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Motorvehicular accidents can cause deceleration trauma, injuring the heart. Your body is going forward at a high rate of speed and it's like hitting a wall when you have a crash. A friend's SIL died due to aorta rupturing when airbag went off. There's a wealth of research online about cardiac...

Transportation Security Administration. Yes, screening is the same. I've flown out of Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and all passengers go through the same line. Terminal D handles all the international flights but also has some domestic flights. BTW, I saw something on the BBC iPhone...

My husband had MV repair nearly 5 years ago, at age 61. He had a thoracotomy, done by Dr. William Ryan at Dallas Presbyeterian Hospital. One or more chordae had ruptured during a car accident in December 2005 when the airbag went off, fracturing his sternum. He had already dealt with sternum...

I have never gone 4 weeks between tests. Three weeks, yes, but not 4 weeks -- not even before I got my own tester. Others might feel otherwise. It's all an individual choice and should be made with your doctor's input.

Freddie: One thing to consider: If you opt to stay with the same clinic and get a new Dr., you may get one who says ABSOLUTELY HELL NO to home testing. But you have to be the one to decide what's best for you.

What make of monitor do you have? What type of lancing device do you have? Do you have any capillary tubes? You need to find a clinic that uses a POC monitor (CoaguChek or INRatio) so you can get some lessons on how to test her. Perhaps you need to use a different type of lancing device. Can't...

Did that earlier this year. Test results same with a strip from each lot #.

I can't go to my family doctor's practice for any type of lab work at my own "leisure." Must have an appointment -- between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., which means I'd be out sick time 12 times a year (if testing monthly). They use CoaguCheks there. If I chose to use the Coumadin clinic at my cardio's...

Okielady: Just curious -- what type of cardiomyopathy do you have? Did it cause the valve problem? I heard Dr. Susan Little -- a feline practitioner from Canada -- speak several years ago about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats. She said that when the heart becomes enlarged, it causes mitral...

1. I haven't used my family doctor's lab for an INR test (Coaguchek) since about November 2003. I've only gone there twice since then, when I got a new tester and only to demonstrate I could use it. 2. I haven't called in my INR results since about mid-2004. Previous to that, every time I called...

I just checked online literature from both Bristol-Myers Squibb (owner of name brand Coumadin) and Barr (mfr of one of the generic warfarin sodium products). I have taken warfarin made by BMS, Barr, Taro and one other mfr of generic, never showed a difference in INR results when switching from...

Glad you're home and back on the road to recovery, for real this time. When I was 2 weeks post-op, I chatted with a man while we were waiting for INR tests at a Coumadin clinic at Baylor Hospital. He had a re-op about 6-8 weeks after the first replacement. Don't remember if he said why.

Have you reduced other sources of fat in your diet? When I joined Weight Watchers in June 2004, my INR went up even though I was exercising more. I realized that it was due to the decreased intake of fats and oils. I rejoined Weight Watchers last month, using the online version, and have...

Mecretired: After being on warfarin nearly 9 years, I still do not understand why some medical professionals insist that LAB draws are the Bible of INR tests and insist that patients who home-test come in for a periodic draw. Many highly respected anticoagulation clinics use POC (point of care)...

I think you mean you compare your machine against a blood draw. To the best of my knowledge, I have only had 1 blood draw for an INR in the nearly 9 years since my surgery. That was in 2009 when I had my last TEE. Didn't know I was having an INR done until I was asked if I knew that my INR was...

Olive: The cardio should order a sonogram of the carotids.

No, there were no INR tests way back then. However, very long-time warfarin patients have described fairly antiquated methods of guesstimating the level of anticoagulation. So, there were attempts at determining how well the warfarin was working. RCB is one of those who have described this, and...

Shirley: Some antibiotics affect natural flora in the GI tract. About 50% (if memory serves me correctly) of your vitamin K is produced in the GI tract. When you upset the natural flora, it affects your INR, usually increasing your INR. It has been years since I have held a dose -- or adjusted...

Infectious blood doctor? Perhaps you mean infectious diseases specialist? At this point, I would also consider seeing a specialist in auto-immune disorders, if the infectious disease specialist can't find anything.

FWIW: I believe that PCP is basically an insurance term in the U.S. PCPs are family doctors, family physicians. Some are board-certified internists, and most if not all insurance companies accept iternists as PCPs. My previous insurance carrier required that I designate a doctor as my PCP. I...