Treating minor injuries
For most small cuts and scrapes, you may not need to infuse factor into your blood. Standard first aid works fine. Clean the cut, apply pressure and cover with a Band-Aid. You only need factor infusions for things like deep cuts, joint or muscle bleeds, surgery or major trauma.1
Most minor injuries are typically handled with non-medical treatments and the R.I.C.E. protocol.1
Managing pain
Managing day-to-day pain starts with a good discussion with your doctor. Be ready to discuss a few things, like: your pain in full, what makes it better or worse and how it affects your life.
One way to control pain is with prescription medicine. You and your doctor could consider pain medications, adjuvant therapies, nerve blocks or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. These regimens all have their pros and cons, so be sure to ask a lot of questions.2
Another option is physical treatment at the site of the pain. This includes therapies like R.I.C.E., physical therapy, massage, splints, surgery and topical ointments.2
Psychological techniques like exercise, yoga, mindful meditation and cognitive reframing are other ways to use the power of your brain to channel your energy away from pain and towards something positive.3
Work with your health care professional to choose pain management options that work best for you.
Pain medications to avoid
Pain medications all have pros and cons. You should speak with your doctor if you are in pain to see what medications might be appropriate for you.
Aspirin is not recommended for people with hemophilia because acetylsalicylic acid can interfere with clotting. Be sure to double check your over-the-counter medications, because many household medicines have aspirin.2
Acetaminophen can be considered for minor pain relief. Follow the directions carefully and only take the recommended dosage. As always, if you have questions, talk with your doctor or hemophilia treatment center (HTC).2
Infusing factor treatment
To infuse factor treatment, clotting factor is given intravenously, or infused directly into the vein. A powder form of your missing clotting factor is mixed with sterile water and inserted into a vein either on your hand or arm through a butterfly needle. How much factor you will need depends on a number of variables.4
If you can’t infuse yourself at home, you can go to a HTC or doctor’s office. Your caregiver can also learn how to do home infusions from a healthcare professional or hemophilia treatment center. Even if you don’t do home infusions, you should always have factor on hand in case of emergency.5
Possible complications with factor treatment
When some people infuse factor treatment, their immune system makes certain proteins called inhibitors. These inhibitors are antibodies that fight the factor therapy, treating it like a foreign substance. As such, inhibitors interfere with the infused factor and prevent clotting. If you suspect this, contact your Hemophilia Treatment Center immediately.6
Get connected
Interested in attending a live or virtual event? Want to get in touch with other members of the hemophilia community?
Meet Your Bayer Rep- World Federation of Hemophilia.Guidelines for the Management of Hemophilia. 2nd ed. 2012. https://www1.wfh.org/publications/files/pdf-1863.pdf. Accessed January 30, 2024.
- Steps for Living. Pain Management. https://stepsforliving.hemophilia.org/step-out/non-factor-treatment/pain-management#otc-pain-relievers. Accessed January 30, 2024.
- Mindful [website].http://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-practice/mindfulness-and-awareness/five-steps-to-mindfulness. Accessed January 30, 2024.
- National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. Hemophilia A.Treatment Options for Bleeding Disorders. https://www.hemophilia.org/bleeding-disorders-a-z/treatment/current-treatments. Accessed January 30, 2024.
- Witkop M et al. Haemophilia. 2012;18(3):e115-e119.
- World Federation on Hemophilia. Inhibitors in Hemophilia: A Primer. 4th ed. April 2008. http://www1.wfh.org/publication/files/pdf-1122.pdf. Accessed January 30, 2024.
