BUMMED OUT. Juicing / Vitamin K etc..

[orlandotommy]

Hi Everyone,

Im 39 years old, male and have had a mechanical aortic valve for over 5 years now and really have never watched what I eat. I take 10mg of Coumadin a day and all is fine, i drink on the weekends, i play sports, i pretty much do everything. Lately over the past 6 months i have put on about 20 extra pounds. I saw a movie called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and decided to go on a juicing reboot diet.

I tried contacting my cardio doc quite a few times but got no response, i was going to ask his advice first but since i have a home monitor i figured i would monitor.

About three days before the juicing fast of 15 days began i started juicing kale, celery, cucumbers etc.. every morning, 24oz, lunch i would also have a juice and dinner was pretty much normal, chicken, vegetables etc..

Well the day came to start my actual juicing and I did, 2 days later i checked my INR and it sunk to 1.9, my cardio doc says to stay between 2.5 and 3.5, it typically is about 3.5-4. I tolerate it being a little high alot better than I do being low. I know both are dangerous but i had some TIA's when it got low when i was out of the hospital and it freaked me out bad.

I want to be healthy and try to go vegan and stay away from processed foods and red meats but i feel like everything points to eating fresh green veggies (80%) and fruits (20%) or something similar. I take 10mg of Coumadin daily and really think that is already a very high dose, many say dose based on your diet so if thats the case i would be taking 15-20mg a day which i think is extremely high and not healthy.

Can anyone lead me in the right direction here, maybe a book, video etc.. i feel like im at the bottom of a well screaming up and no one can hear me. I want to be healthy but not die trying if that makes sense?

:confused2::thumbd::cool2:

Thanks,
Tommy

 

[lance]

I share your feelings about TIA's. I take 70 to 75 milligrams of warfarin per week and test weekly using my XS. Your activity level is five times what mine is.
Possibly your Vit K intake has drastically increased in a short period of time. What about carbohydrates, you haven't mentioned them.
Maybe you could source a nutritionist at your local hospital for expert dietary advice.

 

[AgilityDog]

You are binging on Kale, which is the highest possible Vit K containing leafy green! Of COURSE your INR is going to drop. Spinach or cabbage or brussels sprouts have 1/2 to 1/3 as much K per serving, but if you've not been eating many greens in your diet, you are going to have to adjust your doseage.
There are plenty of vegetarians on warfarin.

 

[orlandotommy]

I was just following the juicing / reboot diet to a tee, i had no clue about how much vitamin K was in what, for all i know there is tons of vitamin K in a green apple... im learning though, i would love to hear what vegetarians eat for lunch/dinner on a daily basis and how much of a dosage of Coumadin they are on...

Thanks,
Tommy

You are binging on Kale, which is the highest possible Vit K containing leafy green! Of COURSE your INR is going to drop. Spinach or cabbage or brussels sprouts have 1/2 to 1/3 as much K per serving, but if you've not been eating many greens in your diet, you are going to have to adjust your doseage.
There are plenty of vegetarians on warfarin.

 

[tom in MO]

It's easy to lose weight on a drastic diet but almost impossible to keep it off. You may want to try less drastic changes.

Unless you are pretty savvy (I am not), any major change in diet, if you are on warfarin, should be done with your doctor or nurse practioner's assistance. At least this is what they told me on discharge this February.

If your cardiologist won't respond, maybe you need a new one, or to see your primary care physician.

 

[Protimenow]

It looked to me like you planned to DOUBLE your dosage of warfarin because you're getting more Vitamin K in you diet. This large a change in dosage sounds pretty dangerous -- I'd perhaps increase it 10% or so, and re-test in a few days. You can always add more warfarin. DOUBLING your dose can bring you way above range - and put you at risk of hemorrhage. I know TIAs can be pretty scary (I had one last April), but I sure wouldn't want to deal with major bleeding.

The suggestion to have a medical professional assist with monitoring and management is a good one.