I’ve been on blood thinners for6 months after having a Pulmonary Embolism post surgery. I have completed my Chemo. 3 weeks ago and I have been told I can stop taking blood thinners as my risk is no greater than the normal person.
Has anybody else been through a similar experience.
I feel a bit anxious not being on anything
Hello Hota. I am on a blood thinner due to surgery after breaking my back in a car accident. Pre surgery they took me off Niraparib which worried me. During spinal surgery I had a collapsed lung and a pulmonary embolism. The hospital put me on Apixaban. I was told I would need the latter for up to six months. After 5 weeks I went back on Niraparib which was a relief. Please don’t sit alone and worry. Ring your cancer nurse or oncologist. I have found my GP to be very helpful. He told me the same..I needed Apixaban for 6 months. Have you spoken to them about the rest of your treatment plan? Sending you a big hug xxxx
You could take nattokinase and or serrapeptase supplements that lower the fibrinogen level in your blood. A good fish oil supplement can also help keep blood flowing well.
thank you I’ll try one of those x
Hello Hota and Kblaisel,
Thank you very much for sharing this information and your experiences on the forum
I just wanted to add in to encourage you to speak with your clinical team before starting any supplements if you haven’t already done so. It is always important to have that conversation to make sure that supplements are appropriate and safe for your own individual situation. It is also important to ensure that supplements do not have the potential to interact with current treatments.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre have a database where you can search for information about herbs. For example, here is the search for nattokinase: mskcc.org/cancer-care/integ... . It states Under ‘Patient Warnings’ that ‘Patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis should avoid of use nattokinase’.
We also found some information about serrapeptase on Healthline and I will share a link to this here:healthline.com/nutrition/se... . This also contains information about potential risks and side effects and states that ‘ Serrapeptase should not be taken along with blood thinners — such as Warfarin and aspirin — other dietary supplements like garlic, fish oil, and turmeric’.
We would always encourage you to have a conversation with your clinical team about any concerns that you have and to speak with them about supplements that may be safe for you to take.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can help with any further information or if you would like to talk anything through. You can contact us by calling 0800 008 7054, by emailing support@ovacome.org.uk or by messaging us directly through the forum.
Best wishes,
Cathryn
Ovacome Support
Hi. I’m in the US and was put on a blood thinner for life after having a DVT a few months after finishing frontline chemo. I have had a recurrence so the OC is considered incurable and I guess there’s always a risk of getting another clot if the cancer comes back.
Hi Hota
I have had the same experience as yourself. Stopping the blood thinners a couple of months after final chemo. I have progressed over a number of years through several maintenance medications. As a couple of them had blood clots as a potential side effects. I did have to take them alongside the relevant hormone blocker. Others I was told I didn’t need to take them. So don’t be surprised if you are told to resume them to protect you as a precautionary measure. Good luck with your continued journey. xx
Hi Hota:
The same thing happened to me five years ago and I had no problems stopping the blood thinner.
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