I just went for a follow up visit wiht my neurosurgeon. I have some nerve damage, issues with my legs, bowels, etc. It could be a lot worse so I really can't complain much.
I was diagnosed wiht A-Fib (Atrial Fibrillation) recently and I'm on a bunch more medicine until they deal with it. Among them is a blood thinner.
My Neurosurgeon expressed some concern about me being on blood thinners and stated he really doesn't want me on more than an aspirin. He explained that they really have no idea what caused my spinal AVM and don't want me developing another.
I called my neurologist and am asking him to get the neuro team and the cardio team in sync.
Anyone here about blood thinners being bad for Spinal AVM's?
Hi Jim, not sure specific to spinal AVMs but my daughter has a brain AVM and blood thinners are a big no no as per her doctors. During her recovery from a sudden bleed back in December we were told specifically to only give her tylenol for pain and no ibuprofen at all as it is a blood thinner and can cause another bleed.Wishing you all the best:-)
Since being diagnosed in 1989 with a cervical spinal AVM, the neurosurgeons have always told me not to take any type of blood thinners, just as Dina has said.
In Mar. 2011 I had an embolization and coil done on a newly discovered aneurysm that is attached to, feeding/draining my AVM. In Nov. 2011 one of the smallest vessels in the AVM bled. In Jan. of 2012 he tried to embolize the AVM where it bled from, but wasn't successful, it was too small.
After that he said to take a baby Aspirin (81 mg) daily. I balked at the idea as I had been told for years not to. Since part of my lesion is now embolized with a coil I guess his thinking is that the benefit of thinner blood outweighs the opposite in my case.
My understanding of AVM's is that without the intervening capillaries to slow down the blood flow, the arterial blood flow is much too fast and of too high of a pressure flowing into the weak and poorly connected veins. This adds to the risk of a bleed. So I guess if the blood is thinner it'll - flow faster? and be of a higher pressure? - and that is the fear. I'm not certain but I think this is the thought process.
Personally, I thought that since my AVM had now been messed with and the blood had a new route to follow, I am hoping that thinner blood will find it's way through the smallest vessels of my AVM without causing too much stress on the vessels walls.
I've been taking the baby Aspirin since then. I haven't bled since Nov. 2011, not that that is any indication of anything as these things are a crap shoot. I've had numerous bleeds in the past.
I'm sorry, I don't know if this helps or just confuses the issue further. :-/
I was on blood thinners before we knew I had an AVM then I could not take them anymore If you are going to take blood thinners make sure its warfarin (Coumadin) or heparin because the newer ones do not have anything to give you if you start to bleed out
The older ones they can pump you up with vit K to clot your blood
Maybe ask if you can do a baby aspirin and a class of red wine
From my understanding AVMs and blood thinners are a huge NO NO! They increase the risk of a an AVM rupture and that’s why any medication that can work as blood thinners need to be avoided… God bless!