Friday 13th

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KevinL

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2015
Messages
2
Location
Berkshire, England, UK
It's the 5th anniversary of my On-X valve today, thought I'd pluck up the courage to post my first comment. Back in 2015 I was told I was going to need surgery to replace my bi-cuspid valve. Got the phone call to let me know the date - Friday 13th of November. Had my OHS in Oxford (UK), everything went really well. I used to be superstitious, not so much now, I get to celebrate the day. I have had a couple of little issues in the last few years, but the heart valve has been going strong. INR is pretty stable and I only have to have a blood test every 2 and half months now.
 
One would have no idea if they were stable. Only that they happen to be in range on that particular test day. 2 1/2 months is a long time to float.

Congrats on the anniversary! Time flies when your having fun.
 
You've got me a bit more worried now. INR has been very stable for a while now though, and been on the same warfarin dosage for a long time. Guess it's a UK thing. Have thought about the self testing machines but not ventured down that route yet.
 
You've got me a bit more worried now. INR has been very stable for a while now though, and been on the same warfarin dosage for a long time. Guess it's a UK thing. Have thought about the self testing machines but not ventured down that route yet.

By no means did I want to worry you. As mentioned I was in the UK myself for quite some time and experienced same thing with quite long intervals and all went well indeed. That said, the convenience and even better control over your INR by self testing, which I started doing upon my return in the Netherlands, is something I can recommend. Only takes me 5 minutes every 2 - 3 weeks, definitely faster than having to go to the GP. Also it allows for a quick check after the occasional visit to a CAMRA event 😉
 
You've got me a bit more worried now. INR has been very stable for a while now though, and been on the same warfarin dosage for a long time. Guess it's a UK thing. Have thought about the self testing machines but not ventured down that route yet.
Here you are, there are many issues for inr, read and all your questions will be answered and for what you need, there are many who will help.

View attachment 887464

Here you are, there are many issues for inr, read and all your questions will be answered and for what you need, there are many who will help.
 
Congrats !, my Onx is 5 years old tomorrow, as long as i keep a routine in what i eat, drink and do, i keep testing at 15 days, if something changes, anything at all, i do 10 days, it just works "for me", we are all different.
 
The bad thing about INR is that it can change without warning, so your INR may be pretty stable one day, and change the next.

Before I started self-testing, I was AWFULLY DAMNED LUCKY, and AWFULLY DAMNED CARELESS. I went for nearly 3 years without testing - convincing myself that I could 'feel' when my INR was out of range.

There's a study by the Duke Clinics that shows that a clot can form in about 10 days if INR drops below 2.0. My INR has been pretty stable during the 11 years that I've been self-testing.

I'm most comfortable testing weekly - sometimes, I draw it out a bit longer.

Although testing every 2 months works for you, as others have said, it's just a snapshot of your INR at the time your test is run. You have no idea what it was during the interval. I, personally, would be uncomfortable with that risk.

If you can, get yourself a testing machine - there are many on this forum who can help with finding the correct dose (and modifying it as needed), and lots of advice on where to get the machines and supplies.

Again, as far as I'm concerned, two weeks is a MAXIMUM time between tests - testing weekly would be even better.
 

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