MDS and now A-Fib

[Cir5or]

Hello all,
I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting this in the right place. My 85 year old dad was diagnosed last year with MDS - his platelets at that time were 91,000 and have since fallen to 61,000. He is currently receiving no treatments - just monitoring his levels every two months. Last week he had an EKG which showed he also now has Atrial fibrillation. His cardiologist recommends a blood thinner...but of course my dad knows that is not a good idea with his MDS so the cardio left the decision up to his oncologist. Today the oncologist said he thinks he should take the blood thinner even though he is sure it will provoke bleeding (warfarin or cumadin were discussed). But I am skeptical. His CHADS score is a 2 indicating a 4% stroke risk which seems to me a lesser concern than a bleed. I am going to go with him to the cardiologist to discuss further in a week or so but I wonder if anyone here could weigh in on this difficult situation.
Thanks,
Cindy

[Sally C]

Hi Cir5or,
My husband has MDS and developed afib in Sept., 2011. While his platelets are now 123,000 he isn't taking blood thinners. Typically MDS platelets aren't totally functional. He is on a med to keep his heart in rhythm. It is my understanding the clot concerns come when the heart stays out of rhythm.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes!
God Bless,
Sally