DE shaving and blood thinners . . .

[ThePossum]

Any of you guys out there using blood thinners like coumadin? Especially after open heart surgery. Looks like I will be have a couple by-passes in the next week or two and I am interested in those of you who may be or have used coumadin or some similar blood thinner.

Did the Dr allow you to DE shave or did he say use an electric? If you do DE shave and you get a nick or weeper does a styptic pencil or alum block stop the bleeding quickly.

Thanks for your help guys.

[cjc15153]

Holy crap. Good luck with the "couple by-passes."

I'm glad that faced with this ordeal, you have the presence of mind to avoid the even more dreaded "week of a couple by-passes <em>and</em> mediocre shaves."

[Trumperman]

Bryce,

My father was a wet shaver until he had bypass surgery. He had to switch to an electric due to his medications. He wasn't thrilled about it but it was something he had to do. Later on I got him a brush and some cream and he went back to wet shaving but got on more medications and returned to the electric for the rest of his days. (mainly for the convenience) I hope your situation works out better. Let's all hope that it will be a temporary "conversion" for you. Good luck and I know everything will be just fine.

Let's hope some gents chime in here with some real first hand experience.

Regards,

Bill

[marsos52]

hi and good luck with the by-pass

two years ago i have a heart attack and stroke becuase of a blood clot
since then i have been on coumadin and several other blood thinning
medicines

with a weeper it can take 2 hours for it to stop and a nick more
i have only nicked my self once and it was not on my beard haha
i had to use a bandaid

i shave at least a hour before leaving the house just in case
fortuneatley im well seasoned and seldom get a weeper even though i use aggresive razors and 3 and 4 passes

i get weepers mostly when i try new blades but as long as i use wilks and swedes and merks no problems

i was told to use a electric haha i burn out electrics in no time at all
that was a joke

i wish you good luck and your in my prays

marc

[2clfrwrds]

Bryce, you may not have to resort to dry shaving. This could be an opportunity to go fidelity for awhile on those BIC Sensitives so many people have posted about lately.

I used an electric for decades before discovering the cult of wet shaving. I've promised myself that if I ever have to go back, I'd continue using quality aftershave splashes and balms. That alone would have made electric shaving more tolerable.

If you do go electric, remember, that won't be any excuse to quit posting on SMF, since you'll still be "shaving your face." Let us know how it goes, and good luck.

Best,
Glenn

[AZShaver]

Razor and Brush has a styptic powder also. This is more effective than the stick, stings less also. There are also other powders used in er's to control bleeding, some may be available in the first aid section of the drug store.

[southpaw]

No comments on your question, but just wanted to let you know I'm praying for you.

[GA Russell]

Best wishes, Possum. I'll say a prayer for you tonight.

[levente]

Possum,

Best wishes on your bypass. My father is a heart patient on coumadin and still wet shaves, however he gave up his DE and uses a cartridge, though he gave up the DE because he had carpal tunnel and it is easier for him to use a lighter weight instrument. That being said, I've seen him a couple of times where a slight nick has taken a considerable time to close.

Regards,
Basil

[ThePossum]

Bryce, you may not have to resort to dry shaving. This could be an opportunity to go fidelity for awhile on those BIC Sensitives so many people have posted about lately.

Glenn,

Looks like a good idea. Not the fidelity but the Bic Sensitive. If I use it right I have a built in blade angle that should not cut me unless I am over zealous getting a close shave or just plain careless wielding the thing around my face.

Okay, I will call it fidelity and give in at least until the Dr says it is okay.

Now all this depends upon the meds they give me. If no blood thinners then it is onward with the DE shaves.

[smoothshaver]

Best of luck with your bypass. Best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

[ateace]

Do whatever the Doc says and use an electric if you must. Good luck with the surgery.

[2clfrwrds]

Do whatever the Doc says and use an electric if you must...

The SMF member list proves that some doctors know both medicine and shaving, but I'll bet The Possum has a better feel for shaving than the vast majority of doctors. Plus he's an ornery ol' cuss; another bet is that he'll find a way to wet shave, regardless of what anybody says.

[Ring, ring, ring]
The Possum's Wife: Honey? Honey, it's the Pope! He thinks you should use an electric, like the doctor says.
The Possum: Yeah right. Pope, schmope. Tell him to go shave his head.
The Possum's Wife: What, I should tell him that again??
The Possum: Yeah, and not a cartridge razor this time! [Defiantly loads a fresh Platinum-Plus into an an early '50s SuperSpeed]

--Glenn

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Bryce,

First of all, I wish you the best of luck with your operation. Here's wishing you a full and speedy recovery! Lay off of the red meat, butter, cheese, and all of that good stuff, and stick with the cholesterol medication. It works.

I had angioplasty & 4 stents placed four years ago this very month, at age 38. I had Coumadin for the first several weeks after the procedure, as I recall, and my cardiologist has kept me on 75mg of Plavix ever since, do to my heart disease at such an early age and the fact that my Father died of a heart attack at age 42 (the same age I am now). At first, I found that when I nicked myself I would bleed quite a lot. and always kept styptic pencils close at hand (they do work). as the years have passed I've noticed that my bleeding is not so bad anymore. I guess the body adjusts after a while.

My Step-Father had a 4x bypass a few years ago, and his cardiologist told him not to shave with anything but an electric razor for several months after his operation.

