Officially part of the Coumadin Club...

[debster913]

Hi, all--

I guess my intolerance to Pradaxa earned me another trip to the cardio's office this morning. Doc took one look at my fax and had his lovely medical assistant call me to come in right away.

To make a long story short, Dr. V decided to put me on a low dose of warfarin. I got in to have my INR checked next week. He was reluctant to start me on warfarin because of the frequency of having to go to the clinic to have my INR done, but he felt that this is the best option for me right now because of my history and A-Fib episodes. As I was leaving his office, his medical assistant said to me, "What are you? 80? You're so young to be on Coumadin!" Of course, she was joking because we have a good rapport like that, but I think it is a common misconception that warfarin is only for "old" people.

So now that I'm part of the "club," what are some words of advice you can share with me?

By the way, I LOVE broccoli, spinach, and other leafy greens. Is that a problem?

Thanks,
Debi

 

[bigsidster]

HELLO DEBI---leafy greens wont be a problem as long as you eat the the same portion amounts every nite.You may have to take higher doses of coumadin to maintain the INR but they say you should enjoy your vegetables and greens if you like them.

 

[Jkm7]

Debi..... right from the start as they are regulating your coumadin dosage be sure to eat the diet you enjoy the most. They will adjust your dosage to work with your diet. All you have to do is be reasonably consistent. If you have two leafy green servings at dinner each night, continue to do so but don't have three portions one day and none for the next three days. If you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, have it. They have to dose your diet; you should not diet their dose.

 

[Bina]

I LOVE my greens and eat them about 5 times a week. What I don't eat is alot of oils and fats which also are high in
vitamin K.
My weekly intake of Coumadin is only 18 mgs, no problems with my range.

 

[Protimenow]

You obviously don't have to be a particular age to take warfarin -- you just need to have a condition that requires anticoagulation management.

Vitamin K is supposed to have many beneficial effects, aside from the fact that it lowers INR. It's probably healthier to eat things that have Vitamin K (but, as others have said, be consistent, day to day) than it is to avoid it entirely.

If it seems that you will be taking warfarin daily, long-term, I suggest that you try to get a meter and self-test. This will save you the hassle of having to go into the doctor's office or a lab for a blood draw. (If your INR is on the high side or the desired range, you may need a blood draw anyway, but having your own meter, and the ability to test at home or while traveling can save you a lot of hassle).

Welcome to the coumadin club -- with proper management it's really not to be feared.

 

[Philip B]

Dosing Diet

Dosing Diet

As noted in a previous post, eat what you want and eat what you want whenever you want to. It's much easier to dose your diet rather than attempting to manage your dose with your diet.

I don't recall you mentioning what your INR range is supposed to be. Mine tends to fluctuate, but that's probably influenced more by my metabolic rate rather than diet. I do eat a lot of spinach and a few other veggies, but I never worry about eating the same amounts regularly. My intake of green stuff varies from day to day.

Opinions vary, but I don't see INR management as a big deal.

-Philip

 

[catwoman]

Debi:

I really don't pay much attention to what I eat, because I've always loved green vegetables. But I don't eat dark green vegetables every day. If I skip a day (as I did yesterday, when I ate only 2 meals -- oatmeal for breakfast and enchiladas for a late lunch), I'll enjoy a large spinach salad, like I did today.
BTW, guacamole has vitamin K. Yum, yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So you can get in your vitamin K while partying! Think of all those New Year's Eve parties with 7-layer dip or just plain ol' guac and chips.

 

[AgilityDog]

I will second the vote for home testing! It's so much easier than going to a clinic that doesn't open until 8:30 or 9 in the morning, and you're trying to get to work at 7:30....even if you have to call in your results (assuming you don't have wonky insurance like mine that charges too much), and can't self-manage, home testing is Da Bomb!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

MY idea of being consistent in consuming Vitamin K foods is simply to eat something Green Every Day.
Maybe even 2 different 'green things'. NO Measuring or trying to guess how much Vit. K. Seems to work OK for me.