Coumadin Levels?

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Creed3

Creed3

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2002
Messages
856
Location
Virginia
My doctors in Cleveland were stressing over and over again that my levels by between 2.0 and 3.0. I just had my surgery less than 2 weeks ago and my doctors are trying to get me regulated. I just had a test today so I will find out soon what my level is. My last test was 1.6.

Creed3
 
Hi Creed3....Al Lodwick is the resident Coumadin expert on this wonderful site. He is a fountain of knowledge and shares his expertise freely. I can tell you that my husband's surgeon and cardio have both said they want his INR to be between 2.5 and 3.5 with a mechanical valve. We've had a few discussions on this list as to the right numbers, but perhaps Mr. Al can best answer that for all of us.

One bit of advice.....IF your insurance will cover it, get yourself a machine that tests your PT/INR at home.....absolutely worth all the hassle that the insurance might give you. We've had ours for about 2 months, and it's the best thing ever. QAS who sponsors this site can definitely help you out, just email them and they'll get the ball rolling.......worth it, worth it, worth it a hundred times over.

Hope you're feeling okay....remember the motto: WALK, WALK, WALK, NAP, NAP, NAP, BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE (meaning use that spirometer)

So glad you're on this site.

Evelyn
 
Evelyn (Home Machine)

Evelyn (Home Machine)

Hi Evelyn,
I specifically asked my doctors in the hospital about having a home machine to test my inr and they said that they don't recommend it. I don't quite know why. I got the feeling they thought they weren't very accurate. I was still a little out of it at the time. I have heard plenty of good things about it here on these forums. Hope to learn alot more in the future. Thanks for your input.
Creed3
 
Hi Creed,

Your doctors may want to keep you on the lower end of the therapeutic range until you have healed.

Highly recommend this to myself as a higher INR 3 weeks post op caused major complications for myself.

Aortic valves are typically 2.5 - 3.0. Mitral 3.0 - 3.5.

If I had to do it over again with my mitral valve...... would make sure that I was at the lower end of my range.

As always, please confirm your concerns with your physician.
 
I'm having some real difficulties. I've gone from 5mg to 10mg and now, today 12.5mg and I'm still sitting at 1.6 INR. I don't know what the heck is going on and neither does the Doc. Protime blood draw again this coming Tuesday. We'll see. :(
 
Hi Creed3, Ross and Gina.....All I can say is that our cardio loves the idea of us home testing, as long as we're in touch on a regular basis. It gives us the freedom and responsibility to do what we choose and go where we want.....without having to worry about testing. It is absolutely worth any fight you, Ross, may have to endure to get it. E
 
Hi Ross,

In the beginning I had quite a time with my Coumadin dosage as well, and to keep my levels in the theraputic range I am taking 20 mg a day. I've taken as much as 22mg.
Ross, this is not an exact science and no one knows how a person metabolizes Coumadin or vitamin K. Just pray you have a good liver.
Great to see you posting again. I was thinking of you a lot and am glad to see your handsome face on the forum.
Take care!

Christina
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
Aortic Stenosis
Dr. Gulshan Sethi
Tucson, AZ
 
Levels

Levels

Just received my most recent inr results (2.06). I am slowly going up. They have me on 5 mg a day and my next test is on Monday. I guess we'll see how it goes. Good Luck to everyone with their tests.

Creed
 
coumadin regulation sucks

coumadin regulation sucks

I am afraid I have picked up some of my students slang but, in this case this fits. I have been taking coumadin for 14 months. I n that time I have had an INR that has been everywhere fron 0.5 to 15. I have had one Inr fall in the range my doctor wants it to be in. Just keep trying it will eventually be where it should.


Lettitia
 
I agree

I agree

WHOLE HEARTEDLY!

I was at 3.9 on 8 mg of coumadin three weeks ago, so the on-call card dropped me to 6 mg. The following week I was a "perfect" 3.0, so the dosage stayed the same. The next week I was down to 2.2. So my dosage went up to 8mg again. Now I'm at 2.0! :eek: WHAT??? I don't get it at all. None of this makes sense to me and I hate, hate, HATE it. It just doesn't make a lick of sense.

