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I've been on Warfarin for going on 19 years. For many years my INR was pretty stable, but recently it has been a bit unpredictable. I was having tests every 4 weeks for ages, but over the past 6 months or so I've been having them more like every 1-2 weeks, which is a bit of a nuisance, but it...

I'll try to give you the abridged version... I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, which was replaced with a tissue valve in 2000 and then a mech valve in 2005. After the second surgery I ended up with heart block, hence a pacemaker, and a few years later it was found that the pacemaker lead...

I'm a warfarin lifer, been on it 18 years so far for an mechanical aortic valve. I looked into self testing years ago but the cost was prohibitive at the time and I assumed nothing had changed. The CoaguChek machine was about $1500 with no rebates available. But reading posts on here it seems...

I've been on warfarin for 18 years for my artificial aortic valve, and in that time I have always taken a similar dosage to stay in range at 2.5-3.5. I would do a three day rotation of 4 4 3 or 4 3 3 (mg) and my INR has been pretty stable for years. Recently I was found to be deficient in iron...

Hello lovely people, Jodie from Australia here after a long time away. I had two AVRs in 2000 and 2005, the second when my younger child was just three months old. He is now 18yo, finished high school, and driving himself around. My other son is 20yo, at university, and looking at joining the...

I know there are a few of us who have PMs in due to heart block that resulted from valve surgeries and the like. I was in serious denial when they put mine in and didn't ask a lot of questions at the time. So I guess I just assumed that the little zap would do the work of my damaged pacing node...

My latest echo report had the rather alarming phrase 'severe tricuspid regurgitation'. But I have no symptoms. I actually feel better than ever, I have heaps of energy. I have a pacemaker, and apparently one lead goes through the tricuspid valve and can cause regurgitation. Mild to moderate is...

I am a Coumadin 'lifer' and I like to think I am pretty informed about life on warfarin. I have to have a fine needle biopsy done on a cyst in my breast... a scar from being bitten by a horse, but they want to make sure there is nothing sinister lurking. When I booked it I was asked if I was...

Okay, need all you clever people to help me understand the theory behind bridging. So you go for a procedure that involves bleeding, 'they' think that the sort of bleeding you do when on coumadin will be dangerous, so they put you on a different drug. But still a drug that slows clotting...

I am trying to find Al Lodwick's page to send a link to a friend who has been put on warfarin following a pulmonary embolism. The page is no longer at that address and googling is not helping me. Do you guys know what happened to it?

I have been put on a course of antibiotics (Erythromycin and Flagyl) for an infection in my mouth. I have a dentist appointment booked in two days to see if it is actually tooth related. I know both those antibiotics will interact with the warfarin and push the INR up. I was hoping for some...

Hi, I have been reading all the info on pregnancies with mech valves and decided that I don't want to take the risk. I have read that some people on here have had babies using surrogate mothers and with their own eggs and husband/partner's sperm. That is something I would like to know more...

I know it is not really a valve issue, but I suspect there are others on here with pacemakers. A lady I know who has a rare heart condition and had been fitted with a pacemaker started having symptoms and it was found at her pacemaker check that the battery was completely dead. Her last check...

I am on a dose that alternates between 3 and 4mg, so usually I take a 1mg and a 2mg on the 3 days and two 2mg on the 4 days. But when I ran out of 1mg tablets last week I discovered that my prescription was out of date so i couldn't get any more. I am two weeks from my next INR and GP visit, so...

This is a question that haunts me. I am fairly young (30yo) and have a mechanical aortic valve and pacemaker. I know that there will probably be many advancements made in my lifetime regarding my condition. Reading the thread about valves being grown from stem cells has prompted this post. I...

I had my yearly review with my cardiologist a few weeks ago and he told me that there was a new drug in the pipeline and that he expected warfarin to be replaced by it within five years. He said that the new drug was a simple once-a-day oral medication and that INR testing would not be required...

Not sure if this is the place for this, but I was just wondering what people's experiences were with airport security when you have a mechanical valve and/or pacemaker. I have lots of bits that show up on an x-ray, from sternum wires and pacemaker leads to the actual implanted devices. I went...

Has anyone else suffered from psychological issues after their OHS? I had my 2nd AVR in October 2005 and I was recently diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I thought I was dying, but it turned out to be panic attacks. I still get them but at least now I know what they are. I had a...