Thoughts about safety of DE shaving while on blood thinner?

[midian]

Hi all, if all goes well, I finally get out of the hospital to go home tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to go back on blood thinners again for an undetermined period of time. My doctor recommended that I quit blade shaving and go back to an electric. In short, even small cuts can bleed a very long time and be hard to stop. Still, being that I have a full fledged case of RAD, the idea of laying down my Merkur 38C, beautiful Vulfix brush, and nice creams is killing me! Are there any other B&B members on blood thinner? What do you guys think, is DE shaving worth the risk or not?

[Beakos]

Well, I would definately discuss with the doctor first, but wouldn't a styptic pencil close up those leaks quickly?

Yikes, where's my head!! Best wishes for a full recovery!! My wife is taking coumadin for a pulmonary embolism (like Captain Phil from Deadliest Catch) and when she had a blood test, she bled a little (not much) more than usual. As you probably know, the blood takes longer to coagulate which causes you to lose more. I wouldn't think you would lose too much from a shaving cut unless it was a real divot, but sometimes you only get to make a mistake once in life. Ask your doctor ...

[dwestenk]

... even small cuts can bleed a very long time and be hard to stop. ...

My personal experience: on Coumadin long term, with a therapeutic INR (one of the bleeding times lab value), my rare small nicks stop easily, the great majority of the time without the use of a styptic pencil.

[adamk222]

Well, I would definately discuss with the doctor first, but wouldn't a styptic pencil close up those leaks quickly?

short ensure no a styptic pencil wont stop the bleeding.my dad was on blood thinners and cut himself while shaving and the blood looked like he had been shot in the face we tryed the styptic pencil and nothing happened and after 30 min we decided to go to the ER.well the other ppl there must have thought he was in a car wreck or something because they just looked at him and walked him into a room ahead of the other ppl that were there.let me cut this story short the cut he had was no more than a paper cut.

[wchnu]

Hi all, if all goes well, I finally get out of the hospital to go home tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to go back on blood thinners again for an undetermined period of time. My doctor recommended that I quit blade shaving and go back to an electric. In short, even small cuts can bleed a very long time and be hard to stop. Still, being that I have a full fledged case of RAD, the idea of laying down my Merkur 38C, beautiful Vulfix brush, and nice creams is killing me! Are there any other B&B members on blood thinner? What do you guys think, is DE shaving worth the risk or not?

Glad you are getting out soon. Was thinking about you earlier today hoping that you would be back soon to let us know how you are.

Nothing is worth risking your health over. Although a good shave would be at the top of the list if there was one. That being said. I do not think that a shaving nick could be that serious an issue. Throw that Merkur thing away and get a good Gillette.

Maybe you can check with a few more doctors or something about that question.


Fuzzy

[tom myers]

I'm on aspirin every day and, although I do bleed and bruise easily, an occasional razor nick doesn't seem to be a problem. A Styptic pencil does work.

However, I suspect you are talking about being on warfarin (Coumadin). That, of course is a more dramatic situation, especially if you do get more in your system than you ought to have. It can be very difficult to stop the bleeding if you are inclined to have too much warfarin in your blood. My wife is on warfarin as are many of my friends and, normally, if they keep their dosage correct, small cuts don't seem to be a big problem.

Despite what I've said above though, I would be inclined to listen to my doctor. He may be intending to keep you on the high side of the usual dosage. On the other hand, he may just be a very conservative doctor and may tend to play such things strongly on the side of safety. Don't forget, he has to be concerned about protecting your health as well as his own interests.

Regards,
Tom

[Wisdom]

As certain as I am that you won't bleed to death from a shaving nick, I would have to advise you to listen to your doctor. They do tend to err on the side of caution for litigation purposes and genuine concern.

