I've been writing here for 7 years, and I've been mostly self-managing my INR since 2009. I know what to do if my INR is too low or too high, and I have meters that I now trust to accurately give me a snapshot of my INR values.
I have a slightly different issue:
On a Monday afternoon a few weeks from now, I'm having a small sinus procedure. My specialist who is doing the procedure stopped short of calling it a surgery - basically, a tube is placed in my sinus and a balloon at the end is inflated. This will reduce blockage and swelling in my constricted sinus. It's an in-office procedure and should take about 30 minutes.
Here's my issue: the doctor wants me to come in with an INR of 1.5 - 1.7. He told me that I can start warfarin the night of the procedure.
I will possibly ask my cardiologist for his advice, but my current plan is to stop taking Warfarin on Saturday and Sunday night before the procedure. 2 1/2 days without Warfarin should bring my INR down to the level that my ENT wants to see. Although I still have some Lovenox that I didn't use in March, I'm not sure about bridging the night of the procedure. I'll probably take 1.5 my usual dose the night after the procedure, and return to normal dosing, testing my INR the day after the procedure and the next day, to assure that my INR is back in range.
(One good thing is that my ENT wants me to test in his office before the procedure. I'll get to show him the Coag-Sense meter that I'll test with and let him see how it works).
Any suggestions about safely dropping my INR?
Thanks
I have a slightly different issue:
On a Monday afternoon a few weeks from now, I'm having a small sinus procedure. My specialist who is doing the procedure stopped short of calling it a surgery - basically, a tube is placed in my sinus and a balloon at the end is inflated. This will reduce blockage and swelling in my constricted sinus. It's an in-office procedure and should take about 30 minutes.
Here's my issue: the doctor wants me to come in with an INR of 1.5 - 1.7. He told me that I can start warfarin the night of the procedure.
I will possibly ask my cardiologist for his advice, but my current plan is to stop taking Warfarin on Saturday and Sunday night before the procedure. 2 1/2 days without Warfarin should bring my INR down to the level that my ENT wants to see. Although I still have some Lovenox that I didn't use in March, I'm not sure about bridging the night of the procedure. I'll probably take 1.5 my usual dose the night after the procedure, and return to normal dosing, testing my INR the day after the procedure and the next day, to assure that my INR is back in range.
(One good thing is that my ENT wants me to test in his office before the procedure. I'll get to show him the Coag-Sense meter that I'll test with and let him see how it works).
Any suggestions about safely dropping my INR?
Thanks
