Something To Share

[McCln]

Yesterday, I was at my PCP office and asked about if there was a shake or something to help me a bit on diet. She recommended Carnation Breafast powder, since it has no soy in it. I went to the grocery store and found next to the poweder Carnation breakfast drink, a shake that also has no soy. So I am going to try this to help me lose some weight. Besides, summer heat will be hear soon and want to keep the healthy nutrients up. Those interested in the carnation shake, ask you doctor before trying. With the powder, you mix it with skim milk. Just a suggestion. I will let you know if it effects the INR. Take care all.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[Ross]

Rut Roh George........

Rut Roh George........

Taken from Al's site:

Another source of vitamin K which is frequently overlooked are the supplements such as Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure and Boost. These contain significant amounts of vitamin K. The TV advertising does not adequately warn the consumer of this. Physicians often overlook this also. When I see a thin, elderly lady whose INR is suddenly low, the reason she often gives is that her doctor told her to start taking one of these supplements. It is usually necessary to increase the warfarin dose after these products are started.

 

[Nancy]

I've caught them trying to push them on Joe to help him add calories because he had lost so much weight, even in the hospital when everyone, especially the Dietitians should know better, and even though they were trying to wean him off a Heparin drip to Coumadin and were having a very hard time trying to get the INR up.

Some of them have 24% of the daily total of Vitamin K for a "normal" person per can. It's like taking a Vitamin K pill, which we wouldn't do if there was an anticoagulation problem involved.

The argument I get from the professional dietitians is that it's of no consequence because the Coumadin is adjusted accordingly. Yeah, right. Not so, not so. It can be adjusted if the patient eats a few greens on a regular basis, but not with these shakes. Some forms of Slim Fast also have the same problem, but there are other Slim Fast products which don't, so you will have to read each and every product.

Plus make sure the sodium content is what you can have, if there is any CHF involved.

It's surprising what you have to be careful of.

 

[terry40]

McCln

McCln

I had some "slimfast" in the house, so last week, I down one premixed can, only to read the label later and find out it had 25% of USDA recommended amount of Vitamin K.

I think most of the so called energy/breakfast drinks have vitamin K in them, so be very careful, and read the labels before drinking, and check out " Al's site ", like recommended

Terry40

 

[Granbonny]

Diet

Diet

I just read Billy's Irish breakfast on thread..Sunday night chat..Got hungry and toasted an English muffin. laid a slice of cheese on it and a fried egg... So much for a diet today: Oh, well, there's always tomorrow Bonnie

 

[McCln]

Ross

Ross

I guess the only solution is to starve oneself. There are a lot of fods with vitamin K in them. Is there a daily amount of vitmain K we are allowed to have? I am trying the carnation because it does not have soy, like slimfast and ensure has. Please let me know what I can have to survive. I don't eat green beans very often and lettuce is just as rare in my daily diet. I just want to suppliment a piece of fruit with something for dieting.


Caroline
09-13-01
aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[Ross]

Please don't mistake that as a "I can't have" item. Just don't over do it and remember that your INR will drop some. With frequent testing and proper management you shouldn't have any problems. It's more of an awareness posting so that you know and it won't become a problem for you. I guess what I'm trying to say is, eat what you want, be consistent and remember that the dosage may be changed to accommodate whatever change may occur.

 

[Guest]

Also remember that fruits are freebies as far as warfarin is concerned.

People tend to say fruitsandvegetables as if it were one word. There is a world of difference as far as warfarin is concerned.

 

[terry40]

Mccln

Mccln

I have no-fat cottage cheese & fruit, or no fat yogurt with fruit for breakfast, I only notice kiwi & green apple as having any significant amount of Vitamin K, in the fruit family.

My old multi-vitamin had 10 mcg which is 13% of the USDA recommended amount, if that help you any, I know the Slimfast I mistakenly had last week has 25% of USDA-RA, the ensure plus they gave me in the hospital has 20mcg of the K vitamin.

It's a whole new ball game/adjustment when your on coumadin,
who would have thought I would be dreaming about eating spinach, brocolli & ad fresh green salad???

 

[Ross]

Caroline, I thought I should also tell you that you and I eat alike or so it appears. I eat very little in the way of greens and had one salad last night and one on Monday night. INR was tested today 1.3. I think the test is wrong. I'm on 50mg per week of coumadin and now I'm bumping to 55mg. This is the same amount I was on when I tested at 4.6. Moral of my story:I guess I don't eat consistant enough! Now you know why we have to be careful.

 

[Granbonny]

Rosso

Rosso

You don't eat consistant enough and you don't sleep consistant enough. 1.3 Looks like Ann and I are going to have to come up there and feed you some good soul food and tie you to your bed And take your computer away from you until you get back in range You don't pay me enough to put me thru this stress of worrying about you.. Bonnie aka as Ross's therapist

 

[Ross]

Like I said, I think the test was botched. There isn't any way that I could be 1.3 on 50mg a week. I've looked through all my previous tests at or above this level and they all are 3.1 and Higher. I wonder if someone inverted numbers in the lab?

 

[Guest]

This thread starts with another good example of people dosing warfarin and not having the slightest idea what they are doing!!!

 

[Ross]

Al it's truly scary how many people are involved in our treatments and have no clue what they're doing. I've gotten a couple of Doctors, a few nurses, etc., and they just don't know. They play trial and error, but with mighty swings of the bat.

I seriously think the lab inverted the result numbers on my last test. I might be wrong, but I don't think so. I only wish one of my Doc's would o.k. home testing, then I could monitor more closely and would know if the results I'm getting from the clinic are even in the ball park. I don't expect perfection, but some of these people I've dealt with really scare me.

 

[Granbonny]

Home testing

Home testing

Tell us again, why they will not approve one for you...I forgot..Pumpheaded YOU, of all people should qualify..Bonnie

 

[Ross]

My brilliant Doctors are all against home testing citing that home test units are not accurate, plus I'm on a medicare HMO that utilizes and is part of the hospital. They don't want to lose revenue if they can deny it.

 

[Guest]

Lab error is always a possibility. I recheck 1 or 2 people per month. Fortunately I get the results while they are still there.

Did you get the algorithms?

I'm giving a talk today in Colorado Springs for a group of people with pulmonary hypertension.

 

[Ross]

Yes I did Al Thanks again!

 

[Nancy]

Hi Al-

I don't know if you know this or not, but Joe just got out of the hospital for treatment of his pulmonary hypertension which is severe.

He is now on Tracleer, and had a complete revamping of all his meds. He's feeling the best he's felt in a long, long time.
Thought you might like to know that this drug is very good. He's currently on the entry dose and will be going to the higher one in a couple of days.

I hope it stays that way.

 

[Guest]

The one person that I see who is taking Tracleer is doing fabulously. She is the facilitator for the group that I talked to yesterday.

That group was in Colo Spgs so they live at about 6,200 ft elevation. I'm surprised that they breathe as well as they do at that elevation.