High INR

[Karlynn]

I see what your saying and it makes sense but does it matter if it takes 2 day to get back if your having it done every week?

I have my INR checked on most every Wednesday and the results by Friday. Therefor I had a weekly reading every Friday. I know it's 2 days behind but it's still weekly.

Now I have a home tester and I do it every Wednsday myself so I get intsant results of course.

Simply - yes.

I'm really glad you home test and get the instant results. Even if your Dr. (or lab) wasn't delaying the results, I'm still not sure why he's having you get a lab every month. I do it every 6 months with my Dr. when I go in for my check-up. There's never been an issue. These machines are very reliable and I trust them more than I trust the lab because I don't see where my blood goes, or where it sits with the lab.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

When using a lab...your MD should enter a STAT order. My results usually come back within an hour.

 

[mtkayak]

I think perhaps my Dr. wants me to come in every 4-6 weeks so he can check to make sure I'm monitoring it closely myself. I read that thread that Al posted about younger patients who were not monitoring their Coumadin or taking their Coumdin and ended up with blood clots wrecking their valve. Perhaps my Dr. is one of those who wants to make sure I'm taking it and monitoring it closely. I've never questioned him about it. Probably as the years go by, the trips to get labs done will be few and far between. Maybe it's a trust issue at first of making sure the patients to keep close watch on it. Just my guess. Thanks for the concern, I will ask my Dr. why there is a delay in the labs.

 

[Guest]

A stat order will not make any difference if your insurance company has a contract that requires sending it to a lab 100 miles away.

 

[mtkayak]

Okay, just spoke with my Dr. I got the explanation. The labs go out the same night and they are read the same night. The lab posts the results on the computer the next morning for the Drs. to see. So it doesn't take 2 days till results are read. They call me immediately if the readings are way off my target. They may wait a day or two to call me if the reading are okay. So there is the explanation on that. I told them to call me from now on once they get the results. Don't ask me why the do that. In any case, my lab results were lower at 4.2 opposed to the 6.0 I got with my home tester. I did take the 2 test only 2 hours apart to see if they read the same. Apparently, there is a discrepancy with both? What could be the explanation? Maybe my home tester is way off????

 

[Karlynn]

I would be more inclined to believe your machine than the lab. Don't forget that there's a margin error of at least .5. So it's posssible that the readings weren't that far off. Like I said, you don't know how long your blood sits around before being tested. If it's done the same day, but the blood was drawn in the a.m. but not tested until later in the afternoon, that can have an impact. At least that's been my experience. Testing the blood immediately, such as with the use of a machine or at a lab where they can test it right away, should be more accurate than a sample that is sent off and time passes before it's tested. Obviously, not all conditions are ideal, and you have to do what you have to do to get along.

Which machine do you have?

Why don't you refer your doctor to this web site as well as Al's. www.warfarinfo.com It may be good education for him to see just how many people are home testing and managing their own warfarin successfully. Ask your PP what he does with his diabetic patients. Do they have to come in every so often to prove they know how to do their blood test? The testing process is the same. You stick yourself, put a drop of blood on a strip and wait for results. If he's afraid you are going to forget and not test and take your meds as you should, how does he feel about his diabetic patients?

I know you are just all learning the ins and outs yourself. You'll look back in 5 years and shake your head a bit because you'll be an old hat by then. Plus, you'll probably be educating your doctor right along with you.

 

[Guest]

What home tester do you have.

The ugly truth is that in the last ten years more people have been harmed by faulty hospital lab testers than faulty home testers.

 

[mtkayak]

I have the INRatio by Hemosense. I retested last night and my INR was normal at 3.2. So, I've had 3 test done in 2 days. The first one was 6.0 (home tester) 4.2 (lab) and 3.2 (restest with home tester). Bear in mind, I did skip a does after theh 6.0 reading too. The only thing I can atribute this too, if it's not the machine, is the day I exercised in the outdoors in the heat. That's the only thing I've done different this week.

One other thing, the first time I tested with the home tester I got a error message that read "Not enough sample" so I put another strip in and retested. I put gobs of blood on the next one, more than a drop, maybe 2 or 3 drops and the strip had a lot of blood on it. Will the machine read higher if you put too much blood on there? That doesn't make sense though.

