It is me? Went for my second vaccine last week and was asked if I’m on ‘blood thinners’. It’s always tempting to say no. Why is the public constantly being exposed to this incorrect term? I find it demeaning and patronising when, in a medical setting, this incorrect term is used. We are not stupid: why not use the correct term?
It infuriates me.
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Staffsgirl
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It irritates a lot of people too Staffsgirl - I think it is a throwback to the 'olden days' when the last person to be informed of anything was the patient who was prescribed 'The Tablets' or 'The medicine'. Apart from anything else, it is a totally inaccurate description of the function of anticoagulation.
Hey ho - I don't think it will change any time soon - when asked the question about blood thinners, I just reply 'I take Apixaban'.
I'd say that too most nurses don't know what apixaban implies, even my dentist said what's that ? I've had my first jab wasn't asked if on anticoagulants still have a bruise in injection site a week later. Will proffer the other arm if still there when I have second in two weeks time ! I live in Spain four week gap between jabs here.
Yeah, I get occasional localized under the skin bleeds from shots or blood draws. Because of my mechanical heart valve my INR range is 2.5-3.5. My doc gave me a grid to adjust my dosage up/down with 2.5mg tabs. I test at home which is very convenient.I’ve never had a bleeding problem other then those under skin bruise-like tiny bleeds. I tend to make only small adjustments if my INR is too high because throwing clots is more dangerous for me then bleeds.
Mevanical heart valve? Don't you mean a supranomainal transcardial flubber jubber ??? The technical term please don't patronise us all like we are idiots !!
Its not totally inaccurate !! coagulation is thickening anti coagulation is anti thickening and thinners is saying the same thing as anti thickening. It's a shorter way to say the exact same thing lol!
I love you! I have spent the last fourteen years fighting this matter. Every time I am asked to proof read any literature I change it . People here get fed up with me banging on about it. I agree it suggests that patients are unable to understand simple things and it is insulting but sadly once the media got hold of it there was little chance of it changing. My worry is that by so miss-describing the function many people are scared that their blood will be so thin that they will spontaniously leak for every orifice! We spend a lot of time explaining why this won't happen.
It's not pedantry. The term "blood thinner" is inaccurate. I've known people who've believed that as a result they need to put more clothes on because their blood is being thinned and so they will be colder.
My poor elderly neighbour was so frightened by being put on 'blood thinners' because it meant that his blood was 'so thick he might have a stroke'. Talk about mis-communication.
Bob, about 4 years ago, I received my diagnosis and joined this forum. I was guilty of such ignorance and you taught me the correct terminology. I am grateful. You did not seem to get angry or lose patience. You recognized that I simply did not know. Thank you for that. Now, I am informed and use the correct term. I find myself correcting others as you did for me. Thank you.
I don't think you annoy anyone by going on about it you just converted us all to do the same. Luckily (or not?) in Italy most medical things are known by their proper names - I used to be really impressed by the Italian knowledge of medical matters. 😁
I think the problem is that only a very small proportion of the tens of millions of people being asked if they are on "blood thinners" actually take anticoagulants and know what that term means. I don't think it is really patronising because it is not a term in general everyday usage. If they asked everyone being vaccinated if they are on anticoagulants then they would have to explain to the vast majority of those people not on anticoagulants what they are and this would waste a lot of time at a time when they are trying to push through as many people as possible as quickly as possible. So as frustrating as it is the term will remain in general use merely as a matter of expediency.
The medical professionals clearly know the correct terminology but don't want to confuse the majority of the public by using a term not familiar to most people but of course very familiar to those of us who have to take anticoagulants. It's the same problem in the press and on TV. We'll either just have to take it on the cheek and not get frustrated or keep banging our heads against a brick wall and try to get the terminology changed! Just my opinion, Steve
I’m not a medical professional, and have only been involved personally with anti coagulants for three years, but I’ve been aware for many years that ‘blood thinners’ is the incorrect term. I don’t think that the use of the correct term would confuse the public. I’m happy to continue banging my head against the brick wall😉. Small steps...!
