Any Warfarin users in the workshop?

[Newbie_Neil]

I've just been prescribed Warfarin and I'm feeling a little nervous about being in the workshop by myself. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks,
Neil

 

[bugbear]

I've just been prescribed Warfarin and I'm feeling a little nervous about being in the workshop by myself. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks,
Neil

I would (very much) hope you've been given general advice on what to do if you cut yourself?

Cuts are a normal/everyday hazard, and not just for woodworkers.

BugBear

 

[John15]

I've been on Warfarin and so has my wife. You should speak to your doctor about the risks.

John

 

[Monkey Mark]

My wife is a nurse. When she comes back in ill ask her.

 

[Kalimna]

Depending on the reason for the warfarin, and therefore the depth if the 'blood thinning', as mentioned above you will be at risk from cuts and bruises anyway.
If you have a serious workshop accident, then the presence of warfarin is unlikely to be a huge factor. If you injure yourself on a table saw or bandsaw with nobody around, it won't be because of warfarin.
If you have a minor accident, eg slicing a finger with a chisel, then you will bleed a little more, but standard first aid should be sufficient.

In other words, don't worry about it too much.

Cheers,
Adam S

 

[Newbie_Neil]

In other words, don't worry about it too much.

Thank you Adam, I think I just wanted somebody else to say that.

Neil

 

[Steve Maskery]

My wife is a nurse. When she comes back in ill

Physician heal thyself?

 

[JakeS]

If you have a serious workshop accident, then the presence of warfarin is unlikely to be a huge factor. ... If you have a minor accident, eg slicing a finger with a chisel, then you will bleed a little more, but standard first aid should be sufficient.

The advice I got was pretty much the same - but I'd agree with the advice to ask your doctor/coag nurse anyway, from what I understood different conditions get treated with different target INR ranges, so one person's experience isn't necessarily applicable to the next.

The thing I found bothered me the most was actually the bruising - any tool I had to grip with any power would leave marks that quickly turned into painful bruises, and I could no longer really kneel down! Off it now, thankfully, but still don't feel entirely back to normal...

 

[lanemaux]

My doctors originaly wanted me to use Warfarin , but they also wanted me to get daily blood tests to check on levels and doses. Admittedly the daily checks would only have been for a month or so , then down to weekly , then monthly. However , my nearest hospital for the bloodwork is just about 30 km from my door. Not a huge distance in the summer in Canuckia , but we were coming into December at the time. Since I have trouble finding the mailbox at the end of my driveway (and sometimes my driveway as well) from January til March , they switched me to Fragmin. This still meant a needle a day , but I give it to myself at home and just get the blood tests along with my monthly PSA bloodwork. So if Warfarin proves problematic , there are other alternatives. The only part of me that gets bruising is my stomach , where I do my injections. :lol: :lol: .

 

[finneyb]

Neil,

The big issue I've heard about is if you are turning and a piece flies off hitting you - usually on the face/head. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen - Warfarin just increases the risk of internal bleeding.

Brian

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Brian,

Neil, The big issue I've heard about is if you are turning and a piece flies off hitting you - usually on the face/head. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen - Warfarin just increases the risk of internal bleeding. Brian

Thankfully this won't be a concern, as I don't have a lathe.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Thank you all for your responses. I will speak to my "coag" nurse, but I feel much happier now.

Thanks again,
Neil

 

[Slinger]

Having been on Warfarin for over 12 years, I have not really had any problem, but do take care around Japanese pull saws.
Slinger

 

[dickm]

On a slightly lighter note, I have to take 75mg aspirin daily to discourage clotting as my platelets are abnormal. No major problems except that the tiniest of skin punctures, which you probably don't even feel, do bleed quite a lot and if you are working with light coloured woods, bloodstains don't come out that easily!
Gave myself a nasty fright a few weeks back when I spilled some sanding sealer on the Mystro and then must have put my hand on the banjo. Which is painted blood red. And the paint is soluble in sanding sealer. So suddenly saw a hand apparently drenched in blood when I turned it round .

 

[Benchwayze]

Drugs that thin your blood, to avoid clots
Drugs that manage blood sugar levels.
Drugs that negate the effects of too much insulin.
Drugs that help your heart to pump.
Drugs that control... You name it.

When is the pharmaceutical industry going to produce drugs that actually CURE!

Maybe they won't. Am I being cynical when I believe the drugs manufacturers don't want to kill any of their cash cows?
For sure, I wish I’d woken up years ago, and started losing this weight then. Losing just a couple of stones has improved everything all around!
I know it isn't going to work for every condition, but my BP has improved no end and my Blood Sugar levels are normalising again. 8)

I empathise with you Neil, and I truly wish you well.


John

John

 

[Skeety]

Hi Neil,

As already mentioned you probably want to check with your coag Nurse\Doctor, how thin your blood is required to be will be indicated by your target INR level.

My partner was put on Warfarin a few months ago following a massive heart attack and she tolerated the warfarin better than most of the other drugs she is on. She bruises much more easily and bleeds more easily, her target INR is 1.8-2.2 currently.

Initially they were checking her INR twice a week, then once a week, then fortnightly and now monthly leading up to heart surgery. She is also taking other thinners as well.

Consider getting a Medic Alert bracelet and always carry your anti coag card.

My other half has cut herself but wasn't a major issue.

Good luck!!

Skeety.