Part 2 from Me with Questions

[Freddie]

For what it's worth; here's the short version:
From July 2nd to July 8th I was taking 6mg (target range 2.5 - 3.5) and went to lab on the 9th. Same day results came back at 4.9

Took 3mg on the 9th (Thursday) and Friday the 10th, went for another retest this morning - results came back as 2.5 WOW! (My doctor thinks I have held my dosage for those 2 days)

Could I really drop that fast on 3mg? Or could it have been the green tea and a small spinach salad I had last night?

The doc now wants me to alternate my dosage, starting with 5mg then with 6mg.
Remember, that when I was only taking 6mg my INR went to 4.9 on a less stressful week and on 5mg INR was 2.1 & 2.0 with a very stressful week.

Now with things back to normal within my life, should I alternate the two dosages or just stay on 5mg until I retest again next Thursday?

I'm thinking to stick with 5mg for this week and see where it takes me.......yes?/no?

 

[Ross]

Did Freddie use the calculator at the top of the page? According to what you've posted, alternating 5 and 6 is what you should do.

 

[Freddie]

NO I didn't Ross.
So maybe I am on the right track.

If so, I'll leave RIGHT NOW and get my prescription filled.

 

[Freddie]

Okay 5 and 6 it will be.

 

[Ross]

Here is what you should be doing.

 

[Freddie]

okay-dokay
5 to day
5 tomorrow
then start to alternate with 6

Do I qualify to get my monitor in your eyes Ross?

 

[Ross]

Anyone on Coumadin is fit in my eyes, unless they have Alzheimers or just can't understand simple instruction.

 

[Freddie]

Anyone on Coumadin is fit in my eyes, unless they have Alzheimers or just can't understand simple instruction.

"Simple Instruction".....you may have hit the nail on the head with that one Ross

In regards on the monitor have to make an appointment on Monday to get trained before I can get the unit. Oh hum another delay.

 

[Ross]

"Simple Instruction".....you may have hit the nail on the head with that one Ross

In regards on the monitor have to make an appointment on Monday to get trained before I can get the unit. Oh hum another delay.

Yeah well imagine being told you'll only be without teeth for 6 months and now I'm going on 10!

 

[jax]

why so long ross? sure i had mine done a year ago but i had temporary denture's the same day i had mine taken out then after 6 months i had my permanent's made and had those after about 3 weeks of adjusting, trying on the wax tray and all that fun stuff.

 

[Karlynn]

Imagine what your INR would have been had you followed the Dr's instructions? After you have monitor in hand and a full boat of prescriptions, I would nicely tell the doctor that you did not follow her orders to hold 2 days and took 3 for 2 days. (Because I'm sure your INR was below 2.5 on Sunday when the 2 days of 1/2 dose were really starting to show. Saturday's was most likely a reflection of the 1/2 dose on Thursday.) If she gets mad at you for not following her orders tell her nicely "But doctor, what this should tell you is that I would have been below 2 if I'd followed your instructions."

So Freddie - you answered you own question. Yes, it is possible to have a 2.5 after being 4.9 and taking 1/2 doses for 2 days. Start putting these in your storage bank of information on how your own body handles warfarin dosing adjustments. The reason that the dosing calculator (and the other articles Ross provided you) give instruction of Hold Zero to 2 Doses, is because not everyone is the same and you need to become familiar with how your own body metabolizes the drug.

And don't worry - training on the machine is like learning how to butter toast.

 

[Freddie]

Thanks Karlynn, would you mind if I print out your reply?

An interesting tid-bit I learned on the weekend. My neighbor, who is a lab tech, never heard of such a machine and was very excited for me. She also explained that when they do tests on blood work (not just INR) the results are within a guide line of 2 to 4% - no test is dead on, but falls within a standard acceptance.
And like everyone here who has yelled and screamed at me, my neighbor also said "a < >.2 in INR from a home monitor is NOT a big deal.

Me not worried about training, but I have been known to cut myself while buttering toast

 

[Karlynn]

You're supposed to use a BUTTER knife - not a STEAK knife.

 

[Bina]

Freddie, hasn't Mr. T taken away your Ginsu knife yet?

 

[Freddie]

Freddie, hasn't Mr. T taken away your Ginsu knife yet?

Nope.
All I have to do is to remember to put my glasses on every time I use a knife - a lesson well learned when I had to get stitches.

 

[Bina]

i hope those are safety glasses!

 

[Freddie]

SMARTY!

Watch out people, Bina is on the ball this morning

 

[Ross]

why so long ross? sure i had mine done a year ago but i had temporary denture's the same day i had mine taken out then after 6 months i had my permanent's made and had those after about 3 weeks of adjusting, trying on the wax tray and all that fun stuff.

Mine were severely diseased. Within a week of killing me so says the Doctor. They had to go really deep into the jaw bone to get rid of the infections. That and the fact that I had to use a dental school to get this done at a semi affordable price (Which still isn't affordable) but I think that's why.

 

[Freddie]

Just to get this thread back on track................
I ordered my monitor today. By early next week I'll have to asked to join the "poke" club

 

[Bina]

Hmmm....we'll have to check if we have room in our little POKE club.