You clearly have a higher opinion of the general publics knowledge than I do, so we'll just have to respectfully disagree on this one. No problem Steve
Hey snook agreed ...I can’t see it making MY blood boil any time soon ( metaphorically speaking). I’ve got much bigger things to worry about. Keep smiling.
Hey Staffer (if that’s allowed)...I don’t think they mean any harm by it. I suppose it’s the layman’s term for anticoagulant. Bit like a.m and morning and p.m and afternoon. Most of us know that anticoagulants don’t actually THIN the blood but does it matter❓
Hey Staffs...With all due respect (which is normally in my nature) why does it matter. Is there actually such a thing as a ‘blood thinner’. If there was, then I could understand the descriptions being a confusion issue.
Yes Peo...I remember when I was first diagnosed with Afib (abbreviation for atrial fibrillation) I was informed by my GP ( general practitioner) that I would go onto ‘blood thinners’... I can’t remember being offended and definitely didn’t storm out of the surgery.
According to Merriam Webster ( and just about every other dictionary )” Definition of blood thinner “a drug used to prevent the formation of blood clots by hindering coagulation of the blood.” It would seem to be an accepted alternative term
May be. But I am just quoting how they are defined in the dictionary . Aspirin etc are anti platelet work in a different way . You can understand why HCPs try to keep it simple in first instance. Am guessing if someone answered yes to being on a blood thinner they would then ask what they were taking . You are very right in that if asked are you on an anticoagulant someone may say no when it might be relevant to mention they take aspirin or something else . They probably do use blood thinner as a catch all term or they would be there all day
If you say it’s acceptable p then it must be 🤣🤣 all jokes aside I don’t really see an issue with it even if it’s not “officially” acceptable. Sometimes it’s just easier to use a different term or abbreviation etc in order to make things easier/quicker and ensure that everyone understands.
Well I take your point, but do you feel just as strongly with the use of heart attack for myocardial infarction, or stroke for cerebral infarction?
Language evolves, words come to mean what the majority wants them to mean. Perhaps in part because of the stubbornness of the Academie Francaise, english remains the lingua franca (ironically) of the western world.
Yeah, I had a subdural hematoma, called an aneurysm, brain bleed or stroke, take your pic. The docs understand and that’s all that counts. I have a mechanical heart valve and Afib, so I take an anti-coagulant or commonly known as a blood thinner.
It's a tough one I think. I know when I found out I had afib the term anticogulants would have meant nothing to me. Now I'm 'more in the know' I use it all the time.
It is confusing. Asprin is a blood thinner - anticogulants make the blood less 'sticky' and not as likely to cause a blood clot. They are different things though.
Maybe it depends on how long you have been on the afib train for. I remember going to the pharmacist when I first started on Pradaxa and asking for my blood thinners. I think it's more of a laymans term and how afibbers start their journey. I remember when I first saw my cardio I first used the term blood thinners - no correction was made (from memory).
Awareness is key here. I don't know how to solve it - but yes you are quite right.
In January when i went for my first covid vac i ask the nurse if it was a 12 week gap, yes she said i shrugged and passed no comment yet she launch into a tirade about its not our fault its the government, repeated herself while myself and others remained silent. She was stressed but so was i after her diatribe
She then asked. Was i on a blood thinners on the list so i was ready for her,
“no i on an anticoagulant and its not on the list” Edoxaban).
She sneered and said “same thing”
“no its not” I replied“ they don’t actually thin the blood they work on the Xa factor in the clotting cascade.” That shut her up.
With that i then got a painful injection. When i said that was too high she replied “no its two fingers below the acromium”
I got thin arms, so ask for second vac (8 weeks after First) to be in the middle of the deltoid muscle. Interestingly this time They actually asked if i was on a anticoagulant! And couldn’t have been nicer when i explained about the first jab. No pain from second jab into the deltoid.
I’m second day into Afib flare up at present. So a bit tired!
Sorry you had such a bad first vaccine experience, but good to know the second one was so good. Delighted to learn they asked about anticoagulant! Take care.
