I so agree about the value of being able to self-test at home. I appear to have been bitten by an insect at a BBQ recently, and a couple of days later I was having cold shivers and hot flushes, followed by my lower leg swelling and going red as an infection set in. So I ended up firstly on intravenous antibiotics for a few days, and then large dose antibiotics by tablet since. Knowing that antibiotics (and perhaps the infection itself) can have an impact on INR I tested, and found it was 4.0 ! (My range is 2.5 to 3.5). However, thanks to posts on here, notably by Pellicle of course, I didn't panic or anything: 4.0 is not horrific, and so I skipped a dose for a day, went about my life as usual, and resumed my normal 8mg dose the next day. Today, three days later, my INR is 2.4, so a bit low and actually an unusually large swing for me, so I will learn from this and perhaps not completely skip a dose next time I am at 4.0. I will take 9mg at my normal time tonight. I am still on the antibiotics and will continue to test at 3-day intervals until stable and in range.
Contrast this with my anticoagulation clinic's advice when my INR was 3.6 when I went for a bi-annual check on my CoaguChek XS meter: their advice was to skip a dose even at that small an overshoot, and to test again in a week. A yo-yo effect would surely have resulted.
It's my health at risk, so I will manage it thanks.
