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The endocarditis that knackered my Mitral Valve was fairly well entrenched. No messing around with Amoxicillin... I ended up being given Vancomycin, Netilmicin and Rifampin. These had to be given via a central line to avoid destroying the veins in the arm. The central line is inserted in the...

I agree with pellicle, just use decent AAA alkalines every year and don't worry about it. If you want to be ultra-cautious, just remove the battery cover every three months and take a look - don't actually take the batteries out. You'll see any signs of battery leakage and at that stage it would...

I can't find the purchase record for my Coaguchek XS, but it's at least 12 years old. Currently there's Duracell alkalines in it, but I'll use any decent alkaline battery - even Amazon's. I haven't used zinc carbon batteries in anything during this century, I'd strongly advise against them as I...

I just had my MRI, seemed to be in the thing for a long, long time - at least 30 minutes. The radiologist said it was because the pituitary gland they had to scan was so small they needed it in great detail. Apparently, it takes longer to do just the pituitary gland than it does the whole brain...

Yes, my MRI has been held up for some days whilst I battled through the "privacy team" at the private hospital group that did the op 20-odd years ago. I did eventually manage to set up a medical team to medical team communication so the MRI team at the public hospital could get the info directly...

I don't think there's an equivalent for Android. For a few years I've been using the app "Medical ID" (by Laurent Pellegrino): Medical ID (premium) - Apps on Google Play This allows a banner on the lock screen with "In case of Emergency", saying to double tap for emergency medical and ID info...

I agree - the tattoo thing was meant as a joke, there are many reasons both current and historical that make having personal info tattooed on the body a tacky idea. I've worn a Medicalert bracelet since about 2003.

The table I was quoting from is from the UK's "NICE" - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence" document on warfarin anticoagulation. It's pretty much the same as yours but doesn't specifically mention valve types - so thanks! Nice to know my Carbomedics valve is low risk (no pun...

The UK guidance for target INR levels seems more complex than a straightforward value for e.g. an MVR. It depends on the "thrombogenicity" (potential to generate clots) of the valve itself, together with "patient risk factors" such as "mitral, tricuspid, or pulmonary position; previous arterial...

Last week I had a stupid accident whilst out hiking - one boot's laces caught in the lace hooks on the other boot - result was spectacular thump onto tarmac with bump to head, painful shoulder, and grazing. A visit to the Emergency Department for a CT scan (potential brain bleed) and shoulder...

Yes, I tend to also wonder... I guess I'm so used to seeing this sort of disclaimer that I added my own "just in case". Having said that, it would be relatively easy for a casual reader to not realise the depth of self-testing and INR management experience that a number of us have accumulated.

A couple of months ago, I started taking Vitamin K1 100mcg daily. This was in addition to the 75mcg K1 in the Multivitamin and 200mcg of K2 MK-7 that I'd been taking for some considerable time. I've noticed little change in my INR / Dosing - it only reduced my INR by around 0.1 and even that may...

It certainly helps as I was not aware it was also called by that term - thanks! Given that my MVR was over 20 years ago, it's inevitably becoming increasingly difficult to decide whether any current mental glitches are caused by Pump Head or the deterioration due to my age (and being rather...

I'm currently reading the above book and have found the sections on how the Heart Lung machine was developed fascinating. Early attempts, including using a live donor human as a sort of living heart lung machine, had very low success rates - but they ploughed on and ended up with a workable...

Although it's naturally somewhat subjective, I feel my INR has been more stable since taking a Vitamin K supplement (200ug as MK-7) daily. I was surprised that my dose didn't need much, if any, alteration. Even went on a week-long holiday to France, which normally sends my INR shooting up, with...

Yes, I agree there's not likely to be much real difference. Have never understood people spending a large fortune on Riedel wine glasses - and they most likely won't go in the dishwasher either... Our sherry glasses hold about 90ml full, so similar in capacity to yours but very different shape...

Actually that's quite a good idea - we've some sherry glasses that must be not much bigger than that, I'll try using those. Won't get much nose from the wine, but hopefully enough. In the UK it doesn't help that pubs have three different wine glass sizes. Most use a 175ml (quarter bottle), but...

Oops, sorry pellicle - I hadn't spotted you were in Oz. 7 UK units is around 5.5 Aus units. 12 UK units is a bit less than 10 Aus. I know your standard wine glasses are 150ml compared with our 175ml (but 250ml and 125ml are also available).

I'd guess my average consumption was around 7 UK alcohol units a day - that's apparently about 4 US "Standard Drinks". I think one my problems was that it was pretty much every day and my liver never had a chance to recover. I'm sure it didn't help that I'd been drinking above the recommended...

As has already been said, the golden rule with alcohol whilst on warfarin is the same as anything else diet-related - dose the diet rather than diet the dose. Couple that with the equally important "be consistent" and you won't go far wrong. In my case I consistently drank at a moderately heavy...