Having Major Surgery While on an Anticoagulant
Getting psyched for knee surgery! I recently had to have my ACL replaced. This has been a nagging injury for many years, and in May 2021, I finally pushed it over the edge. With one little slip on ice, I way laying on the ground screaming in pain, unable to get my meniscus out of the way to allow my knee to bend again. After a minute or so, it finally clicked back into place. I hiked the mile back to my car, and knew that it was time to get this knee looked at by a doctor. After it was determined that I would need ACL surgery, and the prospect of a looming 9 month recovery settled in, I started to think of my heart and my anticoagulant dependency. In 2016, I received a mechanical aortic valve and ascending aorta and have since then taken anticoagulants every single day. Through this process, the need to consistently take my medicine was always stressed to me. I was told that Warfarin stays in my system for roughly three days, and in order to keep the correct level, I would need t