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← Return to Economizing on Blood Thinners
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Martin Jensen, thank you for your very informative words. I. was especially interested in your comments about vitamin K as a bleed reversal chemical (although I will add that one of the great drawbacks of Coumadin for me, is being required to greatly limit green vegetables and even red wine. 🙁 )
In fact, at the moment I am able to afford my Xarelto (name brand) from a Certified Canadian pharmacy. especially with my cardiologist's kind donation of samples when I visit him (a month+ at a time).
Moreover I am temporarily skipping Xarelto altogether, because of the unfortunate new diagnosis of wet macular macular degeneration a blinding eye disease).which is worsened by blood thinners (this is with the permission of my cardiologist). My goal is with the help of an electrophysiologist, to control my AFIB through another modality - ablation, pacemaker, laser treatment and any other that seems most suitable. Ordinarily I wouldn't be recommended for such inferior treatment given my relatively moderate AFIB, but in the interest of preserving my sightedness as long as possible. I want to prolong my vision (central vision) for what may be years longer.
As a professional artist this is especially important to me.
Replies to "Martin Jensen, thank you for your very informative words. I. was especially interested in your comments..."
I have serious vision problems as well due to the medical roller coaster I got on and can't get off of. My nightmare began around September of 2022 and during a 7 day coma, I was given truly high doses of steroids to combat a horrible bought of pneumonia. For the following months after I would fight for my life with more stays in ICU and more steroids in very large doses as I fought pneumonia, sepsis, autoimmune flares, COPD flares among so much more.
I noticed that my sight was deteriorating fast. Blurry vision, double vision, can't see detail which really messed up watching the television. I'm unable to leave my home because I'm just unable to see and tripping is a huge fear since my balance is off kilter too. I did see an optomologist about 2 weeks ago (finally), and scared to death to find out WHAT NOW. I have Cataract in both eyes which the damage was actually expedited because of the high doses of steroids.
My Optometrist didn't even know about my recent illnesses and was very knowledgeable.
It seems like it just never gets any easier when you do get on a particular roller coaster. I have been through some extremely difficult and very frightening times with my health in the last 10 months that would make anyone's head spin in disbelief. I do know others must go through similar circumstances too and I tell you, my heart (although damaged now) certainly goes out to us all.
This has been a real struggle. So many issues and spinning just trying to figure out where to go next.
I just wanted to chime in on your vision as if everything else we have or are going through is just to warm us up. I know losing my vision has been very scary for me but now with a wonderful optometrist on board, a game plan in place, I feel optimistic about my vision. I see an eye surgeon next month to consult about cataract surgery. . It is a slow process for medical here and that is something I am having to get used to after living my entire life in South Texas. This has been a big obstacle for me.
Elizabeth
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@realitytest, just to make sure others who read your comment get another view of Vitamin K effects for those of us who take Coumadin (Warfarin) to prevent blood clots, my own experience doesn't require that I "greatly limit green vegetables and even red wine." I do take care to manage my intake of both green vegetables and red wine, but to the extent that I have them in my diet, my daily dose of Coumadin was adjusted upward a bit to overcome the Vitamin K antidote. It took a few months to identify a good mixture of Vitamin K foods and Coumadin, but having identified that mixture several years ago, I'm on a stable diet and medication now. As to the alternatives you are considering, I applaud your willingness and that of your medical team to try them. I have several friends who have to good effect, reducing arrhythmia and avoiding blood coagulation, and I've never heard them refer to their alternative as "inferior treatment." In fact, they think the latest anticoagulants are "inferior" for one reason or another. Martin