Drawing Blood?

[looking4help]

Ever since going gluten free in April of this year I have a weird thing happening each time I have blood drawn. It seems that I am not clotting very well or at all. I mean the tech thinks I am fine and I get up to walk off and it POURS down my arm and I do mean POURS!

I had blood work done today and was fine afterward. Taped up and out I go to the check out desk. Still fine. Then I get out the door and feel something running down my arm and I looked like a freak show! Blood POURING down my arm and I noticed that the entire side of my shirt was soaked in blood. I had to run to the car to get a napkin and stop it.

It's not painful or anything but it's happening almost everytime I get blood work done. (which is A LOT these days because of all the tests etc with the different drs.)

Not sure if it matters but my periods have been HORRID the past year. They last 1 day only and I pass clots the size of small baseballs. So much pain and I flood like a waterfall for the entire day and can't leave the house at all.

Is this just me and my weirdness or has this happened to someone else?

[scarlett77]

I would look in to your vitamin K levels. It was something they were concerned about with my son but fortunately we didn't have a problem. I can only imagine how horrifying and worrisome that would be. I hope you figure it out!

[GlutenFreeManna]

Ever since going gluten free in April of this year I have a weird thing happening each time I have blood drawn. It seems that I am not clotting very well or at all. I mean the tech thinks I am fine and I get up to walk off and it POURS down my arm and I do mean POURS!

I had blood work done today and was fine afterward. Taped up and out I go to the check out desk. Still fine. Then I get out the door and feel something running down my arm and I looked like a freak show! Blood POURING down my arm and I noticed that the entire side of my shirt was soaked in blood. I had to run to the car to get a napkin and stop it.

It's not painful or anything but it's happening almost everytime I get blood work done. (which is A LOT these days because of all the tests etc with the different drs.)

Not sure if it matters but my periods have been HORRID the past year. They last 1 day only and I pass clots the size of small baseballs. So much pain and I flood like a waterfall for the entire day and can't leave the house at all.

Is this just me and my weirdness or has this happened to someone else?

That is very scary! Did you go back in to show the nurses all the blood? Are you taking any medications that could be thinning your blood? You really need to ask your doctor about this. I have not seen anyone here post about anything similar, but that doesn't mean it isn't a condition related to celiac. I hope you have told your gyn about the periods too. You could be in so much pain just from the major loss of blood/anemia. Please report back to us what your doctor says. I'll be sending some prayers your way.

[Philippa]

Ever since going gluten free in April of this year I have a weird thing happening each time I have blood drawn. It seems that I am not clotting very well or at all. I mean the tech thinks I am fine and I get up to walk off and it POURS down my arm and I do mean POURS!

I had blood work done today and was fine afterward. Taped up and out I go to the check out desk. Still fine. Then I get out the door and feel something running down my arm and I looked like a freak show! Blood POURING down my arm and I noticed that the entire side of my shirt was soaked in blood. I had to run to the car to get a napkin and stop it.

It's not painful or anything but it's happening almost everytime I get blood work done. (which is A LOT these days because of all the tests etc with the different drs.)

Not sure if it matters but my periods have been HORRID the past year. They last 1 day only and I pass clots the size of small baseballs. So much pain and I flood like a waterfall for the entire day and can't leave the house at all.

Is this just me and my weirdness or has this happened to someone else?

I have the same problem, except thatn it started about 4 months before going gluten-free. I didn't bleed as badly as you are describing with the blood draws, but I did have blood running down my arm. And my periods are absolutely awful. I don't have any answers yet but my family doctor and my gyn are both trying to figure it out.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Not sure if it matters but my periods have been HORRID the past year. They last 1 day only and I pass clots the size of small baseballs. So much pain and I flood like a waterfall for the entire day and can't leave the house at all.

Is this just me and my weirdness or has this happened to someone else?

I also wanted to say, that the ONLY time I have experienced anything similar this is when I had a miscarriage. Is there any chance you had were in early pregnancy and had a miscarriage?