Funny enough mine actually asked me if I was on anticoagulants but I’ll be totally honest it wouldn’t have bothered me if she’d said blood thinners instead. Don’t think it’s really something we need to be getting ourselves in a knot over. Maybe if an EP used the term then you’d think it slightly unprofessional but still wouldn’t bother me I don’t think. Just my opinion 👍
E...Have you noticed what a collection of nit pickers we’ve all become. It must be remnants of the lockup (lockdown). We all love each other to pieces really. DONT WE❓❓
E...possibly but don’t you think that these harpoonists can certainly do without any sarcasm. After all they’re only trying to save our lives. God bless them, even though I don’t believe in that myth. If such a being did exist, there wouldn’t be a pandemic ‼️‼️
Exactly right P...Without a shadow of doubt, this pandemic has had a very negative affect on human kind. I’m just about the only person I know who hasn’t suffered in a negative way. Apart from a modicum of madness. 🤪
Ye of little faith stew! This is all but a test from the big G in the sky! He will swoop in last minute and save us all! Have the medals and flowers at the ready for the big day 🎖 💐🤔🤔🤔🤔
I didn’t realise he recieved funding as well. Is that cash, cheque or bank transfer? Would make more sense if it went straight into the cloud I suppose ⛅️
When I went for my vaccination I was asked if I took 'The blood thinner Warfarin ' I said I wasn't sure what a blood thinner was but I take the anticoagulant Apixaban.
"Blood thinners" is the least of it. When the haematologist crouches down next to where you're sitting and tells you in a baby voice that "you've got a blood clot in your tummy and you need blood thinners so we're going to give you tablets to take", but you know the DOACs disagree with you and you need enoxaparin instead... Then you've got a problem. The haematologist clearly thinks you're cognitively impaired. She doesn't want to trust you with "a needle". By the time you've made your case she seems to hate you because you're not cognitively impaired.
I think doctors, and specialists in particular, like to see the distinction of rank preserved. The baby-talk and simple language is their way of drawing a line between us and them. This then carries over into all interactions between health care professionals and their patients.
You have my sympathy. It is demeaning and patronising, and maybe worse things too. Good luck with fighting it!
Did she call you "young lady"? I HATE that, and it seems to set up whatever demeaning down-talking and simplifying is getting ready to come your way. Since I am obviously a senior citizen, and I do mean obviously, I don't want to be called "young lady."
Oh, that condescending pat-on-the head! I was older than that particular doctor, but not yet senior enough at the time to warrant an ironic "young lady". I think it has only happened once, but how I hate it. I can't have confidence in a doctor - or nurse - if they are too busy to adapt their speech to their patient when they are talking about something as important as medication.
well never knew that! I was dx with aFIB three weeks ago and tried to enrol into a cardio rehab exercise class but when asked if on “blood thinners” and answered “no”, I was refused. Is everyone who is put on a beta blocker (mine is Sotalol) also put on an anticoagulant?
Not automatically it depends on age, whether you have other conditions eg hypertension , diabetes. And whether you have a known bleeding risk. They use formulae to tot up your points and you are either put on anticoagulant or not . In a nutshell
Ohh P ...I assumed that it was standard that more or less everyone diagnosed with AF, went onto anticoags. Is there an issue with diabetes and warfarin. I’m diabetic and haven’t heard of anything of that nature.
I think that’s a reason to put you on it rather than there is a clash . Younger people with lone AF are not always anti coagulated . Although some of them have strokes as a result
Hey Ozz...I don’t know if Sotalol is a factor but simply being an AFer qualifies you (in general as far as I know) to be prescribed anticoagulants. Do check on this though.
Due to go for my second AZ jab today. Last time I was asked if I was on blood thinners , I just smiled and said no, anti co-ag, Edoxaban. Nurse laughed and said she says that because most people understand that.
Had my AZ jab, asked if I was on blood thinners, I said anti co-ag, and they asked me which one. I think maybe there could be a difference between warfarin and the newer treatments. All done and dusted in 10 minutes, happy bunny!
