Warfarin - can I still play? (8)

susieslave

To grow old is mandatory. To grow up is optional

the fact you have just started on warfarin means that, although your stable enough not to need to be in hospital, your probably not stable enough with regards to your coagulation, and there is a chance that as they try and get your INR levels stable, you may in fact be more at risk of a bleed or clot, so IMO my advice to you would be to abstain from caning and spanking

Edited 25 Apr 08, 5:22 PM by scarletwitch

I look after someone who takes this drug, and she get horrendous bruising from everyday bumps.

Phoenix

If you've just started on warfarin, wait until you get your dose stable and see how it affects your tendency to bruise/bleed.

If you are still OK and not experiencing spontaneous bruising (and the vast majority of people are) then introduce some light spanking. Avoid breaking the skin - you can expect to bleed more/longer than usual. You can also expect to bruise more extensively, and possibly more easily, so if you were a heavy CP enthusiast you may have to accept that you'll be a light CP enthusiast from now on.

Regarding the risks of bleeding - well, warn your play partners and make sure they know you may bruise or bleed more easily than they expect, and they should stop when/if starts to happen.

Regarding the risks of clots, if you wait until your dose is stable, your risk of clotting should be normal or less than normal (which is why the bleeding risk). And if that is the case, your risk of having a rogue blood clot floating around to cause problems is minimal, especially if you keep to the buttocks as a target area - lots of fat and muscle, with little blood vessels near the surface, rather than the nice big ones where you really don't want clots forming.

Basically, if you stick to nice, well padded areas of the body (buttocks) and a level of CP that does not cause bruising/bleeding there should not be a problem. However, this may be less than you are used to, so be careful.

Do not play if your INR result is high; you'll know how much CP you can take without bruising with an in-range INR; all bets are off if you go high.

If you are someone whose range is 3-4, the chances of you bruising with light CP are obviously higher than someone whose range is 2-3. If you are also taking aspirin, dipyridamole or clopidogrel, your chances of bruising are higher.

It's useful to remember that warfarin does not suddenly make you more fragile - it simply reduces the blood's ability to clot. So your skin won't break more easily - but when it does, you'll bleed more. You'll bruise more easily because that's basically damage to the capillaries beneath the skin, allowing bleeding - so you get bigger bruises, and you may notice you bruise more often because the human body is designed to clot really fast under normal circumstances, so repairs are made before you have time to notice the damage. You now have less of a safety-net in that respect, as it were.

So, start low, go slow, and be sensible.

My qualification for saying all this? I used to be one of the people who worked in a warfarin clinic (some of the time) and told patients what dose to take. Now I'm the person those people ring for advice when they come across something they're not sure about.

--A lady is never offensive... by accident.--
--Matthew 7:16--

Sorry mate, but it may be time to explore other delights, such as those not involving thuds or whippy things. (My vote is for a violet wand!)

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow – anon

Again, not knowing the exact reason for the Warfarin, I'd be very careful of violet wands or anything similar. If it is a heart condition at the bottom of the prescription, they really are not a good idea.

To grow old is mandatory. To grow up is optional

Red
Happily ensconced with my true Master
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes

Why not?

People are often advised "never above the waist" for TENS machines / 'pulsed signal generators" (PSG) to avoid affecting the electrical system of the heart. Even so, these PSGs aren't violet wands, and I'm not aware of (till now!) of a reason not to use violet wands in a person with a heart condition (other than, perhaps, if they have an implanted pacemaker).

Can you tell us why violet wands aren't a good idea in people with cardiac disease (or have you 'got your wires crossed'? - pun intended).

If someone has an implanted pacemaker, due to the effect that v. wands may have on electronic equpipment/Integrated Circuits - THEN I'd advise avoidance.

Cheers, Badg1.