Warfarin

Hi jdiane. I took warfin for years along with having crohn’s. The newer anticoagulants were not available. I didnt have any issues for many years, but that changed once the Crohns became very active. They switched me to eliquis, but I still have bleeding issues. I have not taken any anticoagulant foe over 12 months, after checking with my gi, my cardiologist and the Mayo Clinic as my risk of gi bleeding was far grater than a stroke risk. Last March 2018, i had a massiv GI bleed and took 7 pints of blood. At that time they did not have an antidote to counter act the eliquis (they do now). Warfin has an antidote so bleeding issues can be dealt with quickly in the ER.

I have a-fib and this is why i was on anticoagulants. The advice i will give you with warfin is it can be difficult and frustrating to keep the dose in the right range. Just follow the doctors order and get tested regularly including your hemoglobin and such. If you notice any rectal bleeding, report it immediately.

I hope this helps.

Good luck with your surgery. My husband has been on warfarin for 20 years & he does not have crohns. The most important thing about being on it is checking your INR levels at the lab. He can rock along & have his numbers in range, then they go out of wack. You should be given information about it telling you what medications to avoid & vitamin K is out too. Drugs.com gives some comprehensive info about it. If his numbers are good he only does labs once a month, however, if he is out of range he goes every 2 weeks. You drs will watch you closely.