Hi! My surgery was on 4/4/2022 so I'm 6 days post op today. I was sent home with 28 days worth of Lovenox injections to prevent blood clotting. I understand how important they are and 100% plan on doing what I need to do with them, however, I am bruising up after some of the injections. I already have the bruises from the incisions which look ROUGH, but I feel like these bruises might be contributing to the chaos that is my torso right now. I also saw in the side effects and papers about the injections to contact the doctor if you start to bruise, but it's listed as a "minor side effect" and I don't feel sick or anything from it so I've kept on with them and will say something to her at my 1 week post op visit tomorrow.

Did anyone have these injections as well and if so, did you have any issues using them or reactions to them?

7 hours ago, mlwoodall said:

Hi! My surgery was on 4/4/2022 so I'm 6 days post op today. I was sent home with 28 days worth of Lovenox injections to prevent blood clotting. I understand how important they are and 100% plan on doing what I need to do with them, however, I am bruising up after some of the injections. I already have the bruises from the incisions which look ROUGH, but I feel like these bruises might be contributing to the chaos that is my torso right now. I also saw in the side effects and papers about the injections to contact the doctor if you start to bruise, but it's listed as a "minor side effect" and I don't feel sick or anything from it so I've kept on with them and will say something to her at my 1 week post op visit tomorrow.

Did anyone have these injections as well and if so, did you have any issues using them or reactions to them?

I had my sleeve surgery on April 6 and have two weeks of lovenox to take. I take the shots in my thighs and have had no bruising..

I had injections for the 24 hours after surgery only (also did after my gall surgery). Nothing after so it seems strange to be having them for a month to me too. Blood thinning injections are renowned for causing bruising. Try a hirudoid or arnica cream to help the bruising.

Make sure you draw your surgeons attention to the bruising & any issues you feel the blood thinners may be causing you. (Make a list before you go so you don’t forget anything.) Some people struggle with certain brands, lots of side effects, & have to trial other brands to find the one that works for them.

I forgot about the injections, I had 3 or 4 weeks of them after surgery. Hated every one of them

I had the same as Summerseeker I'd already had a blood clot in 2013 and it wasn't very nice months of going for blood test and thinners for your blood , so know how important they are it's not good some people get pain and cant walk some of them doent and that's fatal that's why it's called the silent killer so you need to take them if given them by the hospital

Interesting note on the blood thinners: my program used to only prescribe them post-op for higher risk patients (esp those of us starting at higher BMIs). But, during COVID information was coming through about post-surgery patients coming in with strange/unusual clots (not sure if it was all patients, or just WLS patients). They theorized that it may have been COVID infections, especially asymptomatic infections prior to or just after surgery, causing it since COVID has a blood clotting component to the infection, so they changed their post-surgery protocols to add in the Lovenox for everyone regardless of BMI.

Hi! I just finished my 14 days of Lovenox last week, my surgery was 3/22. On the day of my op, the nurse showed me how to do the injections and while the needle was in my skin she would complete the injection and that would make the protective needle cover pop out. This caused a huge bruise. I learned that it hurts much less to give that extra push after pulling the needle out of your skin. I hope I'm making sense but it might be something to try! I also found the lower on my belly I did it, the less it bruised and hurt. Good luck, you'll get through this!!

19 hours ago, mlwoodall said:

Did anyone have these injections as well and if so, did you have any issues using them or reactions to them?

Hi,

bruising might be unavoidable but definitely don’t rub the injection site afterwards (even when the sting sets in), the more you rub it the worse the bruise will be. Hope it settles down soon x

I also went home with injections I was a little confused as to why. I honestly didn’t finish them I had about a weeks worth and I’m on my third week .. I feel hungrier more than ever but I’m doing purée I don’t feel like I get full ?

On 4/11/2022 at 5:42 AM, mlwoodall said:

Hi! My surgery was on 4/4/2022 so I'm 6 days post op today. I was sent home with 28 days worth of Lovenox injections to prevent blood clotting. I understand how important they are and 100% plan on doing what I need to do with them, however, I am bruising up after some of the injections. I already have the bruises from the incisions which look ROUGH, but I feel like these bruises might be contributing to the chaos that is my torso right now. I also saw in the side effects and papers about the injections to contact the doctor if you start to bruise, but it's listed as a "minor side effect" and I don't feel sick or anything from it so I've kept on with them and will say something to her at my 1 week post op visit tomorrow.

