Flu vaccine and coumadin

[Guest]

One of the hematologists in Denver who does quite a bit of lecturing on anticoagulation says that she ignores all INRs less than 10.
That seems a bit extreme to me but she makes her living in this specialty.

 

[Nancy]

WHAT??? Whoa, stay away from her. I think if we saw an INR of 10 and it was ignored, someone would be in BIG trouble.

 

[Rain]

INR 10???

INR 10???

A few months after the surgery, when I was still on the warfarin.... my INR shot up to 6.9! I had the ?little red spots? not only around my ankles and on my chest.... but ALL over my body! They were everywhere!

It may not be true with everyone, but after about 4.0 ?things? start to happen to my body. I can?t imagine what would happen if it got to 10?!!

I haven?t totally proved it to myself.... but the ?little sqigglies? in my vision also seem to happen when my blood pressure is low and my INR is high. Don?t know when I will consider myself convinced..... but it sure is a huge coincidence. It also seems to happen most often after my exercise class. ??

 

[Guest]

That sounds like you are not getting enough oxygen to your brain. Low blood pressure or after exercising would both be times when this could happen. Low blood pressure would mean that blood was not being pumped hard enough to get to your brain. Lying down with your feet up should stop this. If it does, that is pretty good proof. After exercise, your muscles are demanding oxygen and it is not getting to your brain. It should stop as soon as you are not breathing rapidly any more.
It is hard to see a connection with a high INR because that is just a measure of how rapidly your blood could form a clot.

 

[Rain]

Rain freakin about coumadin again

Rain freakin about coumadin again

Allodwick,

That all makes sense... Thank you. I will try putting my feet up next time the thing with my vision happens.

I probably overreact about the coumadin. When it?s way out of whack, I look for reasons why... most of the time I can?t find one. Very irritating, this coumadin stuff!

I?m positive the little red spots are caused from the high INR though. I never had them before and the higher the INR the more little red spots.

Rain

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I forgot to cover the part about the little red spots. They ARE caused by the Coumadin. If you want to impress people they are called petechiae - pronounced pah TECH e i. In essence they are tiny bruises. The higher the INR, the more likely they are to show up.
I was watching a biography of Ozzie & Harriet. Toward the end they had a picture of Harriet with her family. She had many spots on her arms. I said to my wife, "I'll bet you anything that she was taking Coumadin."
My main message to people about warfarin is to not let it rule your life. Be aware of what is going on so that you notice any changes, and take action. But do not let it be foremost in your mind all the time.
There is a replacement for warfarin in the pipeline.

 

[hensylee]

Allodwick, I am in NW Fl (DeFuniak Springs). Long way from Hollywood - raised in Miami, eventually spent 20 yrs in Arcadia, now even farther north where it actually gets cold and snows now and then.

 

[Rain]

Petechiae!

Petechiae!

Hey Allodwick,

?Petechiae?! I knew it was true! Thank you for putting a name on it for me. My cardio also confirmed the ?spots? are caused from the coumadin. Strange, I?m the only one on this site it seems to happen to.

I don?t let coumadin run my life..... that?s probably part of the problem. It?s hard to use ?Rain? & ?consistent? in the same sentence. It?s also hard not to freak just a little when the test is always either high or low. I find myself thinking, ?Oh please!! I have to deal with this for the rest of my life!!?

I try not to complain about coumadin... especially here. I certainly wouldn?t want anyone making a valve choice because of my inability to manage coumadin. I honestly think my body is much more sensitive to the stuff than most people?s. This coming January I will have been taking it for two years and HEY, I?m finally starting to get regular readings! Your everyday rat would probably be dead by now!

Thanks for offering encouragement and hope for something better. (Cardio also told me something is in the works)

Not your everyday rat,
Rain

 

[Mb]

Red spots

Red spots

Hey Rain!
Wow! You are the first person I've seen her that has posted about the red spots. My husband has them on his legs. They did some blood testing last week to rule out something, but his PCP thought it was from the coumaden. His INR actually is usually too low, but he did have one test where it was at 5.6 about four weeks ago. He is just 6 weeks out from surgery. I will tell him tonight though about your expereince with the red spots. His Dr. also called them petechia. He was told to stop wearing socks for a few weeks. He also has a few others on his body, but mostly his lower legs. Marybeth

 

[Guest]

Rain,
Two years without any real problems - you are doing things right. Actually I think you are a good example of what I try to teach people. A little high, a little low, no big deal - make a small adjustment and get on with life. If you have a choice, be off a little on the high side - it is easier to stop a bloody nose than to put in a new valve. A few little red spots - so what! By consistent, I don't mean boring. What I mean is that I have never seen even one homeless person who could take warfarin for more than a month. There is so much inconsistency in their lives that they can never get a medication routine established. Warfarin is a factor in your life, not the ruler.

 

[cookie]

Coumadin & "Little red spots"

Coumadin & "Little red spots"

Hey guys,
I also have the "little red spots" on my legs, but the catch is, I've had them even before surgery! One leg is worse than the other. There does seem to be more since taking coumadin, but, like I said, one leg is worse than the other. I always figured it was poor circulation or something like that. My coumadin levels have stayed pretty steady here lately. Between 3.o & 3.4. So what else can cause "little red spots"? Doesn't make for a very sexy leg - looks more like I have something contagious! Also it's just from the knee down. Stange?

 

[Guest]

Petechiae are like tiny bruises. They can come from any number of things dealing with circulation. The are not much cause for concern if you have had them for a long time. It would be a concern if they suddenly increase - that is the area they cover suddenly increases. Many women and a few men want to complain about them and show me patches. They are usually below the knee. I keep telling them that I am not a doctor and to keep their clothes on. I probably tell more women to keep their clothes on than any other man. Good thing that my office has a glass wall that looks out into the cardiac rehab clinic!!!