[Skylark]

Don't ignore this! Go talk to your doctor.

[looking4help]

I also wanted to say, that the ONLY time I have experienced anything similar this is when I had a miscarriage. Is there any chance you had were in early pregnancy and had a miscarriage?

No chance of that. Both my hubby and I are 2nd marriage with each other and in previous marriages we were the responsible ones. So, we are double covered with that issue! Good thing too because he has 2 and I have 4 so that is a grand total of 6 kids.

I have talked to my OB, my GI and my general dr about the HORRID periods. All are trying to figure out what is up. They did the vaginal ultra sound today to check for any type of female organ issues/cancer etc.

As for the blood running down my arms after blood draws no, I haven't talked to them about it. I did not go back in today because when I discovered it I actually was trying to keep from horrifying the lady that had been cramped in an elevator with me. Not to mention I had a sudden rush of light headiness and wanted to get to my car ASAP to gain control. Don't worry I did not drive in that condition. I cleaned up and nibbled on a gluten free snack bar that I get from the Aussie Bakery (gluten free) here. I carry one with me ALL the time because I never know when I will get to feeling shaky. Good thing too!

[looking4help]

That is very scary! Did you go back in to show the nurses all the blood? Are you taking any medications that could be thinning your blood? You really need to ask your doctor about this. I have not seen anyone here post about anything similar, but that doesn't mean it isn't a condition related to celiac. I hope you have told your gyn about the periods too. You could be in so much pain just from the major loss of blood/anemia. Please report back to us what your doctor says. I'll be sending some prayers your way.

No meds that would thin my blood. In fact after being gluten free since April I only the last 2 weeks have been able to stop the symax which was prescribed by the first (fired) GI for the spasms.

Yes, I do need the prayers and thank you! I will definitely update when I get an answer.

[lucia]

hi looking4help,

I think it's important that you talk to an M.D. about your experience with having blood drawn. It's not necessarily true that your menstrual issues and your issues with having blood drawn stem from the same root cause. What you describe sounds very scary, and potentially harmful in your immediate future.

As for how you describe your menstrual periods, I can relate. I thought that the increasingly heavy periods and clotting I was experiencing on the first few days of my period had to do with getting older. I also was experiencing incredible cramps, even though in the past I'd have no PMS at all. It turns out that heavy early flow and painful cramping is a symptom of Celiac, although M.D.s can't explain why.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), used by acupuncturists, herbalists, and acupressurists, does have a diagnosis for this set of symptoms. These symptoms are caused by what they call "blood deficiency". Infertility, also a symptom of Celiac, can also be caused by "blood deficiency" according to TCM. From a TCM perspective, not getting enough nourishment from food leads to many health complications. We need nourishment to support basic life functions, like reproduction.

I don't know if the kind of experience you describe with having blood drawn could be explained by "blood deficiency". I wish I knew more.

At least your menstrual issues should resolve with time, once you are off of gluten. I would also encourage you to think about seeing a TCM practitioner if you still have problems, although I know that's not for everybody. This is the kind of issue that perplexes Western doctors but is easily treatable within the framework of Chinese Medicine.

best, lucia

[TrillumHunter]

Chiming in here...

That's not normal. You need your prothrombin time checked first off. This determines how long it takes for your blood to clot. If it is abnormal, they'll go on to screen you for various causes, all treatable.

Not to scare you, but a minor injury can cause major problems in a free bleeder. Please, tell someone tomorrow.

To your good health!

[lucia]

hi there,

I was reviewing the first couple of chapters of Dr. Peter Green's book (now that my brain fog has lifted somewhat), and I came across info about Vitamin K deficiency that may be related to what you're experiencing.

Vitamin K is related to clotting of blood. Vitamin K deficiency can lead to bruising and easy bleeding.

Hope you've already found an answer ... and cure.

best, lucia