Al Lodwick, Need Your Input Please

[merryreader]

Hello.. its been quite awhile since I posted, but am still fighting with my INR levels. Right now am on the very low side was 1.7 this past thur. Have been giving myself shots of lovenox to hopefully keep myself from stroking out. I have been fighting this battle ever snice I had my valves replaced back in 1995. I have tracked my food and drink intake for over 6 months and I know all about consistency in my green veggies. But no matter what I do i can not be "regular". I get my Inr done twice a week and can go from very very low to very very high in 24-48 hours. I was refered to a hemotolgist almost a year ago and even she hasn't been able to help me. I take coumidan [not generic] plavix, low dose aspirin, & now 150mg shots of lovenox. I'm getting kinda depressed over this whole thing. Any and all advice would be greatly accepted and passed on to my doc. Thanks for letting me vent

 

[Nancy]

If you're getting tested twice a week, are your doses changing each time as well?

Testing that frequently can cause the old yo-yo syndrome, since it takes 3 days for each change to show up. And you'll forever be chasing your dose.

Joe was on that rollercoaster a long time ago, with a doctor who didn't have a clue. Things are different now.

Not every doctor understands about Coumadin. Have you thought about having someone else monitor you? I know you mentioned that the hematologist was involved as well. How about someone totally different or get your own machine.

 

[Rich]

I am also in the metro-Detroit area.
Where are you located and where did you have your surgery.
I had mine in '96 at Beaumont hospital in Royal Oak.
Not bragging but with the care Iv'e had from my cardiologist my INR has been pretty much right on target since day one.
I get tested once a month.
If I can offer any help please let me know,

Rich

 

[Gisele]

Welcome to my world.............

Welcome to my world.............

I had been on coumadin for 20 years and I was never stable. I tried to figure out what would make me swing from high to low and back again and never figured it out. I guess that is just the way I am built. If someone sneaked a peek in my medicine cabinet they would be stunned with the supply of 30 mg & 60 mg Lovenox boxes lined up. (I use mail order as it is a lot cheaper).

Right now I am on hold while I recouperate from a subdural bleed# 2 & 3 and surgery from subdural bleed #2. Suffered a stroke from lack of anticoagulants post op. (just affected my left foot/leg) but I plan on working on getting that back to normal before the skiing season begins

All I can say is keep on testing and follow the directions of your doctor. Some patients remain stable with the same dose and then you have patients like us who just like to make our docs work a little harder with our wild results.

Good luck with your INR's and be careful.

Gisele

 

[merryreader]

Gisele...sounds as if we could be sisters the docs have told me that I'm not allergic to blood thinners but......it seems that my body chemistry doesn't like them at all!!! the docs have even brought up the subject of doing surgery to remove the st judes [both of them] and replacing them with bio valves ...no way!!! Right now I'm taking 10mgs of coumidan, 75mg of plavix, 81mg aspirin & 150mg of lovenox daily. As I sit here my tummy looks like it has gone about 18 rounds with Tyson, I have brusie on top of brusie .

Rich.... I'm from Madison Heights I go to Troy Beaumont for all my INR draws even though my Hemotolgist works out of Karmonos {couldn't face driving downtown twice a week} I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland { seems no doc in our area was too keen on doing it } spent a month down there have to say the care was top notch.If your wondering why my stay was so long, it was surprise........because they couldn't get my INR level to stablize. All my hospitals stays since then have been at Troy Beaumont.

Nancy....It seems that my body is not normal when it comes to blood thinners for most people , yes it does take 3 days for coumidan to "work". With me though it can "work" in as little as 12 hours . Everytime I go into the hospital my stay is at least an extra 5-7 days to try and get my INR levels somewhat "normal", the docs just scratch and shake their heads at me.

 

[JimL]

Welcome, Merryreader! It's good to have another Michigander around.

Royal Oak Beaumont was my second choice; McLaren in Flint was first choice -- mainly because of distance and convenience.

You mention "INR draws" which sounds like a veinous draw instead of a pinprick. I go to Lapeer Hospital for a coumadin clinic once a week, and generally adjust my dosage up or down by 1 mg a week -- last Friday from 42 to 41 mg per week.