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Life On A Blood Thinner
A Detailed Look at Coumadin (AKA Warfarin)
Hey Friends
I feel like March flew by! Sadly, this article marks the end of our “Strokes” series. But…if you have any questions or would like to add anything to our stroke discussion, I am always here.
We’ve covered a lot of information this month. The one thing I wanted to touch on before we wrap this series up is blood thinners. Many stroke survivors are prescribed blood thinners since the majority of strokes are caused by clots.
My Story
Immediately following my stroke, I was started on a blood thinner called Eliquis. My stroke was caused by AFIB and a poorly functioning heart valve so Eliquis was a good fit for me.
I was thrilled because there were no weekly labs, no diet changes, and no side effects besides the obvious one, which was bleeding. I had no issues taking this medication and felt great on it.
Then, last January, I needed to have another open heart surgery to repair my leaky heart valve. The surgeon decided that a mechanical heart valve was my best option. After surgery, my MD explained that I would need to replace my Eliquis with Coumadin due to the mechanical valve.
