I am taking apixaban (5 mg x 2) and metoprolol (25 mg x 2) for my afib, which I have had three or four times a month since officially diagnosed in May 2024.
Around 3:00 a.m. one morning, I awoke with a medium pain in my lower right leg.
I saw on that leg a dome-shaped red swelling, about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
It was over the "shin bone," about half way between my knee and ankle.
My first thought was that this thing was a bruise, but I could not recall any impacts on it. However, I had done some rather athletic work on my car (under the dashboard on the a/c), so maybe I hit my shin or dragged it over the door sill. Also, of late I often get bruises with no recalled impacts, or with incredibly small impacts.
I had bleak visions of DVTs and so forth, and was able to see my GP a day later.
The GP thought it was a bruise, and a week later, he said the same thing. In that week, there was little reduction in swelling, but the bottom edge of the foot was taking on some bluishness.
The GP says that this bruise will last a month or two. He thinks it is the result of an impact, followed by internal bleeding that took a long time to clot on account of the apixaban. He says that the bluishness in the foot is the result of slowly leaking blood from the "hematoma."
He says that there's nothing to do except wait, and to take it easy. Any walking should be moderate and gentle.
The GP is in his 60s, very experienced in front-line rural health care. In my 12 years with him, he has always been attentive and reactive, as opposed to dismissive, even though I am "old" (76).
Has any one of you on "thinners" experienced such a "bruising event" -- an alarming swelling after a minuscule impact? (Again, I don't recall an impact, but I did deploy muscles not often used.)
Thanks for any input!
Written by
Corazon17
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Yes, I have. I've had several bruises do that over the years. 6 to 8 weeks for bruising to disappear completely. The bruise or blood traveled under the skin from my knee to the ankle on one occasion. My leg was painful to the touch for many weeks.
Not on your scale maybe but I have been on warfarin now for nearly twenty years and I get occasional large red blemishes on my arms, usually after winching an engine onto the dyno to run in and test. I have never been aware of any contact but suspect it may well be the chains brushing aaginst my arms. The marks usually take about a fortnght to fade away.
Yes lower legs constantly bruised any cuts take ages to coagulate and heal to the point I stop taking apixaban to let the healing process take place. Interestingly lwhen I was first diagnosed was on warfarin didn't occur when taking that.
I have once or twice had rather similar sounding shin issues but these haven't resulted in a bump but I did get more of a "dent" and a bruise. I worked out, rightly or wrongly, that I had caused it myself from the way I had lay overnight, pressing the other leg or maybe my foot against the leg. Like you, the first time it happened, it worried me. I didn't go to my GP and it did take a while to go away.
My mum who is in her nineties takes apixaban and fell in the house hitting her thigh on the hearth. She developed a lump (a haematoma) and the whole leg from top to bottom went blue with bruising. Took ages to clear.
I was on Apixaban 2 x5 mg and had an awful pain in my right knee and was unable to sleep because of it. My doctor came out to me and gave me painkillers which didn't help and eventually I was referred to the DVT Clinic. I had a small red patch on my right lower leg and they diagnosed Cellulitis and gave me 7 days wide spectrum antibiotics. This cleared it, but I believe it is dangerous if you don't get it treated.
hello to you, i personally have not had your experience but my brother who is 80 years old has recently had severe pain in his right leg with his leg swelling to an enormous size.., now both legs are grossly swollen and lots of pain.
After tests at hospital it was diagnosed as bleeding into the leg muscles causing severe bruising and swelling, the legs have now turned yellow as the bruising is fading.
He is advised to elevate his legs, sometimes higher than his heart ,rest a lot , which he is doing but has got some mobility back enabling him to be a little more active.
This was due to the drug apixaban ,he still takes the drug after a short abstinence but he is well cared for.
He also has an aneurysm which has enlarged, as I do, sadly runs in our family.
yes, on Apixaban and bruise very easily. I saw the doctor recently as I was suffering from sciatica. She asked me how I’d got the big bruise on my back. I had no idea but as I’m on apixa It’s one of those things…..
Apixaban only delays clotting by 20 mins, so not time to cause the type of bruises you are talking about I think. I'm 80 now and have never had anything like that. Still on 5mg twice a day. Still all bodies are different and I've always been a fast healer.
I do not seem to bruise as much as I did when I first started it however other times I bruise immediately then later it seems to grow like a spider web. Even a touch from my big dog can leave his paw print on me as a bruise and it takes weeks to get rid of them the worst one I had was on my lake. It did not even seem like it was that hard of a blow on my shin but later it’s all the way up to my thigh. Considering all the fall I take I have had very few bruises and I am still very thankful for my anti- coagulant. I much prefer a bruise over a stroke.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
76 years old with A F
My recovery from my pulse field ablation April 15.
apixaban and hematuria 
3% Afib burden and proposed medication