There's a Chinese Medicine called Yun Nan Bai Yao that is popular enough to be found in almost any Chinese Medicine Store and even in most Chinese Grocery Stores.. if you want it, write it down 'cause you'll have a helluva time pronouncing it if you don't know Chinese. It's basically a Coagulant / Healing Promoter / Neosporin on Steroids.. the box even says it's useful for "Stab Wounds." If you insist on shaving while on anti-coagulants, you may be able to use this, should the unfortunate occur. As a testament to its efficacy, I sliced a finger down to the bone while grabbing a knife (don't ask) and used Yun Nan Bai Yao to stop the bleeding and heal the wound. I just used a Band-Aid and YNBY and the wound closed perfectly and left a barely noticeable scar.

Full Disclosure: I'm not a doctor and am just giving you my opinion.. don't take my commentary as expert advice!

If I were in this situation, I'd wash my face with the Badger Brush and Shaving Lather, but skip the Shave
-\Visdom

[Sue]

First of all I wish you the best of luck with your health. I am not going to offer advice as that is your decision to make but wish to relay two stories.

My husband was on Coumadin for several years....and I must add went back to wet shaving after becoming sick of an electric.

He went for his INR (an old habit). Together, we then went to; of all things a Funeral. After the service and before we were leaving, he made a pit stop. As he walked in, a man inside said "Oh my God, are you ok-do you want me to call an ambulance?" It was only then he glanced down and discovered he was covered in blood. He had bled thru his shirt, suit coat and topcoat. It became so bad, it required a trip to the er. That was only from the stick for his INR.

One of our best friends (on Coumadin) was driving home from work and must have scratched the top of his head. Wiping his neck and sides of his face of what he thought was sweat he made a stop at QT. The rush-hour busy Quik Trip came to a silent hush as every one stared at him. He had been wiping blood all over his face and neck as it dripped down his back.

Take good care of yourself ~ Sue

[sehrgut]

It'll be a heckuva lot safer than shaving with a multi-blade cheek-whacker!

[KR86]

I would be very cautious. I was not wetshaving at the time, but I know personally that Heparin (another blood thinner) will make you very prone to bruising and bleeding. I still have a permanent scar on my arm from when I was on heparin.

[Aevum]

i would skip the ATG pass,

[Tux]

you're gonna get some pretty biased views here. I love everyone here, but I know that some people here would use a razor if it was half-rusted and 100 years old. I'd say, safety comes before pleasure. Just stop DE shaving for the time being and go back to electric. Or, if you really hate electric, this can be a good excuse for you to see what you look like in a beard . Going a few weeks without shaving will also heal your face of any razor bumps.

[Colphax]

I'm betting you've already talked to your doc, given that he's recommended that you stop shaving with a blade. In the end, the decision is ultimately yours. You are the one who knows how often you nicked yourself before your hospitalization, and now you've heard from both sides of the shaving on blood thinners fence. The variable to consider here is the dosage

We can't really help you on this one, because that dosage variable is different for everyone else. It's kinda like finding the blade that works best for you...what works for me in my razor won't necessarily work as well for you. If you are on a relatively low dose of coumadin, wet shaving's not that big a deal like it is for dwestenk. However, if you are starting on a large dose that's hopefully going to be tapering down, it might have much more dramatic consequences like adamk222's dad or Sue's husband. If that's the case, it may make more sense to hang up the Merkur (hopefully only temporarily).

[midian]

Thank you all for the good wishes and info! I am on Louvenox at the moment. Louvenox is bing used as a booster to get the therapeutic value up quickly. Once the values are proper, I will be switched over to warfarin to maintain the values. I talked to my doctor this morning when he made rounds. He gave a resounding "no" to blade shaving while on Louvenox and even wrote it in my chart. He explained that right now the very high booster doses pose just too high a risk. I guess reading in between the lines you could interpret that hardcore shaving addicts might be safer once the blood thinner levels are stable. However, it is probably not worth the risk while in the initial stages of treatment. I hope this info helps others that might some day end up on Louvenox.