Did anyone have these injections as well and if so, did you have any issues using them or reactions to them?

Yes, I have 5 days of anti clotting injections. I couldn’t believe that I was being asked to inject myself, but I did, and felt very proud! Two of the injections have bruised me, though the one this morning hasn’t. The most painful one was the one the nurse gave me in my thigh, hurt like a b***** and left a decent bruise. Because they are blood thinners I guess that the bruising is pretty inevitable, but I guess asking your doc at the post op would be a plan….do share if he tells you anything interesting!

On 4/12/2022 at 12:52 AM, lorlybeth84 said:

Hi! I just finished my 14 days of Lovenox last week, my surgery was 3/22. On the day of my op, the nurse showed me how to do the injections and while the needle was in my skin she would complete the injection and that would make the protective needle cover pop out. This caused a huge bruise. I learned that it hurts much less to give that extra push after pulling the needle out of your skin. I hope I'm making sense but it might be something to try! I also found the lower on my belly I did it, the less it bruised and hurt. Good luck, you'll get through this!!

Yes, I was told to do the extra push to get the cover over the needle whilst it was in…really sore. The instructions with the packets said to cover the needle after it’s withdrawn…maybe that was why I got no bruise today!

Injections after surgery? WTF lol no one told me about this. I have surgery on the 18th. I do know about the injection they give you in the hospital to prevent blood clots but i didnt know that they prescribe that beyond your stay at the hospital... This is gonna suck bad if they do that to me because i hate needles with a passion

I didn't know about it either! And let me tell you, I was livid. I don't understand how they can prescribe it to someone who has no medical experience, give them a 30 second demonstration, and send them on their way. I'm making it work because i'm terrified of getting a blood clot, but I hate it.

I had injections for the 24 hours after surgery only (also did after my gall surgery). Nothing after so it seems strange to be having them for a month to me too. Blood thinning injections are renowned for causing bruising. Try a hirudoid or arnica cream to help the bruising.
Make sure you draw your surgeons attention to the bruising & any issues you feel the blood thinners may be causing you. (Make a list before you go so you don’t forget anything.) Some people struggle with certain brands, lots of side effects, & have to trial other brands to find the one that works for them.

I'll have to try an arnica cream, thanks! I brought it up to her at my appointment Monday morning and she said given the way I bruised from simple lab work she isn't surprised I bruised with these. She said I could try icing it beforehand to see if it helps and maybe try some vitamin e oil on the bruising.

Interesting note on the blood thinners: my program used to only prescribe them post-op for higher risk patients (esp those of us starting at higher BMIs). But, during COVID information was coming through about post-surgery patients coming in with strange/unusual clots (not sure if it was all patients, or just WLS patients). They theorized that it may have been COVID infections, especially asymptomatic infections prior to or just after surgery, causing it since COVID has a blood clotting component to the infection, so they changed their post-surgery protocols to add in the Lovenox for everyone regardless of BMI.

That's very interesting! I knew my BMI had something to do with it, that was the only reasoning I could see. Someone else was explaining there's a marker in a blood panel that can show if you are prone to clotting and I also wonder if they tested for that in the labwork they did while I was waiting to go back into the OR.

Hi! I just finished my 14 days of Lovenox last week, my surgery was 3/22. On the day of my op, the nurse showed me how to do the injections and while the needle was in my skin she would complete the injection and that would make the protective needle cover pop out. This caused a huge bruise. I learned that it hurts much less to give that extra push after pulling the needle out of your skin. I hope I'm making sense but it might be something to try! I also found the lower on my belly I did it, the less it bruised and hurt. Good luck, you'll get through this!!

I've also noticed that the lower on the belly the less it hurts. I've been trying to go for the lower belly when I can and alternate sides morning and evening.

I also went home with injections I was a little confused as to why. I honestly didn’t finish them I had about a weeks worth and I’m on my third week .. I feel hungrier more than ever but I’m doing purée I don’t feel like I get full [emoji17]

I am hoping once I hit soft foods that I will finally be able to feel like i'm taking in what I should be. It's hard to tell with the liquids and purees.