coumadin questions

[czak57]

After reading through some posts, I had a few questions about coumadin or the anti-clotting injections:

1-How long are these shots given? I think I had my last one today (10 days post op).
2-Also, how are coumadin levels measured--I know I had bloodwork in the hospital but that is where it ended.
3-Should I still be getting bloodwork to measure my coumadin levels?
4-When is the risk of blood clots considered to be over?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Josephine]

1. it depends, different surgeons have different protocols but the most common seems to be 6 weeks
2. sometimes they're not measured, it doesn't really have to be because you're not having them for any ailment reason
3. see Q2
4. the risk of thrombosis is on a kind of sliding scale. In the first few days post-op, it's highest. After about 3 weeks, it's beginning to decrease, after 3 months it's probably almost insignificant. However, it's a fact that as we get older of become more sedentary, the risk increases.

 

[czak57]

Thanks, Jo. Do you think 10 days of coumadin is OK? I know you said that every doctor is different but 10 days is quite a stretch from the most common--6 weeks.

 

[Josephine]

Not really - some people have none at all!

 

[czak57]

Thanks, that's reassuring.