Sos

[Ross]

Hi Westie,
Over here in Australia, the east island of NZ my surgeon told me I should stay between 2.5 and 3.0 INR. I was also told in hospital I should never halve a 1mg tablet. My GP has had me alternating between 4mgs and 4.5mgs for about 2 weeks now, and my INR has been alternating between 2.5 to 2.6, but on Monday it had dropped to 2.4. In our initial phone conversation she said to keep alternating, and I mentioned that valvereplacement.com members have always suggested it is always better to be a little high than low with INR. Two hours later she calls me back and said she agrees with what I said earlier and I've been on 4.5mgs each night since Monday. I guess it must be hard for health professionals like herself to try and make the right decision, I'm her first mechanical valve, all her other OHS patients have tissue valves. Apologies for rambling a bit.

Jeff.

Jeff there is virtually no difference between 2.4,2.5 or 2.6. I wouldn't worry about it. Why do they insist on a range that is difficult to impossible to keep? 2.5 to 3.5 is fine. In fact, most all of us figure between 2.0 and 4.0, we're good to go.

 

[geebee]

My range is 3.0-4.0. As long as I am between 2.5 and 5.0, I never make a change unless more than 2 tests in a row have me below 3.0 or above 4.5. Here are my last few readings - I consider them all just fine: 3.2; 2.8; 3.3; 3.9; 3.4; 3.6; 4.2; 3.6.

A clinic might have tried to make changes for the 2.8 or the 4.2 but, as you can see, things came right back into range.