Sorry, had to vent.
 
I've been on 12.5mg everyday for a week and I'm just now in range 2.8 so they are backing me down to 10mg everyday and retest on Tuesday. I too, have been all over the place. 4.4 to 1.1 with minimal dosage changes. My diet isn't the problem, so I don't know what to say.
 
I feel for everyone who's having problems stabilizing they're INR. I too am in the same boat. I was actually posting to see if I could win a prize for having the highest jump in INR. Last Thursday I tested at 1.9 and this Wednesday I was at a whopping 8.7!!! I was taking 7mg a day and now my dr told me to skip Thurs and today and continue 5mg on Saturday. I have been see-sawing for months and haven't been in range since May! I also got a letter of denial from my insurance company for the Protime machine, But I will be appealing once again and if I get denied again, I plan on calling a local news channel, Fox 5 Problem Solvers. I test everyweek and have been very frustrated so I know how everyone here is feeling. Best of luck to everyone.
 
Dang INR

Dang INR

Hi...with our expert in Lost Wages he won't have time to chime in here.I know it's frustrating..but you will eventually settle down to a 'near' constant INR IF you are 'consistant' in diet/activities/breathing, etc...lol!

Like Rain...I HATE the word...'consistant' BUT it really matters. When you have large swings up and down..I would question the dosage changes as being too extreme. Al's formula makes sense and works. It only took me a couple of months of testing too often..but my cardio is very conservative in dosage changes. Read past posts by Al Lodwick...he knows the score! Hang in..it'll level off and be smooth sailing as long as your dosage is not changing radically to keep you on the see-saw!

I love it when my INR is a bit high...Iceberg lettuce bye-bye..Leafy green Ceasar salad for me that day! I'll test tomorrow (home-test) so when I go out to dinner tomorrow night I'll know if I should indulge in a great salad!

Takecare....remember CONSISTANCY...ugh...LOL!

Zip *~*
 
The 10 % Solution

The 10 % Solution

It works for me......it might work for you!
 
When making a dosage change always think about the average dosage for one day during the week. This is the approximate amount that your dose should be changed by. Anybody making a recommendation much larger or smaller than that is telling you that they do not have the faintest idea how warfarin works. (I don't care what degree or specialty that they have.)
The reason that you can make a change from 8 mg to 6 mg per day and be in range the next visit and too low at the next visit is that you just happened to have a level checked at the right time. Actually you were plunging but the snapshot showed that you were at the right place. You have to think of it as a dynamic situation, not a static one.
Think of the INR like an airplane. It it was at 30,000 feet and the pilot was told to descend to 20,000 feet. There will be a point when the plane is at 20,000 feet but unless the pilot levels off, it will go on down to 10,000 feet. The same thing happens when your warfarin dose is reduced by too much.
 
Hi Marty....We use that 10% solution, too.....I will be forever grateful to you for it!! It does work. Where abouts in VA are you? My cousin just moved down to Gloucester and we're going down in November to look at some houses down there.

Evelyn
 
10 % solution, Gloucester

10 % solution, Gloucester

Evelyn, I'm so happy that the 10% solution works for you. Its also what Al preaches. Think in terms of weekly dose and not sudden deletions or sharp changes in daily dose and one will do better. Are you retiring in Gloucester? It is in the area we call Tidewater about 150 miles south of us. Its near Williamsburg and Jamestown... a great area for fishing , boating, golfing, etc. Hope you find your dream house at the right price.
 
Hi Marty...This will be our first jaunt down to look at property down there. My cousin moved in May and absolutely loves it. We're working with a RE agent who is planning on showing us numerous properties on the middle and northern peninsula.....I've already told him that it takes me ages to make decisions, life changing ones especially, so it should be interesting!!! Already know there are kennel clubs and dog shows in that area, so that's really all we need. The taxes are great and the properties that he's sent me look interesting. We'll seeeeeee. I can tell you, though, that we're not stopping for diesel fuel anywhere in MD or VA......so very scary for you!!! Stay well and stay home.

Evelyn
 
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