David Clotterfield and Clara Clearvessel are both on warfarin and as we follow their saga we’ll discover their beliefs about anticoagulation through the various comments they make about their lives.
At the end of each scene, you’ll get a chance to test your knowledge; Are their comments true or false?
Before reading this episode, you may like to catch up with the previous scenes
Scene 4 – the library
Clara Clearvessel had told David she worked at the library, so the next time he was there he looked for her. Truth was, he was a bit lonely after Agnes’ death and even if the girl did go on a bit about medical stuff, it would be good to have someone to talk to.
She was sitting at her desk in the non-fiction section. “Hello Clara, do you remember me?” he asked. “Of course I do David. It’s good to see you again. Can I help you?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about how you and my son Dan were bugging me about my health, and I’ve decided to do something about it. So maybe you’ll have some ideas about what books might help.”
“That’s great. Sit down a moment and we’ll have a look through the catalogue together.”
“I’d be pleased to sit down actually” David said. “I’m not feeling quite right today…a bit nauseous.”
“You do look a bit pale. Would you like a glass of water? There’s a vomiting bug going round. If you’ve got that you’ll need to be careful with your warfarin.”
“It’s probably just a side effect of the warfarin” David said trying to make light of the situation. But he felt worse now and had started sweating.
Your turn
What do you think of these statements? True or false?
TRUE
Vomiting can affect your INR. A short episode is unlikely to have much impact on your INR. If possible keep taking your warfarin at the correct time. If you are unwell for more than a couple of days you should get an INR check. Sometimes the INR can change very quickly if you are unwell. Remember that some medications can interact with warfarin so check with your pharmacist or doctor before you take any additional treatment to stop the vomiting.
FALSE
Nausea is a rare side-effect of warfarin. If it does occur it usually comes on soon after starting warfarin and is unlikely to come on after you have been taking the treatment for some time.
1 True, 2? Not a side effect of which I’m aware.