I have recently been diagnosed with atril Fibrillation (or afib for short) and I have been prescribed a blood thinner called Eliquis. Immediately following my diagnosis, my wfie and I went on a trip that included a 20 day cruise through the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and various countries in the Middle East. I took double the amount of supplies than I would normally use and found that I needed to change it every 1 or 2 days rather than the normal 4 or 5. Theproblem seemd to be that my stoma was bleeding quite profusely which I assxume was affecting the bond of the flange. As I was afraid of running out, we spent one day in Israel finding a drug store which stocked some ostomy supplies, not my normal products but good enough for an emergency! I also stopped taking the blood thinners and in fact, I didn't need to use any of the emergency supplies. When I got home, my doctor suggested halving the dose of Eliquis but the specialist didn't like that idea and put me back on full strength. So far, I'm not having any problems but there must be other ostomates who have afib, which is very common in older people. Has anyoone else had any experience with this? Peter S.
Pete, as far as my experience goes with blood thinners ( starting in 2016) the few I tried were know to cause bleeding.... in 2016 I still had my intestine.. bloody discharging.. and the drs knew it could be from the few thinners I was on... then I was put on Xarelto at 20 mgs.. for about a year after colon was removed and im down to ten mgs daily. all i know they do taper the dosage over time.. full strength means u gotta watch yourself. even the slightest bump or fall could cause bleeding. just be careful.. u migt not be ready for half dosages but that time may come. cant imagine afib issues while being on thinners. thats goota suck.
likely tho i will be on xarelto for life. suffered pulmonary embolisum twice.. had a filter put in which might help you .. dunno.. it helps me.. u dont want clots going to heart or brain or lungs man.. good luck. Warrior.
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Hi petermy Dr. prescribed a blood thinner warfin after I had a blood clot in my leg. It was after I had some surgery done. It was before I had my colostmy. But it cleared it up and I didn't have any more problems. I hope you can get you dosage regulated.
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Hello Peter.
After my recent bypass surgery, they put me on blood thinners (and pills to lower my blood pressure!). The effect was immediate and I started bleeding from the nose, the stoma and it was very difficult to shave without looking as if I had done it with an axe. My 'normal' blood pressure is very low, so this same medication lowered it even more, which mean that I was feeling dizzy most of the time and was falling over.
My own take on medication, is that it should not make things worse, so I stopped taking it. When I informed the doctor, he said that the medication was essential 'to keep me alive after surgery'. I replied that, in my opinion, being 'alive' meant being relatively 'normal'. It did not include feeling drunk and falling over. Anyway, I have never been too concerned about dying, so I have remained off the medication and I am still here-- so far so good!
I did agree to a compromise to take Asprin, as long as I also had a stomach liner, to stop the internal bleeding that Asprin tends to do to my insides.
This regime works much better than the original medical suggestions, which I presume are 'standard-procedure' for everyone.
It is my belief that taking medication is a choice to be made by each individual and there needs to be a balance between the good and the bad effects to be carefully considered before any decision is made.
Best wishes
Bill
Hi all when i was in hosp. last year for resection surgery i was on heperin and had an afib attack so i was put on metropolol 20mg. and when they wanted me to walk everyday i could hardly stand up without the room seeming to spin and needing help to stay upright, as it turned out my new stoma was working too good and my electrolytes were messed up. I was glad to stop taking the metropolol.
Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister
To the gentleman who isn't afraid of dying, I understand that, and might even agree. However, my doctor said that without anticoagulants and having Afib, there's a higher risk of stroke. Think about not being able to talk or walk in a nursing home, and not being able to die!
Just a thought.