1. EFFECT OF YOUR LIFE: On a scale from 1 to 5, rate how the use of Coumadin has changed how you go about living your life (doing everyday things) with:
4 = Changed how I live my life a in just a few small ways (a few minor changes were necessary)
I have to be honest, there are a FEW little itty bitty things that have changed. I take cuts and scrapes a little more seriously than before. The other night I caught my little toe on a sharp edge of the bed frame while getting into it and right away went into the bathroom ot check on the toe, bandage it up and then go to bed and for the next few days I kept a close eye on it. Before I might have just rinsed my tow under cold water, dried off my foot then gone back to bed. About twice a month I trek out ot a local hospital to have my blood drawn for an INR check. And I pay a little more attention to the foods I'm eating, try not to "over-indulge" in things like spinach... Beyond that, it hasn't changed much.
2. LIFESTYLE CHANGES: What was the biggest and toughest lifestyle change you had to make, i.e., giving something up (playing sports, travel, eating particular foods, etc.), changing the way you used to do something, etc?
Ummmm.... Maybe I'm missing something here, but nothing's really changed in my lifestyle. =) Not because of the coumadin anyways. I'm taking kung-fu now, does that count?
3. What is the SINGLE thing you dislike most about being on Coumadin?
Buying more pills every month.
4. REGULATING THE INR LEVEL: Rate the ease of effectively regulating your INR level on a scale of 1-5 (5 = Very easy, 4 = Easy, 3 = OK, but a few minor problems every now and then, 2 = Difficult, 1 = Very difficult).
5. SIDE EFFECTS: Have you experienced any bad side effects such as hair loss, new health problems, loss of sexual function, appetite changes, headaches, more bruising than you expected, bad interactions with other medications, etc?
I bruise a little more easily now, no other adverse side-effects that I've seen.
6. BLEEDING AND BRUISING: How you experienced any bleeding or bruising problems that you would consider annoying, disconcerting, a hindrance, etc?
Had a little dental work a while ago and my mouth bled for quite a while which was a real pain, but it passed within a day.
7. 2ND THOUGHTS: Have you had enough significant problems with the use of Coumadin that you wish you elected to go with a non-mechanical valve instead to probably avoid the need for this drug?
NOPE! Mechanical valve was the ONLY way to go for me and if I didn't take that option, I would be dead right now.
8. MISINFORMATION: Were you greatly (and unfortunately) surprised about a particular downside of taking Coumadin? Do you feel you were adequately informed about the side effects, testing requirements, etc. of taking Coumadin?
The only real "misinformation" that I've had is the diet changes. From what I've seen here at VR it looks more like instead of altering your diet to cut out Vitamin K rich foods, you should work mroe to keep your diet consistent. Cutting out stuff like spinach will affect your INR as much as eating more of it.
If you're eating mroe vitamin K rich foods, you'll just have a higher dose of coumadin, in a VERY small nutshell...
9. TOTAL EXPERIENCE VS. EXPECTATIONS: All in all, has your total experience with Coumadin been better then expected, as expected, or worse than expected?
Better.
10. OTHER COMMENTS: Please list any other comments not covered.[/QUOTE]
Everyone has different reactions to coumadin. SOme people don't have any problems with it at all, some people are constantly having to get tested and change meds and such. It seems to depend on an individual's body chemistry, their diet, and their physical activity. When you add or go off certain medications, it can change your INR and your coumadin might need to be adjusted to compensate for that. Same with if you pick up a cold or some other infection. There are other medications, like lasix, that have more of an impact on my day to day life than coumadin does.
