How big is .1 ?

[aussigal]

I am curious...what exactly is this majical inr number?...I know what INR stands for, BUT is it a measurement in seconds or what and exactly how much difference is a 0.1 ? ...is it something we should be taking notice of or is it a miniscule ammount ? would a drop of 0.4 between tests over a week be considered a big drop or nothing much at all?
Thankyou...

 

[Ross]

miniscule as in teenie tiny, maybe 10 whole seconds. .4 over a week isn't really anything. You could vary that much with a second test back to back.

 

[Guest]

The analogy that I use is that it is like driving a car. If you are to drive between 25 and 35, then any number between 2.5 and 3.5 on the INR scale is OK. If you are worried about doing 39 in a 35 zone then you might not find 3.9 to be acceptable (but most people would not worry). Where it does not quite work is if you hhave a 2.1 - then I would usually give a one-time booster dose or increase the dose slightly.

 

[aussigal]

that was quick Rossy ...
Okies...I will stop having a SAD everytime my reading comes back less than perfect 'specially if it has dropped a few teeny-tiny points.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

The OLD method measured Prothombin Time but was subject to variation (errors) due to differences in the reagent chemical characteristics.

Then the INR (International Normalized Ratio) method was developed which compares coagulation time of your blood sample to a known reagent and divides the numbers. There are NO units (since you are dividing two numbers, both with the same units so mathematically, the units cancel out. It is simply a Ratio.

I would not be surprised to see a difference of even a few tenths with two tests taken back to back on the same machine.

The danger zone is on the LOW END, near 2.0 since clotting (and possible STROKE) become more likely with a Low INR (<2.0). The risk of bleeding does not rise much until INR is >5.0 so there is a LOT of margin on the high end. Many people report NO bleeding even at 6.0 to 8.0.

As Al Lodwick says, "It's easier to replace Blood Cells than Brain Cells!"

Bottom Line: Many of us prefer to be at the high end of our range to reduce the risk of STROKE.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Guest]

I won't deny that I said it but I wasn't the first to say it. Somebody else (Ross?) thought it up.

 

[Ross]

Nope, not me. Mine is dose the diet, not diet the dose.

 

[aussigal]

Thankyou all...I shall save my worrying for when I get closer to 2 now...and be less paranoid about increasing my ratsak when I am low or below the bottom of my range.

 

[dkapuscik]

Im with ross, dose the diet. My panic came last thurs when I read 1.4. Cant think of anything other than being more active two months post op that would make me drop like that. Just moving my dose up.