Is there a good app for iPod/iPad to help calculate dosing adjustments, and to store a spreadsheet of dosing and testing history?
I'm not quite there yet, but I'd really like to be set up to handle all this INR stuff entirely independently shortly after having the surgery. I hate the idea of having to contact a clinic or an office each time, and waiting for call backs, etc.
Hopefully I can get the insurance co (blue cross) to foot the bill for the machine and strips. DME is covered at 80%. No deductibles, but no max out of pocket either. Labwork covered at 100%--if you don't mind 2-4 pokes every time because they miss or the vein dies on them. (I hate the bad truck driver mentality--if you can't find it, grind it--it's in there somewhere.) I go for monthly lab tests anyway, so they can just add it once a month as a cross-check, but I want my independence the rest of the time.
Do you think I'm just throwing $ away? It would be cheaper to use the lab, but inconvenient for any testing off cycle. Also I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with the idea of once a month testing that my cardio thinks is sufficient. I know my diet is not consistent, but if I can be independent with the INR testing, I'd rather do that than plan for a 2nd and 3rd surgery down the road, and have to tolerate the decreasing exercise tolerance each time. But the hassles I will encounter need to be part of the equation for deciding tissue vs mechanical.
Catdog (heading in 2 directions for most of these decisions, but actually starting to schedule things now)
I'm not quite there yet, but I'd really like to be set up to handle all this INR stuff entirely independently shortly after having the surgery. I hate the idea of having to contact a clinic or an office each time, and waiting for call backs, etc.
Hopefully I can get the insurance co (blue cross) to foot the bill for the machine and strips. DME is covered at 80%. No deductibles, but no max out of pocket either. Labwork covered at 100%--if you don't mind 2-4 pokes every time because they miss or the vein dies on them. (I hate the bad truck driver mentality--if you can't find it, grind it--it's in there somewhere.) I go for monthly lab tests anyway, so they can just add it once a month as a cross-check, but I want my independence the rest of the time.
Do you think I'm just throwing $ away? It would be cheaper to use the lab, but inconvenient for any testing off cycle. Also I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with the idea of once a month testing that my cardio thinks is sufficient. I know my diet is not consistent, but if I can be independent with the INR testing, I'd rather do that than plan for a 2nd and 3rd surgery down the road, and have to tolerate the decreasing exercise tolerance each time. But the hassles I will encounter need to be part of the equation for deciding tissue vs mechanical.
Catdog (heading in 2 directions for most of these decisions, but actually starting to schedule things now)