 

[Karlynn]

I have the INRatio by Hemosense. I retested last night and my INR was normal at 3.2. So, I've had 3 test done in 2 days. The first one was 6.0 (home tester) 4.2 (lab) and 3.2 (restest with home tester). Bear in mind, I did skip a does after theh 6.0 reading too. The only thing I can atribute this too, if it's not the machine, is the day I exercised in the outdoors in the heat. That's the only thing I've done different this week.

One other thing, the first time I tested with the home tester I got a error message that read "Not enough sample" so I put another strip in and retested. I put gobs of blood on the next one, more than a drop, maybe 2 or 3 drops and the strip had a lot of blood on it. Will the machine read higher if you put too much blood on there? That doesn't make sense though.

A glob of blood won't make the result different. The machine draws in the exact amount of blood it needs to test. If there isn't enough blood to draw in, then you'll get that error. My old ProTime machine needed 2 generous drops of blood to fill the little cup. I find my INRatio only needs one generous drop. I've had one "not enough" error with it and I was kind of expecting it because the blood drop kind of spread back on my finger as I was putting it in the little well.

So get that one generous drop of blood hanging from your finger, barely touch it to the well and you'll do fine.

If my ProTime was a nicely appointed Cadillac, my new INRatio is a Mazeratti. I love it!

 

[Guest]

The INRatio gives the widest variation in the results of the three finger testers on the market. It can be off by + or - 0.5 units on any test.

 

[Ross]

It is rather ironic that the very day that Ross went into the hospital for a GI bleed, that someone comes along wants to step up to get in line for a bleed. (Ross has stated several times that he was the top dog at alcohol consumption, so I am not giving away and secrets.)

Hey bubba, I haven't consumed alcohol like a jerk for years. I could understand it then, but I do not understand it now. One thing I'd like to ask and it's silly, but I wonder, could overindulging of Jalapeño peppers irritate the stomach lining enough to cause a bleed? I ate like half a jar of them straight about the time this all started. I'm still thinking that between starving myself for most of the day, aspirin regimen and potassium on an empty stomach was probably more like the real answer, but I'd still like to know your thoughts on some mighty hot little peppers as a possible irritant.

In defense of INRatio, I tested before I left for the hospital and got 3.0. The hospital lab got 3.3. I'd say it was a valid number. I had one of those all knowing Doctors tell me my INR was too high and got into a fight with him about 3.3 being within my range. Another clueless physician in the hospital no less.

 

[RandyL]

Hey bubba, I haven't consumed alcohol like a jerk for years. I could understand it then, but I do not understand it now. One thing I'd like to ask and it's silly, but I wonder, could overindulging of Jalapeño peppers irritate the stomach lining enough to cause a bleed? I ate like half a jar of them straight about the time this all started. I'm still thinking that between starving myself for most of the day, aspirin regimen and potassium on an empty stomach was probably more like the real answer, but I'd still like to know your thoughts on some mighty hot little peppers as a possible irritant.

In defense of INRatio, I tested before I left for the hospital and got 3.0. The hospital lab got 3.3. I'd say it was a valid number. I had one of those all knowing Doctors tell me my INR was too high and got into a fight with him about 3.3 being within my range. Another clueless physician in the hospital no less.

Who said you could eat a jar of Jalapeno peppers while having Jack Daniels? Next time stick to the JD and things like this won't happen to you.lol You know I am kidding I hope.

 

[Guest]

If jalapenos caused GI bleeds, Puebloans would be in BIG trouble. I've even seen them ground up and put in with coffee. But then again, for a white guy in Ohio .....

Glad that you are back, Ross.

 

[Ross]

But then again, for a white guy in Ohio .....

Glad that you are back, Ross.

Well I was a white guy once upon a time. Now I'm Black and Blue guy from Ohio!

 

[Ross]

Who said you could eat a jar of Jalapeno peppers while having Jack Daniels? Next time stick to the JD and things like this won't happen to you.lol You know I am kidding I hope.

Stop sending me drunken cookies and I won't.