This topic was discussed only recently and led to a long thread. In my case, you'd think with my being an English teacher with a background in science that it would bother me, but it doesn't. I don't know why that is, as I do prefer precise language, in general.
One thing that I have noticed in my many years of studying language change is that people have moved from using traditional words for the names of illnesses, often now preferring more prestige-sounding medical terms, but this isn't universal. "Blood thinners" is one that has stayed generally unchanged, although the more prestige and precise term "anticoagulants" is catching on.
Why we prefer some language over others is a fascinating area of social study, and the move towards prestige forms especially so since it is in contrast with a general move towards not wanting to sound especially educated. Now that is something that does irritate me.
It is important in areas such as medicine that language used does not create a barrier between medical staff and patients and I guess after years of being critiqued for using language and terms that perhaps a majority are not familiar with and is therefore not easily accessible to them they have embraced the “plain English “ concept . I too generally like proper terms ( am a devil with Latin names for plants but not to the staff in garden centres) but I don’t feel a need to try and prove I am as clever/ well informed as the medical staff or indulge in a prestige language / snobbery towards people who are generally well meaning and trying to be kind. They can’t win . Accused of either using too technical terms or not technical enough they have to shoot for the lowest common denominator
I used to pride myself in knowing the Latin term for most plants. They are fascinating. I'm a keen bird watcher, too (or do I mean ornithologist?), and I know many Latin names for the birds I see. Some are wonderful. The wren, for example, is troglodytes troglodytes! But the name "wren", on the other hand, is so much more friendly and comforting.
I agree with you regarding medical terminology and medical staff. It seems these days that they cannot win and come in for a lot of criticism. I spent twenty years of my life working with doctors, visiting hospitals around the world and, myself, I still hold doctors and medical staff in the highest respect and fully appreciate that, like all of us, they don't always get things right. A bugbear I do have is their love of over-specialisation which seems to mean that, for example, a cardiologist won't look at a hiatus hernia, even if the latter is what is causing the heart issue. That is annoying.
Hallelujah for common sense. I think the specialisation has evolved as diagnoses and treatment have become more complex. You can see the reverse in play with GPS being generalists have a superficial knowledge of a lot of things. It is true the consultant General Physician seems to be an endangered species
The difficulty is that the GP, once he or she refers the patient onto a specialist, then tends (in my experience) to hand over all care. It is true, however, that medical specialisation is vital, so I mustn't complain - and, certainly, the amazing complexity of each body area is something to behold.
Peony, I rather think the General Physician in the UK became extinct more than 20 years ago, with the gap being plugged by the GP and the Geriatrician. It was cleverly put here recently that specialists know more and more about less and less.
It bugs me enormously that here plants in garden centres are in order of their French common names and not their Latin names. I know the Latin names of most of the plants in my garden and by dint of perusing on line catalogues have learnt the French common names of a few plants ,but not all plants ( especially non native ones) have a common name even in English. To me this shows a lack of horticultural seriousness! I am a pedant about a lot of things but like you the term "blood thinners" does not bother me that much . How many people use anti aggregants for things like aspirin and Plavix?
I was thinking along similar lines; in fact, I was wondering whether the term “anticoagulant” wasn’t, itself, a vague rather than precise scientific term?
There was a time when the best garden centres used Latin nomenclature but those days are gone it seems. I agree about the precision.
Language use is such an interesting area. In general, people today like to use prestige technical forms as some kind of signifier of intelligence or authority, but many will use casual, slang or even taboo words as a signifier of social class affiliation. It’s a funny old world.
Agreed there Peo...Although I’ve got to say I wouldn’t like to be referred to as a ‘young lady’, even with bright red lipstick applied (cos I’m a bloke). Another thing to take into account, is that some patients are as thick as two short planks (technically speaking)🥴
Hey Pp...Agreed with you. The thing that absolutely annoys the living daylights out of me, is the lack of proper pronunciation of words. Not sounding ‘T’s. Ending every sentence with a ❓. Projecting the voice from somewhere down in the stomach. The object seems to be, to speak as badly as possible. Have I lost the plot, do you think❓
Not about this anyway ! 😀 it’s G gone missing off the end of words that irritate me. Particularly in the advert “Get into teachin “. Makes it harder for children to learn to read
Yes general conception of them isn’t it....I say Apixaban now.....
