Hi, Ravenclaw,

Just know that you will need to go off of the heparin 3 days before any procedures where you are likely to bleed excessively. When you have blood drawn, they will need to put pressure for longer than normal after removing the needle.

Watch for unexpected bruising--this would be a sign that you have too much anticoagulant in your blood. The danger with that is that you can have small bleeds internally, and that includes in your brain.

You might also ask about just using the heparin for a few days around the IVIG infusions, or only injecting on alternate days during the month, so that you are not using it all the time. Isn't the risk of blood clots from IVIG only elevated during and shortly after the infusion itself?

It is normal to have small "polka-dot" bruises wherever you give yourself the injections (normally in the lower abdominal fat). If you do the injection slowly, so the heparin has time to dissipate in the tissue, it reduces the amount of bruising. My blood is so thick that I don't bruise at all from the injections!

Please let me know what the doctor says. I am curious.

Rose