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I’m 52 and chose mechanical. I remember being very unsure and anxious about the valve choice. At this point - it is quite clear what my choice should have been and luckily (blessedly), I made the right choice. Open Heart Surgery might be normal for the doctors doing it, but make no mistake - it...

FWIW, same here. Resting heart rate is between 10-15bpm higher now than before surgery (year and a half ago)

Mine is like yours. Unfortunately. After surgery it was jumping out of my chest. After several months it was WAY better. However, after I got back into my relatively intense workout routine, it came out of nowhere and floored me. Wasn’t able to workout for a couple months. It was like I...

I like this approach and, in fact, do the same thing with larger pills. I take 11mg. One 10mg. Half of a 2mg. All of my warfarin tabs are scored and easy to split. I never have to ask myself “do I start this week with the higher dose or the lower dose?” Yes, I could get a script for 1mg...

Staying in range? TOTALLY AGREE. Don’t assume that she’s in range each and every day. So many people say “I’m in range!” While testing once a month. I test twice a week. I know more about me being in range than most.

You clearly didn’t read my post. That’s ok. I forgive you for being mean, cursory, argumentative, and distracted. Now to correct your 22 years of experience. First, No, they do not make 10 nanogram pills. They do however make 10mg (milligram) pills. Second, You clearly don’t know what...

To me, Caroline, I think it makes complete sense why you’re not hitting target. You are quite literally decreasing your dosage by 50% for 3 days … and then doing a 100% increase. Those are quite huge swings in dosage and will definitely result in complementary swings in INR. I am not being...

That’s not true. They also make 6mg, 7.5mg, and 10mg tablets. I take 11 right now … and for me that’s a 10mg and half of a 2mg. I use half of a 2mg instead of a 1mg so that I can adjust upwards easier if needed.

I wanted to reply on this comment in particular. If you self-manage, no … double no … and triple no. It is not a challenge at all in this case. In fact, it is the exact opposite. When you self-manage it is actually empowering, comforting, and in lots of cases, fun. Self-managing is an anxiety...

That’s awesome news! My experience here in the USA (east coast, Maryland), although a very brief experience prior to moving to self management and doing everything on my own, was weekly dose. Nobody cares about keeping my daily dose the same. That “didn’t matter”. Happy to see that things are...

Everyone is different. And most of us are different during a year. At one time I was taking 14mg a day (98mg a week). I’m currently on 11mg a day. I never use “weekly” dosage. IMHO the USA 🇺🇸 has that all wrong. Keep your daily dose the same (if possible). My dosage can change for any number...

My only recommendation would be to self-test once a week with your own CoaguChek. The literature supports better outcomes for patients that actively manage their INR weekly.

I didn’t know what to expect when I had mine. I was in a very light twilight state when they did it and I found everything really interesting and pretty cool. I watched the big monitors as he was doing the testing. If I HAD to pinpoint a bad part (for me), it would be the large amount of...

If I could do things all over again, I would wait a year before lifting weights again. This is coming from a guy who could perfectly and slowly benchpress their own body weight 10 times prior to surgery. Instead, I would focus more on my walking and jogging. At the end of my cardiac rehab I was...

I wanted to give my experience. I did cardiac rehab and graduated with flying colors. During this time period I didn’t do anything sketchy at home. At home, all I did was walk a lot. 4-1/2 months after surgery I was shooting again. This includes 458 SOCOM, 338 Lapua Magnum, and shotguns. I...

I’ve been self managing for about a year or so. I have three (3) CoaguChek meters all purchased over eBay. My meters have always agreed with each other. They are perfect. I’ve done comparisons against INR checks where they draw blood. I’ve done enough veinous INR tests that I don’t trust...

Awesome! Great news!

I’m out in the Frederick-ish area 😁

That’s awesome Joe! Pretty sure pellicle was referring to me 😁. I’m in Maryland and I got my valve last year in May.

I’m a Boy Scout when it comes to Being Prepared. I have 3 CoaguChek XS units. I also have two extra sets of buttons, 2 extra battery doors, and 2 extra strip guides. 🤷🏻‍♂️. I guess I’ll be good till I’m dead.