FAQs

Make sure to tell your entire medical team, including your primary care physician and other providers like your dentist. Every dentist handles anticoagulants differently.

This is a decision you make with your doctor, based on your health history and what works best in terms of your ability to take your medicine, your ability to get to a lab for blood tests, and what the medication costs. The main safety step is to take the dose at the right time your doctor tells you and do not skip or double doses.

Nothing. These terms can be used interchangeably.

Blood clots can skip a generation. If they are in your family, you could be tested for thrombophilia. If a known thrombophilia isn’t found, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a blood clotting disorder. There are many thrombophilia disorders not yet identified.  Read more about the genetics of thrombophilia.

Ideally testing is done when not on anticoagulant medication.  

In general, testing is only ordered if the family member is in a potentially high-risk situation to developing a blood clot (i.e., major surgery or being prescribed an oral contraceptive). At that point, the family member who had the blood clot should be tested first so others know what to test specifically for.

If the blood clot is clearly provoked (i.e., surgery or oral contraceptives) such testing is not routinely done as it will not change management. If it was unprovoked, testing of the autoimmune condition termed Anti-Phospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APAS) is appropriate as the presence of APAS would require the use of Warfarin as opposed to a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC). Also, if you become pregnant and have a family history of blood clots you might want to get tested to decide if you need prophylaxis during pregnancy.  

If you are having unusual chest pain, it is always suggested to call 911 and not get into monitoring yourself.

It can be a good idea to monitor your own SpO2, but some patients don’t want to deal with the anxiety that comes with checking it. Monitoring it is a reasonable thing to do, but not necessary.

Your pulse rate, also known as your heart rate, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. A normal pulse rate ranges from 60 to 100. You should know your usual pulse rate. People who exercise frequently tend to have lower pulses. A rate over 100 in conjunction with chest pain or shortness of breath should be taken seriously, and you should seek immediate care.