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CA Pigg

CA Pigg

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
290
Location
Alabama
Today I was 3.0, No shots tonight, YEAH!!! She wants me to take 2mg thurs and sunday and 4mg rest of nights. I retest monday... I'm so glad no shots.. I go to surgeon tomorrow I sure hope he can explains his comment about my heart not functioning correctly last week is all about. My sternum bone still is swollen and chest feels weird, still cant get comfortable, I'm hoping this is normal? I can do my walking fine.. Thanks to all. Hope everyone had a good week!!!:D
 
That's great about your INR level! Good for you. Also, completely normal about your sternum.. it seemed like I had that swollen area at the top for a long time, and also could not get comfortable for a while. Good luck at your appt.
 
CA Pigg said:
Today I was 3.0, No shots tonight, YEAH!!! She wants me to take 2mg thurs and sunday and 4mg rest of nights. I retest monday... I'm so glad no shots.. I go to surgeon tomorrow I sure hope he can explains his comment about my heart not functioning correctly last week is all about. My sternum bone still is swollen and chest feels weird, still cant get comfortable, I'm hoping this is normal? I can do my walking fine.. Thanks to all. Hope everyone had a good week!!!:D
Click to expand...

How many days have you been on 4.0 mg?

I don't understand the reduction...

To my mind, it is NOT yet clear if you have stabilized or will continue to climb. I'm thinking a few more days at 4.0 (with daily monitoring to catch / avoid any spiking), would clarify your body's reaction to a steady dose of 4.0, then decide. At the bare minimum, I would have gone with another dose of 4.0 tonight and a test on Friday to see where you stand.

My guess is that this Nurse is Very Concerned about the possibility of spiking and bleeding and being Ultra Cautious. Just my NON-professional Opinion.
 
The INR sounds great. If it goes down at the next test, I assume they will put you back on 4 everyday. Sounds safe as long as it doesn't get too low again.

If you're talking about the lump at the top of the sternum, embrace it and make it your friend, because it will be there for a while! I'm not sure when mine went away, but I know it was still there when I went back to work at 8 weeks because I was self conscious about it and always thought people were staring at it! Of course, I don't have a scar there, so I guess the people that knew I'd had OHS were really trying to figure out where my scar was! I actually had a lady that I worked with who waited about a month and then asked me if I'd really had OHS and where was my scar!
 
Carole:

Re the incision area: I likened it to a utility line repair in a street -- you know, when the dug-up dirt and asphalt and been packed over and takes a while to settle down after a sewer line/fiberoptic cable has been installed/repaired. ;):D At least we don't get those CONSTRUCTION CREWS AT WORK signs on our sternums!
Seriously, it took mine several months to return to normal. In fact, one of my first posts here was about my incision.
 
catwoman said:
Carole:

Re the incision area: I likened it to a utility line repair in a street -- you know, when the dug-up dirt and asphalt and been packed over and takes a while to settle down after a sewer line/fiberoptic cable has been installed/repaired. ;):D At least we don't get those CONSTRUCTION CREWS AT WORK signs on our sternums!
Seriously, it took mine several months to return to normal. In fact, one of my first posts here was about my incision.
Click to expand...

Simply put: I called mine "my speed bump and magnetic chest" (only because I was able to place magnets where the wires where/are.:cool:)
 
Yeah, that wire thing still pisses me off! Nobody on here mentioned it until a few months after I had my wires removed, and I never thought to try. What a good party game that would have been! Throw magnets at my chest and see which one is closest to dead center!
 
GOOD Quality Stainless Steel is NON-Magnetic...

Makes me wonder what kind of wire was used that is magnetic...

EDIT: OOPS! Message got repeated after losing connection and then automatic reconnection. Thanks AOL.
 
Carole, your INR of 3.0 is perfect. The nurse should NOT be lowering your dose yet.
How are you going to stabilize, if she keeps panicking?
Tell her to eat dirt and that you want to continue the 4 mg for a couple more days.
 
Blanche said:
With a mechanical mitral valve, the recommended range is 2.5 to 3.5. The target INR is right in the middle, 3.0.

I totally agree with Bina. Your INR of 3.0 is perfect.

http://www.enw.org/Research-INR.htm

Here's more info on INR. Hope it helps.

Blanche
Click to expand...

Yes, 3.0 is mid-range BUT only ONE Test is NOT sufficient to determine if that reading is STABLE.

The Next Test could continue to Climb, or it could LEVEL OUT.

The BEST way to determine where it is going is to continue the SAME DOSE for a few more days and Test Again.

Remember, it takes Two Points to define a Line.

Three or more Consecutive Tests with in-range results would be a good indication of stability.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Good range carole and i agree with Bina in above post.
Good work and glad your off the belly shots for now;)

zipper2 (DEB)
 
Carole I wouldn't stop with the 4mg doses. She should not have lowered it at all. She needs to give the 4's a full chance.
 
:rolleyes:
MarkBrownstein said:
I can't imagine the wires being magnetic, and as Al says, good quality (surgical quality) stainless steel is not magnetic.

After I had my surgery, I had visions of trying to walk through airport X-Ray and the machines going off. Metal detectors have no problem with the small amounts of steel used to close the chest.

Anything OTHER THAN surgical stainless wire would probably rust (yes, even inside the body), leaching all kinds of bad stuff into the blood.

IF your chest is magnetic, get an X-Ray -- maybe they left a forceps or something in you (which magnets can attract to)
Click to expand...

I can just see it: More uses for an idle OHS patient, thanks to those magnetic wires -- knife holder:eek::eek:; pin cushion; garden tool holder; overflow for all those notes and photos that won't fit on the refrigerator; etc., etc.

Immediately post-op, I had visions of going on the jetbridge and someone mistaking my St. Jude ticking away for a terroristic device. I was somewhat miffed that no one heard the ticking.

Surprisingly, my cat's grooming combs & brushes and bags of cat litter look very suspicious to TSA agents. My carry-on luggage has been inspected a number of times. Have they ever inspected my sternum area? :eek: I keep waiting. :rolleyes:
 
I would have continued on the 4 too. And don't let her freak out if you get towards the higher end of your range. I'm guessing the 3.0 kind of freaked her out, but she didn't tell you. I'd be willing to bet she'd be happy to see you right at 2.5. It's the ol' bleeding fear.

And don't forget - you have your own machine. You can test anytime you want to see what is going on.
 
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