Patty:
If you go on anticoagulants, you will have to test your blood at regular intervals to be determined by you and your doctor. (This can range from every six weeks to weekly.) The result of your test will be a number which is a ratio called INR (International Normalized Ratio). Your doctor will determine your target INR, for example 3.0, and your INR range, for example 2.5 to 3.5. If your INR is too high, beyond 3.5 in this example, you will probably need to take less Coumadin or Warfarin. If it is too low, below 2.5, you'll probably need to up your dose. That's a simplified overall view of what is needed. You can choose to go to a lab, an anticoagulation clinic, or you might even obtain your own, personal anticoagulation meter and test yourself at home. Many people here have their own machines. My husband tests weekly at home. It takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
My husband has been on anticoagulation since 1990. With one exception, which I will mention later, it has not changed his life in anyway at all. And, if you can think of all the things that might cause problems for one on anticoagulation, they probably happened to him. He was in a car accident, bitten by a cat in a place that will not be disclosed here, injured at work when a chair collapsed under him, and he fell down the stairs. Additionally, he has stepped on glass and a nail, stapled his own hand, and received any number of small and large bruises....none at my hand! He has also had minor surgery, colonoscopies, dental surgeries, teeth removed, warts, moles, and other suspicious skin abnormalities burned off, cataract surgery,...and the list goes on. He has even had several internal bleeds, none of which caused any great difficulties at all. If you listen to him tell it, most of his problems on anticoagulation caused less inconvenience than me getting my hair colored every four weeks.
People on anticoagulation worry about bleeding and about stroking. My husband did have a stroke. The doctors said it was likely caused by his not being adequately anticoagulated. His INR at the time of the stroke was well below his target range. At that time, he was testing at a lab monthly. Had he been testing at home weekly, as he does now, there is every reason to believe, at least according to his doctors, that the stroke could have been avoided....if, indeed, inadequate anticoagulation was the cause.
Anticoagulation does not have to change your life. You will make minor changes in diet and alcohol consumption. You should not have to change activities to any extent. There is protective gear available for most sports and other pursuits. And, most things that cause problems for those on anticoagulants can be handled by frequent testing, moderation, and in some cases avoidance.
Kind regards and welcome to the board,
Blanche
If you go on anticoagulants, you will have to test your blood at regular intervals to be determined by you and your doctor. (This can range from every six weeks to weekly.) The result of your test will be a number which is a ratio called INR (International Normalized Ratio). Your doctor will determine your target INR, for example 3.0, and your INR range, for example 2.5 to 3.5. If your INR is too high, beyond 3.5 in this example, you will probably need to take less Coumadin or Warfarin. If it is too low, below 2.5, you'll probably need to up your dose. That's a simplified overall view of what is needed. You can choose to go to a lab, an anticoagulation clinic, or you might even obtain your own, personal anticoagulation meter and test yourself at home. Many people here have their own machines. My husband tests weekly at home. It takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
My husband has been on anticoagulation since 1990. With one exception, which I will mention later, it has not changed his life in anyway at all. And, if you can think of all the things that might cause problems for one on anticoagulation, they probably happened to him. He was in a car accident, bitten by a cat in a place that will not be disclosed here, injured at work when a chair collapsed under him, and he fell down the stairs. Additionally, he has stepped on glass and a nail, stapled his own hand, and received any number of small and large bruises....none at my hand! He has also had minor surgery, colonoscopies, dental surgeries, teeth removed, warts, moles, and other suspicious skin abnormalities burned off, cataract surgery,...and the list goes on. He has even had several internal bleeds, none of which caused any great difficulties at all. If you listen to him tell it, most of his problems on anticoagulation caused less inconvenience than me getting my hair colored every four weeks.
People on anticoagulation worry about bleeding and about stroking. My husband did have a stroke. The doctors said it was likely caused by his not being adequately anticoagulated. His INR at the time of the stroke was well below his target range. At that time, he was testing at a lab monthly. Had he been testing at home weekly, as he does now, there is every reason to believe, at least according to his doctors, that the stroke could have been avoided....if, indeed, inadequate anticoagulation was the cause.
Anticoagulation does not have to change your life. You will make minor changes in diet and alcohol consumption. You should not have to change activities to any extent. There is protective gear available for most sports and other pursuits. And, most things that cause problems for those on anticoagulants can be handled by frequent testing, moderation, and in some cases avoidance.
Kind regards and welcome to the board,
Blanche