There is an NHS page which discusses the “language of health” and, specifically, why they use words like “poo” and “pee” in their literature and on websites: https: digital.nhs.uk/blog/transfo...
Their justification is that such language is “clear, direct, anyone can understand it and it’s pitched at the right level”. At least two of these justifications seem to be flimsy: why is it necessarily desirable to be more “direct”-? This should, surely, depend on context. The last reason (“pitched at the right level”) seems to involve circular reasoning. In addition, if the terms used are not the correct medical ones, this might unconsciously affect perception of the nurse or doctor’s level of expertise.
In our increasingly litigious society doctors are required to be direct so no one is in any doubt as to what has gone on as equally they are required to document everything . They are on a hiding to nothing as they definitely won’t please all of the people all of the time and a subset are impossible to please at all
It’s just the public’s simple way of explaining away the need to prevent blood clots. I even have some people ask me why I take the “rat poison” Warfarin. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.
Oh please!!! Aren't we getting a bit pedantic here? As long as people understand what you are on about , why get het up? How many of you actually have a Hoover to vacuum the floors, but have a Dyson, Miele etc. they are vacuum cleaners!!
Think I have better things to worry about, than blood thinners or anti- coagulants, in the present climate ,does it matter which terminology people use providing you understand. Relax and enjoy life, if you have to fret find a worthwhile cause.
Hey Staffsgirl you took a tiger by the tail here! Well done in waking up the crowd though. I'm with you all the way, I can't stand those who misuse the language and in a medical setting especially, accuracy and honesty are surely required elements.
Reading some of the posts and replys lately, people really do need get out more 😂, this lockdown is definitely beginning to push some to the brink.Personally, don't think it's that much of an issue as long as it's recognised for those that want to adhere strictly to the terminology, and those that don't, or don't care ! Are they doing any harm? ...
Fawtly Towers is beginning to look like a docusoap 🤔
It shouldn't infuriate you. Coagulate means to thicken ...anti coagulate means to thin..
.they are saying the correct thing. I've heard people on here call them coagulants ...which is incorrect and arse backwards and lazy... But thinners is not wrong.
It is saying exactly the same thing. Like instead of saying anticontraction they say relaxing... Same same, just a positive form of a negative term.
It would also be really stupid to say no because you don't understand that amticoagulants are blood thinners out of some petty hearted spite and irritation. Ehich isn't good for the heart.
All through your time ithe health service people constantly *patronise* you by saying can you show me your tongue not can you extend your linguis via the oral appature or something... The medical terms for things are very different. You know when the doctor said " vaccine in your arm" what was going on...if he had given you the medical term you wouldn't have had a clue. But you know one little thing about anticoagulants that they don't technically make your blood more thin and you think you've got it all sussed. But anticoagulants DO thin your blood. Not in the way you thought thinning meant like watering it down...but they do make your blood " thinner" slippery flowing moving mobile agile etc many words can be used to decrube anticoagulation... and anticoagulation is just one of them. It is also inaccurate as your blood doesn't not coagulate when youre on them...it only aids in reducing coagulation effect ...doesn't stop it entirely from coagulating...so even that isn't perfectly accurate for a pedant .
So I'd suggest you stop stressing about little things big time, cos if there's one thing that's bad for your heart and blood its the getting cranky over stupid things ...I mean I do it myself so I get it... But its not good and will antithinulate your blood!
Hey Gonna...I fully agree with everything single thing you’ve uttered, apart from quite a few things but we’ll not go into that. 🤣
What I’d like to mention is, that I’m on warfarin (for AF). I’ve also got type 2 diabetes and I am suffering with flaking and discoloured legs. Now I’m thinking that, if the blood is extra fluidy, would that not be more difficult for the blood to return to the heart via the ‘blood valves’, for want of a better description, in the legs. In other words, if the viscosity is lower, would the blood work as well against gravity via the valves. If you know what I mean.
