well used to cuts and grazes. They donât upset me but nowadays they take an age to scab over.
A relatively small cut will bleed and bleed. You donât die but it can make a mess of your clothes and the furniture. Sometimes our kitchen looks like a murder scene when Iâve nicked myself.
I just bind it around tightly to keep things tidy and eventually it does stop.
I think there are things to staunch blood flow but Iâve not tried them.
A roll of plasters can help make things look less dramatic.
After almost six years on anticoagulant medication, I have cut myself many times, it can be a bit of a nuisance because I have to stop what I am doing while I hold a hanky or rag on the wound. The medication we take does not thin the blood, it affects the platelets, making them less likely to cluster together. The affect of anticoagulant medication on a platelet will last for about five days and then the body will produce new platelets that can stick together. So often they recommend stop taking the medication for about a week before surgery.
This is also why missing a few days of medication like Clopidogrel shouldnât be a stress. In fact, I have gone for about a week without it while waiting for a delayed repeat prescription. I didnât stress because I knew that it was still working despite not taking it.
Your platelets do still eventually stick, thatâs why if you cut yourself it will bleed for some time and then eventually stop while on the medication. Otherwise, weâd be squirting all over the place like a sprinkler.
As an addendum, it is also not recommended you get a tattoo while on anticoagulant medication because it could cause infection, but also because the tattooist wouldnât be able to see what they were drawing. I had considered getting a small novelty tattoo as an enforced mid-life crisis statement as I havenât had a mid-life crisis yet and I fear the time has passed for me to have it. If I were to revive this idea, Iâd just wait for six or seven days without Clopidogrel and then get it done.
Hi Aliceandent,
Thanks for raising this and welcome to the community. There is so much help here and speaking personally ive found so many amazing people here.
Im nearly 1 year from my first (of 2) strokes itâs fair to say ive been very lucky and made a good recovery- it takes time. And ive been on Clopidogrel all that time.
What can I say - it works. I have had cuts and grazes sometimes these stop bleeding fairly quickly sometimes itâs taken longer to clot/stop bleeding (including crushing my finger under a fence panel). Yes itâs a worry the main medical advice is to raise the cut and apply direct pressure for 15 minutes (more than enough time ive found). That works. Minor grazes are not much different to before thinners ive found.
I have bought myself a medical alert bracelet with âblood thinnerâ on it I thought that a wise precaution just in case of anything more serious (God forbid) - they are available on Amazon and dont cost much.
In summary itâs definitely something to be aware of and bear in mind but not to let stop you from getting on with things. But you have to do what or as much as you feel comfortable with.
Again I am on Clopidogrel other thinners may need greater awareness I donât know about anything different.
Again thanks for starting this discussion I found your post interesting and helpful to review things. Keep posting please itâs all important and of help.
I would reiterate what the others gave said. Not sure if you are on clopidogrel or something like warfarin but yes you do bleed more but most minor cuts & grazes heal fine with no real issues - just take a bit longer. A first aid kit is useful to have anyway.
If you get a nasty gash that, after 20 mins or so, doesnât show signs of easing up then you can always ring 111 for advice but these instances should be extremely rare & would apply to anyone.
Stopping meds for dental treatment etc is pretty standard & shouldnât cause too much concern.
Welcome to the community, I hope youâll find it helpful.
We have some information on our website about medications which you may find helpful to have a read of and I hope some of the answers here have also helped to put your mind at rest a little.
If you need anything whilst youâre using the Online Community, please donât hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
I am taking anticoagulants, but being diabetic, I do a lot of fingerprick testing. I donât bleed badly afterwards and find the application of a clean tissue encourages the blood to stop flowing, no problem. My dentist just asks me not to take the medication on the morning of my treatment day.
Hi @Aliceandant and welcome, like others I am on clopidigrel and had a few wee bumps that have bled, none too badly though stubbed my big toe at Christmas tearing the nail and it bled for a good bit, not sure how it would have been before as first time doing this so no comparisons.
One thing I have noticed is my techni-coloured bruises from being in the garden slightest bump and look like Iâve gone a few rounds in the boxing ring.
Thanks Bobbi, I am sure an old girl like me will survive if a JOINER can. I got that stuff that stops the blood and dries to a scabâŚHope I never have to try it.
Rups advice to hold the wound closed for a bit is probably the best advice.
It used to only take a minute or two, but now takes longer. It still works though more patience is required.
There are a lot of warnings flying around after a stroke. They might be sensible and taking precautions is a good idea but living in constant fear of the unknown and âwhat might happen nextâ is far from ideal.
A sense of humour is a great help. Being swamped, by what is a huge event, does not help and picking up the pieces, in an attempt to get everything back into a workable shape, is probably a good idea.
Yes I have. Iâve only cut myself a few times. The worst thing I did was falling over when I had a covid jab. I had to go to hospital as I bled from my bottom. I survived to tell the tale!
I cut my wrist, opening a tin of mackerel yesterday. While attempting to pull the lid off in its entirety, it flicked back at me and nicked my wrist. I tied my handkerchief around my wrist so I could eat in peace. Once it had stopped bleeding, I took the bandage off and then brushed my wrist up against the couch and the wound started bleeding again. Argh, so on goes the hanky again. Strangely, I have lots of scratch marks on my hands and arms from an over zealous kitty and none of those ever bleed.
Ive been to dentist several times since stroke & on blood thinners &told him had 2 teeth out no problem just bit down on a pad & it stopped within 10 minutes & took pad out, im 77 Cardiovascular is in excellent shape so i guess it depends on your health
