Eliquis and colonoscopy: I had a... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Eliquis and colonoscopy

brit1 profile image
14 Replies

I had a colonoscopy Monday and the only bad part was the prep, now waiting to hear back re the polyps they removed. I stopped the Eliquis on Saturday as directed. They administered the sedation thru the back of my hand instead of in my arm and now it is horribly black and blue bruised. Is this because I was on Eliquis or is it just because administering thru a needle in back of hand causes bad bruising? thnx

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brit1 profile image
brit1
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14 Replies
meadfoot profile image
meadfoot

A bit of both probably. My anticoagulant was stopped well in advance of my angiogram some years ago. The bruising from the insertion through my groin caused the whole of my stomach area to be covered in a huge bruise. My GP had a student with her when I went to see her and about it and she told him and me she had never seen such a vast reaction. It will settle no worries.

GrannyE profile image
GrannyE

Sounds horrible. The bruising should settle. Hope the polyps harmless. Better out than in. Don’t forget to have lots and lots of enzymes. Eat live yogurt. Lots of fruit and veg. No sugar. You need to repopulate your gut with good bacteria ASAP. colonoscopies never pleasant.

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

The elequis should have been out of your system by Monday.

I have had many canulas in the back of my hand, often whilst still taking warfarin and only once had similar to you when a trainee nurse spent five minutes stabbing me and missing the target until the teaching nurse took sympathy on me and did it herself. My sympathies.

Autumn_Leaves profile image
Autumn_Leaves

I’ve had similar after a venesection treatment and that happened before I developed AF It’s probably a vascular issue where the blood leaked into the tissues outside of the vein. The bruising can be quite nasty and very extensive, and may take a few weeks in total to disappear. If you have a lot of discomfort, swelling etc go to A&E. They can do scans to rule out anything worrying, if it isn’t getting any better.

Frances123 profile image
Frances123

like others have said, I too have had cannulas in back of hand and arm. It’s a lottery of will it or won’t it bruise with me as it’s never the same. Same goes for blood tests. Get bruises that are quite colourful and ones I need a magnifying glass to see.

Oh you have my sympathies with the bowel prep. It’s the devils spawn. Even the nurses and technicians agree that’s the worse bit.

irene75359 profile image
irene75359

I have had literally scores of cannulas over the past two years and I almost always bruise badly on the back of my hand (even when I was taken off anti-coagulants). It is very rare that I have a cannula without problems and they don't even try in my arms!

RoyMacDonald profile image
RoyMacDonald

Cannulas always caused a bruise even before Apixaban, Can't stick a bloody great needle into the back of your hand and expect to get away scot free.

All the best

Roy

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman

Only someone seeing it will know the cause. I’d guess that it’s likely injection damage to small capillaries.

Steve

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman

I had similar followed by a second to remove a thankfully safe but troublesome polyp. The first colonoscopy was as painful as anything I’ve ever experienced in my life and I’ve had about four of them previously without much issue. Still - it’s done and dusted now

Steve

irene75359 profile image
irene75359 in reply to Ppiman

I have had one colonoscopy, and it was the stuff of nightmares. Over time I have come to think that a) I wasn't given enough sedation, even the consultant I saw afterwards said I could have had more, and b) the person carrying out the procedure didn't wait long enough for the drugs to kick in.

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman in reply to irene75359

Oh my - poor you. I didn't have sedation but in the end needed gas and air, although by the time that started to do anything, the pain was beginning to recede. The doctor told me he had to "reverse" to scope to see the poly from the "other way" - goodness me! I hope I don't need another.

Steve

Qualipop profile image
Qualipop

Probably a bi t of both but it depends a lot on who does it. Some people are dreadful. After my first angiogram my arm was black from wrist to elbow. After the second one there wasn't even a pin prick mark where they went in. Same with blood tests at GP. Some3 I don't even feel and there's no mark; others leave a huge bru ise and it hurts a lot

Ialla profile image
Ialla

That’s hard to know. If they removed polyps, was there any bleeding as a result? If not, it could just have been a result of the cannula in your hand, I had a similar reaction when I had my first cardioversion. I didn’t have that reaction for the second. In both cases, I was still on Eliquis, of course, so I decided that it was the result of the skill of the nurse putting in the IV. Hope your results are negative.

RVine3 profile image
RVine3

I'm not sure where your bruising came from. But before I went on Eliquis I had sedation administered through the back of my hand and I remember it left a bruise for a short time. I will say that Eliquis does cause some bruising that appears - comes and goes of its own accord so to speak -, usually around my ankles. My cardiologist did not seem concerned - don't know how to evaluate his reaction! He wants me to take Eliquis routinely, the exception being to miss one dose before a teeth cleaning. Good luck.

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