M
Marge
My INR is supposed to be between 2.0 and 3.0 and since about the second week of going on Coumadin (in May of this year) it has held nicely in the middle (2.4-2.5). I was switched to testing only once a month, which was great.
Last week I came down with nausea, vomiting, etc. Hardly ate for a couple of days & threw up what I did eat and was exhausted & lethargic. On Wednesday of that week finally went to ER to see what was the matter. They did a variety of tests, diagnosed a kidney infection, and gave me some intravenous anti biotics, and another anti biotic, Cephallexin, to take orally at home. They checked my pro time and it came out at (iirc) 2.6. Next day I got a call from the ER -- they wanted me back for more IV antibiotics. My B/P was very low when I got there. At one point they were talking about admitting me to the hospital (I said no). The B/P went up later and after several hours they let me go.
However: on that second day, my PT had gone up to 4 something. The ER doctor told me not to take my coumadin that night. I had no way of contacting the anti coagulation clinic (too late by the time I got out of ER) so I followed the ER doctor's recommendation. Next day I called anti-coag and they said, it was OK not to have taken it that one time; but to start it up again, and to test again on Thursday of this week instead of waiting to the next set date of Sept. 1.
So yesterday I went for a blood draw and it was 3. (something). I'm not really worried about being a bit over 3.0, & anti coag doesn't seem to be either. I am testing again next Thursday to see how it is going.
But I wonder about the jump from 2.6 to over 4 (in a 24 hour period), and then back down to 3 plus.
Is it the kidney infection that caused all this jumping around? The antibiotics? (They were all supposedly screened for interactions with coumadin.) I guess I am just annoyed because everything was going so nice & smoothly.
I seem to be over the infection, btw.
Oh ... I have been taking 5mg a day of the coumadin, except for one day a week (Tuesday) when I take 7.5. mg. So 37.5 mg a week.
Last week I came down with nausea, vomiting, etc. Hardly ate for a couple of days & threw up what I did eat and was exhausted & lethargic. On Wednesday of that week finally went to ER to see what was the matter. They did a variety of tests, diagnosed a kidney infection, and gave me some intravenous anti biotics, and another anti biotic, Cephallexin, to take orally at home. They checked my pro time and it came out at (iirc) 2.6. Next day I got a call from the ER -- they wanted me back for more IV antibiotics. My B/P was very low when I got there. At one point they were talking about admitting me to the hospital (I said no). The B/P went up later and after several hours they let me go.
However: on that second day, my PT had gone up to 4 something. The ER doctor told me not to take my coumadin that night. I had no way of contacting the anti coagulation clinic (too late by the time I got out of ER) so I followed the ER doctor's recommendation. Next day I called anti-coag and they said, it was OK not to have taken it that one time; but to start it up again, and to test again on Thursday of this week instead of waiting to the next set date of Sept. 1.
So yesterday I went for a blood draw and it was 3. (something). I'm not really worried about being a bit over 3.0, & anti coag doesn't seem to be either. I am testing again next Thursday to see how it is going.
But I wonder about the jump from 2.6 to over 4 (in a 24 hour period), and then back down to 3 plus.
Is it the kidney infection that caused all this jumping around? The antibiotics? (They were all supposedly screened for interactions with coumadin.) I guess I am just annoyed because everything was going so nice & smoothly.
I seem to be over the infection, btw.
Oh ... I have been taking 5mg a day of the coumadin, except for one day a week (Tuesday) when I take 7.5. mg. So 37.5 mg a week.
