This blog has taken me a lot longer to write than I thought it would. Given the nature of the subject matter, you will understand why.....
Seven days ago I went to the doctor to speak to him about taking myself off Coumadin. I take it because I have a Protein S Deficiency; meaning my vitamin K is really high. For me, Coumadin inhibits my vitamin K. Therefore, (Dr. tells me) there are no natural methods they have found so far that will do what the Coumadin does for me. My doctor is a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) and after speaking with four previous specialists in 2 years (and 4 more in the previous 2 years before that), I tend to trust him a little bit more than ever. His explanation was well communicated.
My previous notion of being told Coumadin was originally created as rat poison (another reason you may want to question the integrity of internet chatter) was squashed when my doctor informed me they fed it to rats to find out how much Coumadin was needed to make a rat bleed out. The INR (International Normalized Ratio) level of the rat must be around 60 in order for it to bleed out. The INR level of a human while taking Coumadin must be between 2.0 - 3.0, and if you've ever had to take Coumadin, you know how often you have to go have blood tests (Minimum once a month) to make sure you stay within range. My doctor also tells me it is actually one of the safest drugs ever made. He says it's safer than aspirin and has no record of causing cancer, heart, kidney, or liver disease. I was still feeling a little uneasy so I had to ask the doctor, "Then what are the risks of long-term use of Coumadin?" He says, "Bleeding out; but please understand this would be due to a major accident; like a car accident or getting hit by a car while riding your bike. Any of which can do the same to any other person, you just have a higher risk."
The doctor then looks at me with somber (great bedside manner) eyes and says he wants to talk about my feelings on having children or not. I told him I want to have children one day, but the timing is definitely not right currently. He opened his mouth with the energy of a father; wanting so desperately to reveal the news with tenderness, yet still, an air of courage. He explained to me the risks of becoming pregnant, that I have a very significant chance of having another blood clot. The DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) I experienced was terribly harmful to my existing system; I am one of those people who will clot naturally because of the Protein S deficiency. In addition, if I clot in my upper leg (which is a strong possibility with pregnancy), I could end up with Elephantiasis...forever. The other, even more pressing, issue is the high risk of Pulmonary Embolism. If I get a PE from a blood clot, I will not only experience the worst pain of my life, but have to take home an oxygen tank....forever.
In essence, I have spent much time in the last week comtemplating.....called a couple of people, but mostly kept my thoughts to myself. After I got through my tears of three days, the better news I had received, the day after I visited the doctor, shined through my heartache. Remember the interview I went on where I didn't expect a thing?! I was called by my human resources recruiter and told I was chosen for the position! I had a really hard time trying to pull myself out of the turmoil of the previous news. I realized how much heartache is needed sometimes in life to grab ahold of the transformation occurring in your life instead of wallowing in the heartache, never seeing the transformation at all. I have options later in life of having children and being a parent, but for now I'm simply going to enjoy what this heartache brought me......
