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Brand Names Brand Names I never pay any attention to what brand name is on my coumadin. Opinions may vary and others may disagree, but I don't think it matters much. Effective management simply involves adjusting your dosage to stay in range. You do this regardless of factors like brand name...

Diet? Diet? Listen to Al... he knows what he's talking about. Eating what you please and adjusting coumadin dosage to keep you in range is much easier than trying to manage coumadin dosage with diet. Adjusting dosage isn't hard and doesn't require complicated math. -Philip

Flu? Flu? Hugging a small pillow helped reduce the pain from coughing and sneezing. It probably will help with barfing as well. I managed to barf on my boss during my post-op hospital stay... hurt like hell, but it really felt good. -Philip

Neck Pains Neck Pains Sounds like you need more vicodin... just kidding. Massage really helped me with the aches and pains I experienced. I'm not a back sleeper either, but slept for a number of months post-op propped-up on the sofa. It helped me with breathing and kept my lungs clear. -Philip

Stinky? Stinky? Yeah, I think these guys have given you the best possible advice... spend some time visiting with your doctor about the problem you're noticing. Maybe it'd be a good idea to sit down with him when you've got the noticable odor thing going. Perhaps the smell will give him a clue...

Choices? Choices? Both valves are good products. On-X has an advantage with better hemodynamics. Another advantage is that it does less damage to blood cells when it closes. I've got a St. Jude Regent. I opted for the St. Jude because it saved me a little bit of time off the heart-lung...

Pumphead Pumphead Pumphead issues have been visited and revisited here many times. Lack of oxygen to the brain is a potential cause as is the possibility that the heart-lung machine emits microscopic particals which bombard the brain. There are probably other potential causes as well...

Pumphead Pumphead Pumphead issues have been visited and revisited here many times. Lack of oxygen to the brain is a potential cause as is the possibility that the heart-lung machine emits microscopic particals which bombard the brain. There are probably other potential causes as well...

Heart Condition? Heart Condition? I agree with Dick... you really have no choice but to disclose the fact that you've had heart surgery if asked. The "need to know basis" thing is a good point. Answer questions honestly and directly without volunteering information which doesn't need to be...

Other Side? Other Side? What other side? Yes, I do understand where you are coming from and your concerns. Life for me on the other side is really not much different from where I was at before surgery. I eat what I want and do what I want with no restrictions. The only difference is the...

Finances Finances I'm not surprised that you encountered high costs when you checked on insurance coverage through Cobra. The cost does vary depending upon your employer's insurance. The cost for continuing insurance with my former employer (a school district) via Cobra was really high. If...

Discontinuing Meds Discontinuing Meds Hi Kathy, Congrats on getting off the beta blocker meds. Reducing meds is a good thing. -Philip

Good Call Good Call Dianne, You're right... your cardiologist is the one who is qualified to assess the issues you're dealing with. Anything you hear from us is simply a guess. -Philip

Testing Testing I test weekly. Thursday is my test day. Since changes in INR typically take at least a couple of days, I figure the time I test on Thursday really doesn't matter much. If I manage to engage in a lot of exercise during the course of a week or notice a major shift in my INR, I...

Dosing Dosing As others have noted, I've never held a dose even when I found myself too high. Keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, but it always made more sense to me to simply reduce my dosage to bring my INR down more gradually. -Philip

Scheduling Scheduling I waited a few weeks. My surgeon was booked and then had a vacation week. I had enough time to enjoy a week of golf in Mexico before my surgery. My surgeon was concerned about me vacationing in Mexico until he figured-out that medical facilities in Mexico were better than...

Welcone to... Welcone to... Welcome to post traumatic stress disorder. Yes, as others have indicated, it's common after OHS. It got me despite my quick recovery from the surgery and speedy rehab. I initially thought I could beat it on my own once I knew what it was, but I needed some meds for...

Bruising @ 40 Bruising @ 40 Sure, if you play hard, you'll have some bumps and bruises from your effort. Coumadin use does tend to result in bigger bruises than non-coumadin users get. The other reality is one that's a little tougher... as you get older, it often takes longer for injuries to...

Management Management Opinions vary, but managment of dosing isn't something I rely on anyone else for. I manage my own. I give my cardiologist a spreadsheet of reuslts every six months so he can put in my file. Good luck with getting your insurance to pay for a monitor. Mine refused to pay...

Feeling like Crap? Feeling like Crap? The majority of people here will agree post-op feeling like crap doesn't last forever. As is often the case with things, it does take some effort to get into "I feel better mode." -Philip