Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Why I Love Talking to My Dad: Part Two

Part One was here.

Part Two: Last night
I called my dad on Sunday night to find out if I could have a drink while taking the Lovenox. It so happens that knee and hip replacement patients take Lovenox fairly frequently, and since my dad does that kind of work, I figured he'd have some experience with the delightful drug. He wasn't at home, nor did he call me back, so I did what any good cocktail connoisseur would do: I had a drink anyway. First I thought, "red wine" because red wine can't hurt anyone, right? But ultimately I did have the manhattan because what can a little CC do really?

In the meantime while waiting for my dad to call me back, I saw Dr. BBB and asked him about the "glass of wine" and he said it was alright as long as it was good wine. So I knew that it was okay that I had already been imbibing.

But last night my dad and I finally talked. I asked him about his experience with Lovenox, and as I suspected, he does prescribe it to patients. "Do all your patients bruise heavily?" I queried, because my legs are lumpy and black and blue. Sometimes, he said: "It is a blood thinner." Then he asked, "Have you had your three day and five day blood tests yet? Did your doctor take a blood count before starting you on the Lovenox?" No, no, and no. Apparently he thinks this is folly. Utter folly. I should have had a count before starting on the drug and according to him, be carefully monitored the entire time I am on Lovenox.

I am not being monitored.

Then he said, "You should ask your doctor about HIT: Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia." Okay... And then he added, "You know, what you're doing is not without its risks." And I said, waving my hands in the air, "Oh! I know!" Some might say I said it with a jaunty air. Almost cavalier. And then we hung up. And then I came up and consulted Dr. Google.

And can I just say? Shit.

8 Comments:

Blogger art-sweet said...

Neither Pili nor I were monitored while taking Lovenox.

So in my world of anecdotal medicine? Dad loses.

xo

art-sweet

oh, and my stomach looked like I'd gotten into a really bad fight.

12:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hmmmm.... I also always look as though I've just survived either a really tragic accident or an incident of spousal abuse... never thought it might be an actual problem though...

12:51 AM  
Blogger Pamplemousse said...

Step away from the google box!!!!

5:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If it helps, I've taken care of hundreds of patients on various forms of heparin, from Lovenox, to the injections, to continuous IV infustion and have never seen a case of HIT.

Though most of them have a lot a bruising.

7:38 AM  
Blogger frog said...

No more googling!

8:25 AM  
Blogger Michko said...

I took Lovenox throughout my last pregnancy. Baby is five months old tomorrow and I still have bruises on my legs. I was monitored every so often on Lovenox, but definitely more often when I was taking Heparin, which doesn't stay in your system as long.

10:22 AM  
Blogger Soul Searching said...

Can you imagine life without google? I think I'd be a mess...or maybe less of a mess...hell, I don't know which.

Thinking lots of good thoughts for you 2!

11:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

so what is the deal with drinking red wine while on lovenox

8:35 PM  

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