Your idea of using Bic Sensitives might not be a bad idea. Perhaps you should settle for obtaining a decent shave for a while, and avoid trying to get BBS. Those final touch-up passes are when I tend to nick myself.

Good luck Bryce!

Cheers,

Craig

[ThePossum]

Do whatever the Doc says and use an electric if you must...

The SMF member list proves that some doctors know both medicine and shaving, but I'll bet The Possum has a better feel for shaving than the vast majority of doctors. Plus he's an ornery ol' cuss; another bet is that he'll find a way to wet shave, regardless of what anybody says.

[Ring, ring, ring]
The Possum's Wife: Honey? Honey, it's the Pope! He thinks you should use an electric, like the doctor says.
The Possum: Yeah right. Pope, schmope. Tell him to go shave his head.
The Possum's Wife: What, I should tell him that again??
The Possum: Yeah, and not a cartridge razor this time! [Defiantly loads a fresh Platinum-Plus into an an early '50s SuperSpeed]

--Glenn

Glenn,

You got me pegged about half right. In an earlier life I would have just gone ahead and ignored the Dr and at least tried wet shaving with the DE. But this time I will at least give the Bic Sensitive a try.

Your little dialoge with my wife is so funny. Kinda makes waiting for the surgery a bit easier. Thanks.

[ThePossum]

Bryce,

First of all, I wish you the best of luck with your operation. Here's wishing you a full and speedy recovery! Lay off of the red meat, butter, cheese, and all of that good stuff, and stick with the cholesterol medication. It works.

I had angioplasty & 4 stents placed four years ago this very month, at age 38. I had Coumadin for the first several weeks after the procedure, as I recall, and my cardiologist has kept me on 75mg of Plavix ever since, do to my heart disease at such an early age and the fact that my Father died of a heart attack at age 42 (the same age I am now). At first, I found that when I nicked myself I would bleed quite a lot. and always kept styptic pencils close at hand (they do work). as the years have passed I've noticed that my bleeding is not so bad anymore. I guess the body adjusts after a while.

My Step-Father had a 4x bypass a few years ago, and his cardiologist told him not to shave with anything but an electric razor for several months after his operation.

Your idea of using Bic Sensitives might not be a bad idea. Perhaps you should settle for obtaining a decent shave for a while, and avoid trying to get BBS. Those final touch-up passes are when I tend to nick myself.

Good luck Bryce!

Cheers,

Craig

Craig,

Thanks for the advice. Like Glenn says above I would just as soon give the DE wet shave a try. Unfortunately, I will most likely just go for a decent rather than a BBS shave, even if I have to shave twice a day to keep myself happy.

I do use a styptic now when I get a weeper or I am careless with the way I make my passes. I know it works very well. Good to know that it will help in stopping any small weepers even with the coumadin or plavix.

As for the eating changes, don't know about that. I know that I will have to change my eating habits a lot but will still enjoy some of the good stuff on occasion. My problem is that I don't like a lot of veggies but do like the breads and meats and cheese very much. Will figure it out though and do what is best for me and my family.

[ateace]

[quote="ThePossum"]
As for the eating changes, don't know about that. My problem is that I don't like a lot of veggies but do like the breads and meats and cheese very much.[/quote]

Bryce - The diet thing is purely psychological. My (voluntary) switch to a vegan diet a couple of years ago was tough at first, but one day I astonished myself when I was excited to have a plate of grilled veggies and rice at a Greek restaurant. If you can go meatless, it's a lot easier on your body.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

As someone once said, "moderation in all things". So you can still eat steaks, cheese, etc, but have them only once in a while. And you would be surprised by how good turkey breast is. We buy it ground like hamburger, and use it to make burgers, pasta sauce, chili, etc. There's very little fat in turkey breast, and it's very good tasting. If you buy it, be sure to get ground turkey breast-what's sold as plain 'ground turkey' often has as much fat as ground beef.

My Wife is a great cook Bryce, and uses non-fat beef stock and spices to 'beef up' the taste of the turkey breast in meatloaf, chili, bolognese sauce, etc without adding any fat. If you would like some recipes drop me a PM, I would be happy to share some with you. Also, there are some good low-fat cheeses out there made with 2% or skim milk, and lots of low or non-lat foods these days that taste good. You won't have to eat nothing but sprouts and salads in order to eat healthy these days.

The low-fat diet (and I cheat more than I should) and cholesterol medications (Crestor & Zetia) have worked for me; I had a nuclear stress test just last week, and after four years there is no sign of any new blood clots or blockages.

Cheers,


Craig

[ThePossum]

Chance are that I will not be on any blood thinners after my surgery unless there are complications with my heart rhythm being screwed up and being forced to use the coumadin. That's the good news.

Bad news is that I have shave just about my whole body. And the want me to do it with an electric. Blasphemy but I will borrow my barber's extra clippers to get the worst of the fur off me and then an electric I have tucked away to do the rest. No need to be macho with the body shaving and end up with a nick or cut and ultimately an infection.

Thanks all who have responded to my plea for answers about the blood thinners. Not being able to wet shave with a DE would make my life miserable.

[Pen-in-Hand]

Possum,

Best of luck with the upcoming surgery. Keep a styptic pen handy and I think you'll be OK. Hard enough to give us pastrami, you do not want to have to give up wet shaving.

Best regards,

Jay