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Seems weird to prescribe 6mg tonight - INR is a bit low and needs increasing. I would be tempted to do 7mg tonight, Friday and Saturday, then drop to 6. With the next clinic test on Tuesday that also has the advantage that you can see if the 7mg for 3 days has made a sufficient difference, given...

Not sure about Fridays, but weekend excess deaths is definitely a thing here. Though for reasons you might not have thought! Patients admitted at the weekend are sicker and more likely to be near the end of life than those who come in during the week, according to this 5 year study.

This thread has reminded me of another thought that might be worth passing on: I don't know how well connected American health service sites are, but in the UK they aren't always great! I was told that an appointment had been made for me to attend my local anticoagulation clinic, but when I...

Admittedly my hospital experiences have been in a capital city, but I think all hospital beds here now have motorised adjustments, at least in the high dependency levels. Perhaps some other Brits can correct me.

Good advice already, Deidra. I'd like to add a couple of points for the recovery period, afterwards: When people say get a recliner, it should be an electric one. Fortunately I already had one, and slept in it a lot. It was great to be able to make small adjustments to the angle, as sleeping...

Jeff, the CoaguChek devices are sufficiently similar results to lab testing that (a) they are the only machines recommended for patients to use by our NHS, and (b) they are widely used in anticoagulation clinics and hospitals too. Our UK 'regulator' the National Institute of Clinical Excellence...

Hi @jamie14512 and welcome to this side of your surgery. Your plan looks good to me. The first few weeks you are likely to find some fluctuations with your INR as your body gets over the surgery and adjusts to life on Warfarin, so you are right to think about this now. Do you have your own meter...

Thanks for the update, Seaton. Should you wish to monitor a bit more frequently for the reasons @Protimenow says, there is nothing to stop you from getting your CoaguChek now and starting to do your own testing. As this would be additional to the clinic's it would not lead to any negative...

Can i just check we are taking about the same kind of insurance? Travel insurance is for unexpected medical situations, like being taken ill, or having an accident. The travel insurers I have dealt with (which admittedly is not many) would not cover the need for routine medical supplies or...

Welcome to Warfarin World, Seaton! St Thomas' Hospital is on the bank of the River Thames directly opposite the Houses of Parliament, and was where my mother had her heart surgery some years ago. Her ward was on the 4th floor (I think) riverside, and her bed was next to the huge windows with a...

I use All Clear Travel Insurance. There is an online questionnaire way of providing your medical conditions, or you can speak quite easily to a human! How about that! I've never had to make a claim, but they have a TrustPilot rating of 4.8/5, based on 135,000 reviews, so seem reputable.

Sorry to hear about the complications, but glad you got away and enjoyed the holiday. Yes, even though I continue to eat leafy greens whilst on my holidays, the increased alcohol consumption affects my INR too! So useful to be able to check our INR ourselves. Good point re sunbathing - I was...

I realise this is an old thread, but just for the benefit of any Brits reading it now: the E111 European health card was replaced with the GHIC - Global Health Insurance - card. It provides for "reciprocal health care" - but if a local has to pay for a treatment then so do we. It is not a...

@PhillyJohn As we're now in April, I wonder if you did travel in February, and if so how did everything go? I suspect all was fine, but others might find your experience useful. Best wishes

Just back from a two-week holiday/vacation in the sun (much needed after the long, grey days and rain of an English winter!), and just wanted to post about the freedom of self-testing having your own meter gives you. The change of diet and increase in alcohol consumption (cocktails by the pool...

Sorry to hear that, but glad things weren't too bad. Why were the bed's brakes off? When I was in hospital I am pretty sure they usually applied them.

Wow, that's amazing that you are out of intensive care so quickly! Well done. It bodes well for your recovery.

As you know, I regularly post this document, where our "National Institute of Clinical Excellence" recommends self-testing with a CoaguChek XS machine, and there's also this document I found, from a regional health authority. I am sure I could find others, too, but suspect some from other...

How appropriate: an improved heart on Valentine's Day!

Well most of the rest of the world manages it without requiring a prescription, so I am sure there is a way it could be done in America...