Thanks Chris - having never had a PE or taken warfain this is new territory for me.

No I just had an epiphany about the birth control pill thing. I don't know if you were on them or not.

And I didn't mean to sound like I was yelling at you , ha! I just think in general, folks get way absorbed in really disheartening information, especially in the beginning, and I think it can really mess with your head and cause some of the crazy feelings we've all experienced.

I agree that getting medical records is one's absolute right. Of course, your line of work allows you the benefit of understanding some of the lingo on those records. For most people, they're difficult to understand, and can sometimes create even more anxiety, because it's just data without the benefit of explanation. It all looks dreadful.

So I think a balance of education with not getting wigged out about information is key. It's hard to do. A PE is the scariest business.

Chris is so right. There's often this hyper awareness, or diligence thing that happens to people which can leave people highly sensitive to every thing in their body.

Reading about your health condition is necessary----- but only with a critical mind.

"Critical thinking is the process of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false; sometimes true, or partly true."

I've never really had any side effects from warfarin, other than more bruises than normal. Been on warfarin three times and off two and never noticed any difference.

Pretty much everything I had going on after my PEs seemed to be a direct result of the PEs. And, most of it has resolved, even though I'm a lifer.

And cjmenjou is right ... correlation is not causation. It is like those people (this is the only example I can think of right now, sorry) who had just touched a doorknob or pressed a button to the elevator when the building in Oklahoma City blew up. They thought it was their fault ... that somehow they had caused it by doing whatever it was they had done. In actuality the two events were unrelated ... they just happened to happen at the same time.

Ultimately, it may be really hard to tell what is causing what with PE recovery. You start new meds, you're tackled with anxiety, lots of us aren't sleeping well (and I can tell you insomnia can cause myriad issues by itself), we might be dehydrated, AND our bodies just suffered major trauma.

It gets so chicken-and-egg after a while that I just stopped trying to figure it all out. I'd rather treat the root cause of a problem, but sometimes you just don't know what that is so you wind up just treating the problem. Sometimes that is really all you can do.

You're rife with anxiety, for example ... hard to tell what is causing it or what it is connected to. So, you treat the anxiety. Practice relaxation, take meds, go for walks, see a therapist ... whatever works for you. Being proactive with this stuff is sometimes the only way to feel like you've got some control.

The only way you could probably really figure out how warfarin affected you would be to be 100% healthy and take it for six months and figure out what happens. None of us are ever gonna be in that position, so for a lot of us, the side effects are mostly speculation. So much happened to us in such a short time ... you may never know what is causing the symptoms.

Hang in there!

Good analogy, Toss!
**** It is like those people (this is the only example I can think of right now, sorry) who had just touched a doorknob or pressed a button to the elevator when the building in Oklahoma City blew up. They thought it was their fault ... that somehow they had caused it by doing whatever it was they had done. In actuality the two events were unrelated ... they just happened to happen at the same time.*****

Off topic a bit, but I recently watched the movie Contagion!
***Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.****

LOL I spent a few days trying to not touch ANYTHING and trying to learn to drink my Starbucks coffee using my elbows!!!!!

Not a movie for people who have a high degree of anxiety in their life.

Yeah, I don't watch movies like that. I tell my husband I don't like to see stuff that *could* actually happen. Would rather stick with the totally fictional.

I got fatigue....but I think I'd get that anyway.....and my GP reckons I have developed "Hyper-Pigmentation" a rare side effect apparently, making get even more freckles than usual...

Cave, that's hilarious!

I do my best to avoid movies that I know will cause me undue anxiety, like Contagion or Up in the Air (I fly for my job, or, rather, I used to).

I've got to say, though, that Kontroll being my favorite movie hasn't affected my ability to ride a subway ;)

Stuart - that's very interesting.

I've noticed more freckles than usual myself. I'm a redhead, though, so freckles are just a part of my life. I noticed some on my leg, though, which doesn't see the sun, and I wondered if that could be related to the warfarin.

I've gotten less sun everywhere than usual, though, and my face freckles are definitely increasing.

I'm intrigued. Must (eep!) go look this up now.

Wow! I definately have more freckles than before the warfarin too! Never would have made that connection Mine are mostly on my arms and legs.

A couple months before the hospital and discovery of my PE's I had memory problems. Forgot who my BEST FRIEND was!! Post PE, I am taking coumadin. Still having memory problems. I've attributes the problems before to lack of blood flow to my brain-lack of oxygen too in that case. Attributing it now to "thin" blood flow to my brain. I'm not sure though-just an intuition I have.

i've only been on warfarin for 3 weeks and although not 100% sure if all i feel is due to the medication, PE or just anxiety or just being port pregnancy itself a few things i've noticed are I do feel much colder now then ever, have an "off" taste in my mouth, much more tired but that can also contribute to the fact i have a 4week old now that is awake various times of the night, always feeling dehydrated, headaches and it does feel like my body is much more sensitive to touch (as in i feel like things hurt more) and definitely brusing more

I've just stopped taking Warfarin 6 months after PEs. I agree with the feeling cold. My wife confirms that I was cold (so it's not just a feeling). I have noticed the floaters in my eyes, but it's possible that I'm just paranoid. Perhaps obviously, the main side effect is bleeding. If I cut myself shaving then it could bleed for ages. I once didn't notice, got to work, and had blood all over my shirt. Have also had nose bleeds at night. But, stay positive, I'm now feeling much better (best I've felt since my PEs) so good luck.