About 6 yrs ago, my heart doctor started to talk to me about blood thinners. I had several risk factors that put me in danger of a stroke. 4 cardiologists later (they retired, moved, changed jobs), my latest tests show I’m at even greater risk now because of nearly constant irregular heart beats, in the form of a-fibrillation. I don’t feel it, but the tests can’t be wrong.
Every one of the 4, or is it 5? cardiologists wanted me on blood thinners. But I had done my research, and I didn’t like what I saw. The words I hated were: “You will have to be on this drug for the rest of your life.”
But there was another reason: a few years ago I noticed I was resisting any changes in my medicine regimens. My PCP said that sometimes people my age develop a feeling of “enough is enough” about changing or adding medicines. Apparently, I’d reached that point.
So … each time the doctors said I should be on blood thinners, I said yes, I know, but I don’t want to. I really don’t want to!! And they would shrug their shoulders and say “Okay.” “I’m just not at that high a risk,” I’d say to them, and they’d say: “Okay.”
But now, this last test shows I’m in constant A-fib, which as a fairly high correlation with strokes. Plus … I’m older! Age is the biggest risk factor for a stroke.
So I reluctantly allowed my cardiologist to prescribe a blood thinner. It sat on my kitchen counter for several days. A friend said: “You know, you don’t have to do this! Even if doctors tell you it’s the safest thing to do, you can decide for yourself!”
But that’s not really true, because if I decided for myself, I’d never take a blood thinner, because I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what it might do to me now, I’m afraid of what it will do to me in the future, and I’m afraid of the words: “For the rest of your life.” But most of all, I hate adding another pill that my life depends on. I wanted to rely only on myself, you know? And now, well, as of this morning when I took the first pill, once again I’ve put my life into the hands of a little white pill!
How do I feel about finally having taken the pill? Not good. Scared. Angry. Did I mention scared?
So, that’s why for the first time I really understand how some of the anti-vaxxers feel … the ones who are afraid of what it might do to them now, tomorrow, or 20 yrs from now (well, at 81, that’s not a major concern for me).
And what I have to admit now: sometimes fear isn’t a reliable voice. Sometimes you just have to move into your fear and do it anyway. I don’t expect my fear to disappear tomorrow. It may even increase for a few weeks. But I hope that some day in the not-too-distant future, I’ll think of it as just another pill, to be popped into my mouth and washed down with my V-8.
My Life in the Slower Lane 
I have other dear friends who have had to take blood thinners. I also have anti-vax friends with genetic blood clotting concerns who fear the vaccine for life-threatening reasons. Sadly, some of my friends did pass away from brain bleeds and stroke following the vaccine. As you stated so eloquently, it is a personal choice, and the person making it has to find ways to believe in it and pay close attention to how you’re feeling after you start taking them. V8 is a vitamin-filled way to accomplish washing ’em down in style. I hope you do well with your little white pill and that it helps you feel better.
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According to the European Medicines Agency’s safety watchdog group, PRAC, Pharmacovigilence Risk Assessment Committee, as of April 4, 2021 , a total of 169 cases of deaths by Central Venous Spinal Thrombosis (brain bleeding) and 53 cases of Splanchnic vein thrombosis (internal bleeding) shortly after receiving the COVID 19 vaccine were reported. They were caused by a combination of low blood platelets and blood clots that is very rare. Around 34 million people have been vaccinated in the areas studied in Europe and the United Kingdom. World-wide to date (3 hrs ago) over 4.3 million people have died from COVID 19.
There is no way to properly evaluate statistics pertaining to who died from other causes following vaccination. There are people with all kinds of underlying conditions including low platelets that can cause brain bleeds and strokes. I myself have a significantly high risk of stroke and heart attack based on several risk factors: age, weight, HBP and heartbeat irregularity.
That’s a big part of why I bit the bullet. But it’s is precisely because I looked at the validated statistics for deaths by blood thinners and stopped listening to the fear mongering that I chose to overcome my resistance and listen instead to the 5 cardiologists who had wanted me to go on one. Doing so, I’ve reduced my chances of having a stroke or heart attack by 90%.
The % of people reported to have died of COVID 19 after receiving the vaccine is between 0-1%. Of the 169 people who died of strokes a short time after receiving the vaccine, most were women in their 60’s who died from that extremely rare combination mentioned above. For any one person to know several people who died from strokes or heart attacks as a direct result of being vaccinated, the odds are astronomical.
It’s terrible that you and your friends were part of that statistic, Shelley.
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Ah, this is the comment you emailed me about. It’s on your blog, you should keep it there, no need to delete your response to me. I’m surprised you didn’t reference VAERS data. I’m happy to read you’re confident in your choice of what medical treatment to put into your body. I do the same for my own body. It’s a freedom of choice we can all appreciate.
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I have no wish to tell Shelley what to put in her body. I was and still am responding to her putting out information in a way that might frighten some readers into not getting vaccinated. I felt some facts should be presented in response. In the end, it’s her blog, and she can say whatever she wants.
VAERS is a fine US. agency that accepts and collects reports of possible adverse effects, including deaths, following any vaccinations. VAERS doesn’t assess the verity of the reports. It states: “No proof that the event was caused by the vaccine is required in order for VAERS to accept the report. VAERS accepts all reports without judging whether the event was caused by the vaccine.”
After receiving these reports, VAERS is required to pass them on to doctors from the CDC and FDA, Those doctors review death certificates, autopsy reports and the medical histories of the patients and present their conclusions.
The recent statement TIK TOK published that VAERS reported over 5,000 deaths from the vaccine is completely false. VAERS didn’t report any such thing. That refers only to the # of reports they received! When these reports were evaluated by FDA and CDC doctors, only 3 were found where they were certain that the COVID vaccine caused blood clots that resulted in death.
3 confirmed deaths. 350 million Americans have received at least 1 vaccination. There are now treatments to stop such clots, and there is a list of warning symptoms that people worried about that problem should review.
Shelley is one of the best bloggers I’ve come across. I’ve been a fan for several years and will continue to be so.
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