possible high INR??

[Kim]

Hi friends!

I have some purplish/red pinhead dots on the tops of my feet and a few on my hands. I also noticed Friday night, what appeared to be a blood spot on one eye. This was in the white of the eye. By Saturday morning, the entire white of my eye looked like it was bloody. I assume somehow I broke a blood vessel, but don't recall anything I did that could have caused this! I am sure it looks scarey than it really is. I have no discomfort with it.

My last INR was on the higher side, and my cardiology nurse and I agreed not to make a change in my dose. Now I am wondering if my INR is too high! I thought I read somewhere, and maybe it was on this forum, that pinhead purplish dots are from a high INR???? But, then again mybe I dreamed this!!!

If anyone has any info to share, it would be appreciated!

 

[Ross]

There isn't anything proven, but I gotta say and Rain will back me up on this, YES if your seeing petechia? dots, your INR is probably too high. I would call in the morning and have it checked unless you have your own protime unit.

 

[Marcia]

Coumadin

Coumadin

My INR has been on the high side and the only thing I am getting is a lot of bruises. I have to go for a protime this week so I will see where I am at. When I was in Cardio Rehab there was a man whose eye did the same thing. He said that he was too thin. Went away in a week or so. Actually there was 2 of them with the same problem. I am 5 mos. postop and still not regulated as of yet. Hope this helps.

 

[Guest]

The white of your eye is made up of several thin layers. If you recall from science class when you put a drop of water on a microscope slide and then placed a cover glass on it, the water spread out. Well this is what happens when a drop of blood gets between those layers of your eye. It spreads like crazy. As long as you have no discomfort and your vision is not affected, there is nothing to do but treat it like a bruise. I have seen this go into large (all the area around the eye was bruised) black eyes without causing any harm.

As for the red dots - they are like tiny bruises. Rain gets them whenever her dog sleeps in the flowers, so she is the expert on these.

If you had one or the other, I would think very little of it. However, when you have two signs that your INR might be high and you know that it was last time it is time to get it checked.

After 5 months, you should not be requiring anything except minor changes in your doses. You should be regulated by now.

 

[Marty]

Subconjunctival hemorrhage

Subconjunctival hemorrhage

Kim, You had a subconjunctival hemorrhage. We are not sure there is any one cause. They are self limited and harmless. I have had a many of them before and after I started taking Coumadin. They are the ultimate bloodshot eye but tell your friends you did not get yours through dissipation.

 

[Blanche]

Kim, I have little red spots that come and go all the time. When I was young and living in Buffalo, NY, I had bad sinus problems and a bloody eye frequently. Now that I live in Arizona (temp 113 today) I still get the red spots, but seldom the bloodly eye. I think there are many causes of these things, other than anticoagulation because I do not take Comadin/Warfarin. Still, I agree that you should get checked very soon. I am a proponent of frequent prothrombin tests, especially if there has been any instability in the INR results.
Blanche

 

[Kim]

Thanks for all the info you guys shared. I appreciate all of your responses!

I went this morning and had a protime. My doctor's office called with the results this afternoon. 6.8 INR! I have never been this high before. The doctor's orders are to hold my dosage until Thursday. That is 3 days!!! I have been taking 9 alternating with 10 mgs a day. I am a quick metabolizer of Coumadin. I would bottom out completely. I will not do that. I think I will take 5 mg tonight. I am to go tomorrow and have my blood drawn.

Thanks again to all of you!

 

[Guest]

Maybe she would like them to think that she got it through dissipation!!!

 

[Rain]

pectechia....... grrrrrrrr

pectechia....... grrrrrrrr

Kim,

It is soooo true.... I get the little red spots when my INR goes over about 3.8. From that point the higher my INR the more little red spots I have. They start around my ankles and go all the way up my chest as my INR rises... kinda like my own little gauge. But I?ve never had blood in my eye before. Along with my pectechia I get blood in my nose and lots of bruises when my INR gets high... I don?t know if it?s all in my head or not....... but I kinda just know when my INR is too high or low too. I guess blood thinners and I are finally truly learning to live with each other. Wasn?t sure that was possible for the longest time.

I would never hold my dose for three days! For the last year or so I don?t think I?ve adjusted my dose one way or the other more than .5 mgs a week. However, I only take 3 ½ mgs a day.... so I donno how that would work out for everyone else. It's just what I've learned works for me.

Mostly I just work real hard at keeping that rotten dog outta the flower bed..... he?s getting a lot better..... and so is my INR!

Oh, one more thing...... don?t sweat the small stuff. (Dissipation) lol

 

[Kim]

Now I am still at 6.3 INR this morning, but have the addition of what appears to be red bites all over my ankles and several on the the rest of my body. They itch and look almost like chicken pox. It is not chicken pox and I have not been in the yard to pick up chiggers, ticks, or even mosquitoes. I am wondering if my body is responding, like an allergic reaction, to too much anticoagulation?
Just what I need to start off my new school year!!

 

[Guest]

Not an allergy, just a normal reaction to a high INR.

Your INR is about where you would expect it to be after just holding part of a dose and testing the next day.

It looks to mee like everything happened as would have been predicted - except why did your INR go so high. How often are you being tested and changing doses? Getting tested more than once a week and changing doses more than once a week is a huge risk factor for having an INR out of range.