coaguchek Xs test strips?

[lance]

Zehr's is less expensive

Zehr's is less expensive

The pharmacist who trained me said I could get them from him or from my regular pharmacist no problem. They are both Shoppers Drug Marts, though.

Nettmiff and Bina,
Althoug I haven't checked recently,when I comparison shopped for "S" and "XS" strips I found they cost less at the Zehr's Supermarket Drug Store. Hope this helps.

 

[lance]

Home testing much more reliable

Home testing much more reliable

Lance, it was reading the threads on here that got me onto them. I googled Coaguchek or Roche or something, and got the info from Roche, including the name of a local pharmacist who is trained to train users. Got prescription from my family doctor, and went to Hamilton to fire my ACT doctor, but instead he sympathized with me (three-month follow-up routine appointment). He is from Sweden. What happens is the lab faxes the numbers to the THROMBOSIS clinic, and a woman (not a medical professional at all as far as I know) would call me and say something like "the doctor says ...." . Well, I was quite often quite unhappy with what the doctor said, and could never get to talk with "the doctor". So I spoke with my family physician (I've been with him since 1985, and he is my parents' doctor, too, and now he has my husband, so he really is our family doctor !) and he agreed we could manage ACT between us. So now, I home test, I call the results to my ACT doctor's private line at Hamilton General, tell him what I am doing, and if he has any objections or suggestions, he calls me back. If he's OK with it, he doesn't call back. Works like a charm for me - except I want to get him onto e-mail and save me the $1.40 a month long-distance charges !

Oh, and when I mentioned home testing to "the woman", she said, yeah, I think we have a patient that does that" . No help at all from them !

At just under 6 months out, and having had a change from coumading to sintrom and back again, I would rather have an experienced ACT doctor that I can fall back on if I have to - like if I need bridging or anything; I may have to have a colonoscopy and the one down the mouth, too, soon, and would like them done at Hamilton with my ACT doctor's blessing and guidance.

Hi Netmiff,
Same here. I learned about home monitoring on this site too. Initially PCP was not receptive and so I did some digging for information from here, printed out the successful home testing experiences and took them to him. Hamilton Gen. was no help all. PCP could hardly go against hospital training and luckily for me co-operated. I still think he's somewhat reserved about it though. But, hey, you can't argue with success. My test results are e-mailed to Toronto in the a.m. and I have an answer by dinner time. They also gave us great bridging advice for a recent surgery. So all systems are go. It's reassuring to have the Anticoagulation clinics behind us. There is more to ACT than is realized at first.
Is your ACT doctor at Hamilton General? I had my surgery there too.

 

[netmiff]

Lance,

He's at HGH, but he's new - I'd guess only a couple of years, came from Sweden, was headhunted, along with a nice female from Ireland called Dr. Anderson, I think. I've talked with her on the phone. I like the security of having an ACT professional in the background, being less than 6 months out. That might change with time!