Coagcheck Machine post surgery

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Bionic Orange

Bionic Orange

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Jul 15, 2023
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British Columbia
Looking for advice regarding whether it is wise or not to bring my new Coagcheck machine with me to monitor INR in the hospital post surgery? I realize the hospital staff will be monitoring it but would it be a good time to validate my machine? The hospital I will be getting my INR checked longterm will be different than the hospital where I get my surgery. I am staying in the city for 3 days after my hospital discharge, so would I need it then? Or do I just wait until I get home and settled? Thoughts?

With Gratitude
William
 
I mean, unless you're looking for a source of conflict ... how much experience do you have with your coaguchek btw?
 
Bionic Orange said:
Looking for advice regarding whether it is wise or not to bring my new Coagcheck machine with me to monitor INR in the hospital post surgery? I realize the hospital staff will be monitoring it but would it be a good time to validate my machine? The hospital I will be getting my INR checked longterm will be different than the hospital where I get my surgery. I am staying in the city for 3 days after my hospital discharge, so would I need it then? Or do I just wait until I get home and settled? Thoughts?
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I agree with Pellcle. Let the hospital do the testing while you are there. What would you do if your meter didn't agree with the hospital meter? When you get home start your home testing.
 
Bionic Orange said:
None at present
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probably not the best time to get into it. Personally I'd wait until your schedule is a little clearer before you get into it (and recovery is busy enough).

Reach out when you're about to start up, but mean time here's some reading for you

https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2014/09/managing-my-inr.html
and more generally this link is the group of all INR related posts

https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/search/label/INR
Something to read, and keep in mind its a new lifestyle, not a sprint that's over any time soon
 
They'll be testing you daily in the hospital, so it probably would be overkill. You will have other opportunities to check your machine against the lab.

Bionic Orange said:
I am staying in the city for 3 days after my hospital discharge, so would I need it then? Or do I just wait until I get home and settled? Thoughts?
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You would probably be ok waiting until you get home. However, personally, I would bring it and test one or two days after release. This is based on my personal experience. My surgeon had ordered that my INR be tested two days after release. The home visit nurse was unable to get enough blood for the test. For some reason he tried to draw it from a vein in my hand. He struggled to get enough- turns out that he did not fill it up to the little line in the tube and Quest rejected it when he got there. He came back the next day and was not able to get more than a couple of drops. He told me my blood was too thick. The guy was totally incompetent. I had the coumadin clinic call in to Quest, so that I could just go in myself on day 4 to get tested. My INR went from 3.1 to 9.7 during those 4 days, as I was on a medication which is known to spike INR.

If I had my own meter, I could have tested myself on day 2, and could have taken action much sooner, before my INR went so high. So, I guess I am an advocate of being able to self test very soon after release. Upon release, they will be switching you from IV fed medications to oral and this might affect your INR- it sure did for me.
 
Chuck C said:
So, I guess I am an advocate of being able to self test very soon after release.
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the trial done by Mayo clinic seems to indicate that, but they also provided training. I think that's pretty key. Support and guidance on your first tests is pretty important IMO.
 
pellicle said:
probably not the best time to get into it. Personally I'd wait until your schedule is a little clearer before you get into it (and recovery is busy enough).

Reach out when you're about to start up, but mean time here's some reading for you

https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2014/09/managing-my-inr.html
and more generally this link is the group of all INR related posts

https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/search/label/INR
Something to read, and keep in mind its a new lifestyle, not a sprint that's over any time soon
Click to expand...
Thanks, I look forward to reading these articles
 
I got my meter PRIOR to surgery and experimented with testing before surgery. Of course, my INR was 1.0. Lol. But at least I knew the meter was reading 1.0 correctly. Lol. Also, it gave me a little bit of practice before having surgery.

With that said, I did NOT take it to the hospital. In retrospect, I made the right choice. I was too fvcked up in the hospital for me to have been on top of testing. Now that I sort of know what I am doing, if I ever need a second surgery, I will definitely be taking it. But for a first timer? Nooooo. Leave it at home.
 
Timmay said:
I got my meter PRIOR to surgery and experimented with testing before surgery. Of course, my INR was 1.0. Lol. But at least I knew the meter was reading 1.0 correctly. Lol. Also, it gave me a little bit of practice before having surgery.

With that said, I did NOT take it to the hospital. In retrospect, I made the right choice. I was too fvcked up in the hospital for me to have been on top of testing. Now that I sort of know what I am doing, if I ever need a second surgery, I will definitely be taking it. But for a first timer? Nooooo. Leave it at home.
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Hi Timmay,
I brought my CoagCheck with me to the Hospital. I found it very useful to take my readings at the same time of my daily INR blood draws. In almost all cases the readings correlated. I was very fortunate to have my wife's support during that time to help with the testing process. I totally understand how it would have been more difficult trying to navigate the testing alone. The real positive thing about bringing the CoagCheck with me to the Hospital was that the entire hospital staff (surgeon, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses) were very supportive of me doing this.
 
pellicle said:
firstly Tim I hope you never need another surgery.



however if you do first thing I'll say is "pick a different hospital"
as well as maybe take your meter...
;-)
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Does anyone have an idea how long a CoaguChek XS machine normally lasts? Mines coming up on 2 years so I expect many years out of it but wonder what is realistic?
 
Coaguchek machines last a LONG time. I had one that I bought used 9 years ago, and it was probably used in a clinic before I got it. It worked just fine when I replaced it with another XS that I bought on eBay and had only a few tests recorded on it.

They're not only made for personal testing - they're also used in 'coumadin clinics,' doctor's offices, and other places where they may be running hundreds of tests (or more) per month. The meters have to be reliable, accurate, and last many years.

In comparison, the clinics may be running a few years of your weekly use in just a few weeks. Your 'old' meter should be fine for a long time to come.

In regards to taking your meter to the hospital, I personally wouldn't do it. If you want to validate your test results against a lab results, you can certainly do that later.

There was a time when doctors wouldn't prescribe a meter for 90 days because your INR won't stabilize for a few months after surgery. Of course, this logic is backwards - wouldn't you and the doctor prefer knowing your INR - perhaps every few days - so a minor dosage adjustment can be made? Doesn't self-testing make more sense than having you go to a lab or doctor's office or have a home care nurse visit you and try to get a vial of blood for a test that's probably accurate to within 20% of your meter?

The XS is easy to learn to use. There are millions of users worldwide. It's accurate (or accurate enough). It's used as a standard testing device at countless facilities and medical offices. I don't see any reason NOT to use it post-op -- but I wouldn't bring it to the hospital with me.
 
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