Jailene777
Member
Is it possible to have a blood clot even if your INR is in therapeutic range???
Blood clots and coumadin
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Fundy
Well-known member
I believe so. I think the annual risk with proper management is 1%.
normofthenorth
Well-known member
Blood still clots under ACT, it just does so more slowly (and "reluctantly"). Otherwise every cut would bleed forever.
JimL
Well-known member
I remember Al Lodwick comparing this years ago to crossing the street. If you are in therapeutic range, it is like crossing the street when it isn't busy, with both your eyes wide open. When you are out of range, it is like crossing the street when it is busy. If you are really out of range, it is like crossing the busy street with your eyes closed. I thought it was a helpful picture.
If you are referring to clotting of simple cuts, etc. it is as normofthenorth posted, "if it didn't clot, a cut would bleed forever"....if you are referring to a stroke I would agree with JimL's analogy. Incidently, Al Ludwig was a pharmacist and acknowleded warfarin expert who used to post here before his retirment. You should be able to review his posts on this forum.
My only addition to this discussion is that warfarin is a maneagable drug unless you screw around with it....and if you do, it is like "crossing a busy street with your eyes closed"......been there, done that.
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Jkm7
Well-known member
Yes, people on coumadin can have strokes and heart attacks.
Being on coumadin and particularly being on coumadin in your prescribed range cuts the risk dramatically but does not eliminate it.
Being on coumadin and particularly being on coumadin in your prescribed range cuts the risk dramatically but does not eliminate it.
Sarah_Louise
Well-known member
Yes deffinatly!!
I was on anti-coagulants, had 2 big build ups of clots and came to loosing my legs both times, one in March last year, ended up needing an emergancy femeral embolectomy, told chances of it happening again where less than 1%, 6 weeks later was being wheeled back into theatre for emergancy femeral embolectomy number 2, 3 days later was being taken for emergancy OHS and came round from that i'd had several strokes!
All this while being on 18,000 units of tinzaparin injections daily, and during the 2nd embolectomy & OHS i was on a constant heparin drip, Factor 10 levels of 0.8 (my range was between 0.5 and 1) so was well within range, and NORMAL yes NORMAL D-dimer results!!!
So yeah you can! Always be careful, i learned the hard way!!
Love Sarah xxxx
I was on anti-coagulants, had 2 big build ups of clots and came to loosing my legs both times, one in March last year, ended up needing an emergancy femeral embolectomy, told chances of it happening again where less than 1%, 6 weeks later was being wheeled back into theatre for emergancy femeral embolectomy number 2, 3 days later was being taken for emergancy OHS and came round from that i'd had several strokes!
All this while being on 18,000 units of tinzaparin injections daily, and during the 2nd embolectomy & OHS i was on a constant heparin drip, Factor 10 levels of 0.8 (my range was between 0.5 and 1) so was well within range, and NORMAL yes NORMAL D-dimer results!!!
So yeah you can! Always be careful, i learned the hard way!!
Love Sarah xxxx
I was just reading this thread and noticed that Jim L and Dick0236 have the exact amount of posts.....l,470! Quite a coincidence.
More to the point. About 4 or 5 months after I had my mitral valve replaced with a St. Jude I had what was diagnosed as transient ischemic colitis from a presumed clot from my valve. It never was "proved" but it is what fit the clinical picture. I had never had colitis before that but have been quite prone to it since. I've not been as ill though as that first time nor had the amount of pain. My INR when I went to the ER was almost 4 but as has been said already on this thread, the warfarin greatly reduces the chance of throwing a clot but it does not eliminate it. That was over 8 years ago.
More to the point. About 4 or 5 months after I had my mitral valve replaced with a St. Jude I had what was diagnosed as transient ischemic colitis from a presumed clot from my valve. It never was "proved" but it is what fit the clinical picture. I had never had colitis before that but have been quite prone to it since. I've not been as ill though as that first time nor had the amount of pain. My INR when I went to the ER was almost 4 but as has been said already on this thread, the warfarin greatly reduces the chance of throwing a clot but it does not eliminate it. That was over 8 years ago.
This statement is certainly true. My ONLY bad experience, after 45 years on warfarin, occured a few(7) years after surgery because I ignored advice to take warfarin as prescribed.....and threw a clot(?). I don't know my diagnosis for what happened to me in 1974, after I went several days without coumadin, but it was some kind of a stroke that left me 50% blind....bummer!!!! That single event taught me the importance of "take the pill as prescribed and test routinely".....and I have had NO problems for the past 37+ years by following that advice.
I never thought about it, but, most of my 1470+ posts deal with INR and warfarin issues and hopefully will help prevent another warfarin user from repeating my stupid and preventable mistake. I do tend to "get up on a soapbox" regarding the "evils" of warfarin issues. IMO, misuse, or mismanagement causes most of the problems that are blamed on the drug.
Jailene777
Member
You guys have all given me great insight on this situation. Makes me really on edge, I don't like to take my chances. I take my pills everyday and test weekly. The life of a ticker!!! Thank you all, and may God bless you.
Jailene -- I also test weekly and am sure to take my warfarin daily. (There are some times, like recently, when I 'm running out of strips and don't want to speed the day when I'm really out, and test every 10-14 days). Dosing and management are easy -- and the relative ease and low cost of testing make regular weekly testing and daily dosing a strong imperative for many of us.