I just wrote an enormous message there and then my phone decided to crash and lose it all.. Boo hiss... I will redraft it later if I haven't forgotten everything by then lol! Have to go put moldy old rotten wood in a skip now for a few hours ...blugh!! And hope it doesn't hailstone again! Drat and bother! 🤣
Lived in a cardboard box ate gravel for breakfast woke up half and hour before going to bed...and you tell the kids that these days they don't beleive you! Lol! ..it is in many ways a treat because it is my grannies house where I grew up...I've inherited my great grandmothers sewing machines...there's a rusty Los tin oven which lights up!!.. There are all manner of strange and wonderful things...letters from my grandad when he was in the IRA and in kilmainham jail during the 1916 rising... A lead ...cannon ball from the Boer war...an old stabby thing in a scabbard...(sword? Or maybe a dagger) an old Santa clause still in his box from goodness knows when....a monkey that Clangs symbols...old dollies with porcelain faces...it is a treasure trove and I intend to not throw any of it out and spend the rest of my life restoring it all... But its very dusty. And there's lots of rotten floor boards and really rank crap as well... Its like if a beautiful museum was buried under a rubbish dump for 70 years. I've restored a lot of things but still so much to do. and I still haven't budged from my chair. I'm daunted by it all some days and other days I dive right in. You're welcome to come over and help! It will be like Christmas every day!
Hey Gonna...never had gravel for breakfast but had pea gravel for dinner if we were good and had hewed sufficient coal from ‘the pit’. Aye them was the days them was. If we were able to break the ice we could have a lovely relaxing bath, complete with carbolic soap, about the size of a brick.
Hi Staffsgirl, I'm on Epixaba, similar to Apixaban. There is another in the New Anticoaculant groups whose name I'd have to look up to spell it correctly. Each of these also has in possible usage the brand name. The older type Warfarin sometimes called Coumadin is also an anticoagulant whereas Aspirin is an antiplatelet. Not everyone 'manning' or 'personning' the vaccine sites is medically trained to the extent of differentiating between all these drugs or knowing the difference between anticoagulants and antiplatelets. I was on Aspirin for many years before Epixaban which had to be likewise stopped before surgery. There is enough going on at vaccine centres without increasing the list or complexity of questions. All the administerers of the vaccine need to know is whether or not the vaccine site is more or less likely to bleed a bit and be at the ready with a ball or two of cotton wool. I hope I have helped. I'm not medically trained. I'm just a 74 year old pensioner glad to be getting a vaccine. Best wishes.
Also whether you inhibit fibrin or inhibit cox or inhibit glycoprotien receptors or thromowhatnot etc...doesn't make a blind bit of difference ...like if the paper won't stick to the glue or the glue won't stick to the paper the outcome is the same. Whether you use methylmethalcrylate or white spirits to thin your paint at the end if the day the outcome is you've thinned your paint. which is exactly why they say " blood thinners" and not "anticoagulants"because there are other forms of blood thinners and it doesn't really matter to them which one you're on all they want to know is if your blood might be under the influence of one or another of the thinning agents.
Ex nurse of 49 years, I tell everyone about to treat me in any way that I’m on the anticoagulant warfarin and tell them if I’m in range or not. I remind them before they get to ask or not sometimes. I remind them not to rub vaccine sites and to allow me more time for pressure on venepuncture site. That way I’m in control and know everything is done ‘right’! By the way when people ask about my warfarin after telling why I’m on it, AFib, I also say it’s really handy to have in the house in case we get rats!.
I don't get this, what's the problem? A lot of people don't know medical terminology, and don't know what an "anticoagulant" is. I know all the names of my medicines, but most of the people I know just can't remember them, even if they were told, because the words don't make sense to them.
I do occasionally feel patronised, but I have to remember that the doctors don't know that I know what these words mean.
Oh I am new to this site and you guys just seem like you are a Facebook gripe site ..144 replies and nobody says anything worth reading..if you don't have anything valid to say ..why say it..if a word annoys you this much ..you need help..
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