Stroke risk discussion on Radio Merseyside 9/1/14. Dr Khan of Wrexham hospital talked about AF and how ineffective aspirin is.

[jennydog]

He talked about 3 new anticoagulants and warfarin. He recommended the AF association and its website. It was all very positive BUT Wrexham is in North Wales and the Welsh NHS won't fund anything other than warfarin. This wasn't mentioned at all. AND it was his hospital that prescribed aspirin for me, causing stomach problems.w

[Hidden]

Perhaps he's trying to embarrass them into changing their policy???

[jennydog in reply to Hidden]

I hadn't thought of that. He seemed very keen on the new anticoagulants and there was a bit of discussion about some people finding warfarin difficult to manage. He said that with the new ones it's either one tablet a day or 2 with 2 of them whereas it varies with warfarin. I'm given a list by the warfarin nurse and it's just a case of daily checking.

[Hidden]

Ironic, isn't it? I guess Wales having free prescriptions for all, perhaps the government is aiming to keep bills down. I wouldn't want to get political but I'm sure cost is an issue. There's someone on the forum from North Wales who is on one of the newer anti-coagulants because they reacted badly to warfarin, but actually warfarin's not bad...

Lis

[jennydog in reply to Hidden]

I agree. Warfarin has been no problem for me BUT I can't help thinking that it is badly managed sometimes. My GP practice has a warfarin nurse. My checks take about 5 mins and involve a finger prick onto a strip then I'm given a computer print-out of the result and details of how many tablets to take daily. At the other surgery in our town patients have to go to the nearby hospital where a blood sample is taken from an arm. Then there are phone calls later to confirm results . That seems problematic .

[Hidden in reply to jennydog]

Mine's the same as yours Jenny, the warfarin nurse does the INR at the surgery, having to go to hospital for the Full Monty would be a real pain in the arm and various other places... I hadn't even realised people had to do that sort of trek. Sheesh, what a thought.

[Mamamarilyn in reply to Hidden]

Hi there! I think the desirability of attending hospital is linked inversely proportional to the distance you have to travel. I go to Warwick hospital once a fortnight for INR. It's about 20 minutes away and I meet a selection of the same patients each week, which ends up with us having a cuppa together and a bit of a giggle! Conversely, my friend in Criccieth has a round journey of 60 miles!

Keep well, and congrats on your new-found stardom. Should I be thinking of getting a new autograph book??

[Hidden in reply to Mamamarilyn]

Yikes, what a thought... I went to the WI last night and there was a chorus of 'we just saw you on the telly!'. All I could think was I should hide under a chair and when I watched it, wow, I realised I really do need to keep up the diet I'm just sorry they cut it so short, hardly any good messages in there but hey ho... It was worth a try.

I'm sure you're right and if you have a hospital nearby that's a wonderful thing. It must be nice to be able to meet up with others and have a bit of a laugh

[joeat in reply to Hidden]

For people like me who spend a lot of time abroad, warfarin is a non starter. And the stats show that only 50% of people who could benefit from warfarin actually take it - has a lot to do with difficulties of monitoring and adjusting. So its possible to show a cost benefit from the new NOACs because more people are likely to take them, resulting in less long term care for strokes etc. Depends on how you massage the figures of course.

[Hidden in reply to joeat]

I think the problem is persuading the Welsh health boards/government... Often it is hard to get people to see beyond that initial cost, isn't it? Maybe a job for the AFA

[CDreamer in reply to joeat]

completely agree

[Dodie117 in reply to joeat]

I spend a lot of time abroad so bought my own machine and have no problem with warfarin.

[Varina8]

Jennydog

I have Warfarin and stay long times abroad, where I check my INR in some local laboratory once a month. Costs 7 € in private lab eg in Spain. No problems.

[Mamamarilyn]

I asked my lovely GP about switching from Warfarin to one of the new anticoagulants. She advised me not to as she said there was no antidote to them, as there is with Warfarin. (If you bleed heavily with Warf, they give you a big vitamin K injection, apparently)

Has anyone else had this response.....or was it maybe basically a financial issue??