Eliquis

[Vmarti]

This may be a little long. On June 9, I went to the ER with shortness of breath, a CT scan showed multiple bilateral pulmonary embolisms. The doctor started me on heparin and did a procedure to break up the clots in the lungs (I forgot the name of the procedure) LOTS of blood work was done and the doctor said I was triple positive for APS. I ended up getting released from the hospital a few days later on Eliquis. I had been taking that medication for a month. I saw my Pulmonologist on July 9 and that is when he moved me to Warfarin. I was taking Warfarin for 3 days before I started to get a pain in my leg. Being very paranoid, I went to the ER to make sure I wasn’t clotting in my leg. They didn’t find anything in my leg but did find a few new embolisms in my lungs. These ones were not straining my heart I was readmitted into the hospital, they put me on Lovenox and Warfarin and have kept me here until the warfarin is at a therapeutic level.

My question to you all with more experience with this condition is, If I had been on warfarin and at the therapeutic level, what are the odds that I would not have had to be hospitalized again for more embolisms? And if APS was already suspected then why wasn’t I put on warfarin to begin with?

My doctors won’t answer these questions.

My INR when I left the hospital the first time was 1.4.

[KerryA]

Sorry to hear about your experiences.If you had been on a therapeutic level of Warfarin from your 1st admission, you would have been less likely to have had further embolism.

It's strange that you weren't put on Warfarin straight away.

Let's hope you get better management of your condition. Don't be afraid to question Dr's. I know it's difficult. I wish we had questioned them more.

If you're not already under a haematologist who is experienced in managing APS, ask to be referred to one or ask for a 2nd opinion.

Best wishes for the future