Home Monitoring of INR

[Braveheart]

Hi Friends

I've had some great news this evening! I charity have offered to loan me a Coaguchek home monitoring device for life! I'm really excited about it. Especially as my INR readings are so up and down and I'm having to make weekly trips to the hospital. My reading today was 1.9. I'm suppose to be 2.5-3.5 (target of 3.0).

Does anyone else out there have a home monitoring device? I'd love to hear from you with your experiences and any tips you can offer.

Also, do you self-regulate? I need to call my hemotologist at the hospital to let him know my news and ask his advice.

Hope to hear from you.

Thanks,

Jonathan (UK)

 

[Hank]

Congrats Jonathan!

Congrats Jonathan!

Yes indeed, there are many of us who monitor our INR's at home. I have the ProTime monitor. Any monitor is a very valuable tool to keeping your INR in the thearaputic range.

Yes, I regulate my own coumadin dosage while at the same time reporting every INR result, and every dosage change. She is aware of all of my dose changes and I do it with her blessing.

 

[Rain]

INR Home monitoring

INR Home monitoring

Hey Jonathan,

CONGRATULATIONS!! You are going to love being able to monitor your own INR!

My INR jumps around like crazy too. I don?t know what I would do without my ProTime machine! I really love it.

I have the machine from QAS... very easy to use. I do the tests every week... the results are finally beginning to come out close to the same every week. But they are on the low side. I FAX the results to my cardiologist about once a month. If I don?t send him the results...... he won?t renew my prescription for the coumadin!! LOL He?s funny guy...... he always seems to win.

I'm so happy for you.

Rain

 

[DickV]

J,

There are several on the board that have Coagucheks and two that I know that have the new "S" model that you are likely to get. In act, I have one and I got it in the UK. It is a good machine, compact, easy to use and very reliable. There is a video tape that comes with the machine but I don't know what is says because it was incompatable with my VCR in the states. I will bring it with me next time I go London. I believe you will get some training with the machine but it is not difficult to use.

Congrats. It is a form of independence that you will grow to appreciate.

DickV

 

[Braveheart]

Spoke to the Hemotologist today...

Spoke to the Hemotologist today...

Hi again,

Thanks so much for your replies - very much appreciated. I'm really excited about getting my machine.

Today I spoke with my hemotologist who manages my INR and Warfarin at the hospital. He is delighted and quite happy for me to use the system. He says they are accurate, however he would like me to come in periodically to have my INR checked at the clinic. I am happy to do that. I asked him about self-managing my Warfarin and he is happy with that too. He would like me to call him when I have the machine and he will talk me through things. He said he will provide me with an alogorithm so that I can work out what dosage to take depending on the INR reading.

I'll let you know as soon as I get my system.

Thanks,

Jonathan (UK)

 

[Braveheart]

Thank You

Thank You

Hi Janie

I can't wait to get my CoaguCheck (should be a week or two now). It's called 'CoaguChek S'. Found out this week that Roche Diagnostics who make the system are only 20mins drive from my home. I called them up this afternoon and they were most helpful. They have said that they will send a representive to visit me once I get my system to teach me how to use it. That is kind of them. Apparently it comes with a teaching video anyway.

Once I get the algorithm from the hemotologist regarding INR and dosage I will email it to you.

I will let you know as soon as I have the system.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my posting.

God Bless,

Jonathan (UK)

 

[ticktock]

Jonathan
Been using my Coagucheck since December of 1999, just like JANIE! Have had great luck with it, and calibrate it at the clinic every now and then. For some reason Im really out of wack right now. Unusual for me. A 1.8 this am. Been going on for a few weeks. Got a Lovenox shot in the tummy, to hold me over. With two valves, I really shouldnt be that low.

Dick, I see that you got the Coagucheck S in the UK??? What kinda cost, if you dont mind me asking???
mindy