As part of my work as a haematologist, I care for boys with haemophilia. This is a clotting disorder due to lack of factor VIII or IX: possible problems are similar to those of people on anticoagulants. Some of these boys seem to have a death wish, because they take my advice about sports to avoid, as a challenge rather than a caution! I have known boys with haemophilia take … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2016
The ‘F’ words of recovery – Could you have PTSD?
You've probably heard of the "fight or flight" adrenaline response that people have to shocking situations, but did you know these are also two symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD? You may just have heard of PTSD related to the military after active service, but it can occur in anyone who has experienced a terrifying or traumatic event including serious injury … [Read more...]
“Am I being silly doctor?” – 5 niggling concerns
When you’re on anticoagulants, you may have concerns that you’re not quite sure if you should be bothering your doctor with. My patients often bring up these concerns towards the end of a visit often prefacing them with “Am I being silly doctor?” I feel that although my work as a haematologist can be very busy, answering a patient’s questions is a core part of my job, so I’d … [Read more...]
Frivolous Friday – Coagulation Decoration: Would you wear this jewelry?
If you think of coagulation related jewelry, you probably just consider medical alert bracelets. But you could also celebrate your coagulation history with jewelry that looks like a snake or vampire bat, (linked to coagulation because they both produce natural anticoagulants) or drops of blood. Do you think it’s odd to remember medical events through jewellery? I quite like … [Read more...]
What’s the commonest reason for taking warfarin?
Atrial fibrillation, AF is the commonest reason for taking warfarin. Today we will be talking about AF and a study from a medical journal of the trends over the past 50 years. So what is AF? AF is a disorder of heart rhythm. In a normal beat, the atria contract first, (shown by the purple arrow as the p-wave on the ECG below) leading to a regular contraction of the … [Read more...]
Am I being silly doctor? – 5 valid concerns
When you’re on anticoagulants, you may have concerns that you’re not quite sure if you should be bothering your doctor with. My patients often bring up these concerns towards the end of a visit often prefacing them with “Am I being silly doctor?” I feel that although my work as a haematologist can be very busy, answering a patient’s questions is a core part of my job, so I’d … [Read more...]
Pulmonary Embolism recovery looks like this.
"I used to go running. Will I ever be able to again?" and "Will I ever get back to normal?" are just two of the questions Paul's been asked by people who've had a pulmonary embolism. Recovery can be very variable and may take a long time, but for inspiration, look to Serena Williams! This #1 ranked female tennis player had a pulmonary embolism back in March 2011. She had … [Read more...]
Frivolous Friday – Blood related holiday highlights
Now that I write for Coagulation Conversation, I seem to notice blood-related topics everywhere. So these are four blood related aspects of our recent holiday to the European Haematology Association Conference. 1. Dracula's Cabaret I was busy looking through the Jetstar flight magazine to see what advice it had on exercise during flights, when instead I came across this … [Read more...]