With that said, my doctor gave the really fantastic news is that I only have to stay on the blood thinner until I reach a stage in my physical therapy where I can move around freely. I am wheelchair bound, cannot move my legs, and just had double knee surgery. Thus, in my case the blood thinners are to prevent clotting more than anything else. However, I am 35, have a strong upper body, and most importantly, I can now use shaving as a really strong motivator to work hard at PT! Some guys might post pin-up pictures in their lockers. I will post a pic of a sexy little Gillette 1950's Fat Boy. :)

[Colphax]

Heh, that makes a lot of sense, midian. Lovenox is low-molecular weight Heparin, which is pretty stong anti-coagulation. Make sure to follow any coumadin diet restrictions they give you as well!

Another thought: Just because you can't use your razors and blades doesn't have to mean you have to give up on your brush, soaps, and creams...just use the brush and soaps/creams to wash your face after you shave with your electric (If you don't go all woolly, that is ). That way you can still get some of the sensory pleasures and good skin that come with wetshaving.

[michaelg931]

I am also in a similar situation of being on warfarin and thinking of starting wet shaving but have been concerned about the nicks that can occur. It seems that nicks are inevitable for newbies who want to start with a DE. How about a safety razor such a a Gillette Fusion? Not risk free, but would the probability be reduced? Has anyone tried Colphax's recommendation of using the brush, lather etc, but use an electric for the shaving part? If so how did that turn out?

[eengstro]

Perhaps you can try one of those Panasonic wet/dry electric shavers. You can probably use that with your favorite soap/cream lather...

[wchnu]

[QUOTE=midian;793830]Thank you all for the good wishes and info! I am on Louvenox at the moment. Louvenox is bing used as a booster to get the therapeutic value up quickly. Once the values are proper, I will be switched over to warfarin to maintain the values. I talked to my doctor this morning when he made rounds. He gave a resounding "no" to blade shaving while on Louvenox and even wrote it in my chart. He explained that right now the very high booster doses pose just too high a risk. I guess reading in between the lines you could interpret that hardcore shaving addicts might be safer once the blood thinner levels are stable. However, it is probably not worth the risk while in the initial stages of treatment. I hope this info helps others that might some day end up on Louvenox.

With that said, my doctor gave the really fantastic news is that I only have to stay on the blood thinner until I reach a stage in my physical therapy where I can move around freely. I am wheelchair bound, cannot move my legs, and just had double knee surgery. Thus, in my case the blood thinners are to prevent clotting more than anything else. However, I am 35, have a strong upper body, and most importantly, I can now use shaving as a really strong motivator to work hard at PT! Some guys might post pin-up pictures in their lockers. I will post a pic of a sexy little Gillette 1950's Fat Boy. :)[/QUOTE]

Um if you would rather we can get a pic of a lady Gillette or shick Lady eversharp for that.

Fuzzy

[Confilo]

Wish you a good recovery; in the meantime you can grow a beard and when you can shave again it is double the pleasure by shaving it off

[sol92258]

[quote=wchnu;794662]

Thank you all for the good wishes and info! I am on Louvenox at the moment. Louvenox is bing used as a booster to get the therapeutic value up quickly. Once the values are proper, I will be switched over to warfarin to maintain the values. I talked to my doctor this morning when he made rounds. He gave a resounding "no" to blade shaving while on Louvenox and even wrote it in my chart. He explained that right now the very high booster doses pose just too high a risk. I guess reading in between the lines you could interpret that hardcore shaving addicts might be safer once the blood thinner levels are stable. However, it is probably not worth the risk while in the initial stages of treatment. I hope this info helps others that might some day end up on Louvenox.

With that said, my doctor gave the really fantastic news is that I only have to stay on the blood thinner until I reach a stage in my physical therapy where I can move around freely. I am wheelchair bound, cannot move my legs, and just had double knee surgery. Thus, in my case the blood thinners are to prevent clotting more than anything else. However, I am 35, have a strong upper body, and most importantly, I can now use shaving as a really strong motivator to work hard at PT! Some guys might post pin-up pictures in their lockers. I will post a pic of a sexy little Gillette 1950's Fat Boy. :)[/QUOTE]

Um if you would rather we can get a pic of a lady Gillette or shick Lady eversharp for that.

Fuzzy

ummm, yeah...sexy, fat, and boy don't generally go together well, but in the context of our community....

and get well soon!