Very basic INR/Coumadin question

[Barry]

What's therapeutic range for INR's for folks with mechanical valves? (I've got a St. Jude's mitral valve). I seem to recall that upper threshold is 3.5 but I don't remember, and the memory banks have long since deleted information about the minimum.

 

[RCB]

2.5 to 3.5

 

[Ross]

2.5 to 3.5 for mitral. By the way, there is a ton of Coumadin info to be had at our resident experts site, Al Lodwick, www.warfarinfo.com

 

[RCB]

I beat you, Ross

 

[Karlynn]

Most of us like to stay towards the 3.5 end.

 

[Guest]

Karlynn,
Did you actually take the fox picture in your backyard?

 

[Karlynn]

Karlynn,
Did you actually take the fox picture in your backyard?

Yes. The rather large fellow took a nap and sunned himself in our backyard on 3 occasions. Then it must have dawned on him that we had a big dog and he never returned. We are in a Chicago suburb, so it was quite out of the ordinary. We'd heard rumors of a fox den down the block.

We've also seen a coyote on 2 occasions, not far from our house.

 

[Guest]

Coyotes often go for walks with me in the early mornings on the open prairie behind our house. I guess they figure that I will stir up jackrabbits. The race between them is quite spectacular their tracks are 4 to 5 steps of mine apart. Sometimes a great horned owl joins in the fun too. About once a year or so I hear a mountain lion crying but they will not show themselves.

 

[RCB]

Be careful Al!

Be careful Al!

About once a year or so I hear a mountain lion crying but they will not show themselves.

I should hope they wouldn't show- for your sake!

 

[Guest]

One pooped just outside my back gate one night. The Division of Wildlife officer confirmed that my guess was correct.

 

[Emma]

just to confuse the issue

just to confuse the issue

thought i would throw in here that my 5 year old with a mitral valve replacement has to keep her INR between 3 and 4 (it was 3 - 4.5 until i questionned it a while back and they reduced it to 3 - 4) - never did work out why hers seems to be higher than other peoples ont his site?? Overly-cautious English doctors perhaps or her age??? dunno really but we keep it as close to 3.5 or 3.6 as we can anyway.
Emma
xxx

 

[Emma]

!!!!

!!!!

coyotes and mountain lions (whatever they are?!) ???!! really??!!! Wow! we must lead very sheltered lives over here - the most I get in my back garden is the odd caterpillar!!

Emma
xxx

 

[RCB]

Be very careful!

Be very careful!

One pooped just outside my back gate one night. The Division of Wildlife officer confirmed that my guess was correct.

I hope the officer told you that is how they mark their territory. Scat is like a fence post with a no trespassing sign on it. I would get myself a couple a large dogs and give them a dog door so they could go in and out it anytime. You should make noise everytime somebody leaves the house,so as not to surprise the animal.

 

[Marty]

There are a lot of foxes on our golf course in Virginia near the Pentagon. Coyotes are now in the Rock Creek park in downtown DC! I've heard the coyotes kill foxes and eventually eradicate them. You westerners know anything about that?
Now about the INR for mitral mechanicals. 2.5-3.5 is the standard recommendation as noted. For years I kept mine at 3.5-4.0. After my leg bleed last Thanksgiving, I held for three days, got down to 1.4 and then let it creep back up to 2.5 where I have kept it since.( thanks Coaguchek). That bleed was a little scary and I'm glad it wasn't in my head or gut. So I hope staying around 2.5 is adequate to prevent a valve clot and decrease chance for bleed.By the way, my leg is now back to normal. I can make a full turn on the golf swing and back to walking nine holes.

 

[Georgia]

My doc wants 3 - 4 range. I know it's a little higher than most; he feels it's safer for mechanical in mitral position. It's also nice to have a doc who doesn't get hysterical if it's occasionally .1 over or under the range.

 

[Guest]

The European standard seems to be to use higher INRs than we do, especially for mitral valves.

I don't know if coyotes kill foxes but it would seem highly likely. Foxes seem more stealthy and coyotes seem more aggressive.

One dog isn't much of a match for a mountain lion. There is a story told around here of someone sitting on their deck having coffee on a weekend morning. Their 100 pound black lab was in the yard. They had a 6 foot high wooden fence around their yard. A mountain lion jumped the fence, killed the dog with a bite to the neck and jumped the fence with the dog in its mouth. It happened so fast that the people did not even get out of their chairs before it was gone.

This happened in a season of severe drought. In 2003, we had only 3 inches of rain all year instead of our usual 12 inches annually.

That drought brought lots of bears out of the mountains because there was nothing for them to eat. One of my wife's friends had one rip the window out of her house frame and all to get in and eat. Fortunately they were not home.

The key to dealing with a mountain lion is to stay upright. They are programmed to attack things with four legs. If you bend over to pick up a stick or a rock, you increase the risk of attack.

 

[Emma]

!!

!!

what are mountain lions??? cos i'm totally fascinated by this now - i am imagining something furry with a big old mane like we see in a zoo!!! And bears too Al!!! it sound so wierd to me cos we don't even get THEM in zoos over here!! it's like watching some film on tv! i definately have led a very very sheltered life! lol

Emma
xxx

 

[RCB]

Al, would I give you bad advise?

Al, would I give you bad advise?

"One dog isn't much of a match for a mountain lion. There is a story told around here of someone sitting on their deck having coffee on a weekend morning. Their 100 pound black lab was in the yard. They had a 6 foot high wooden fence around their yard. A mountain lion jumped the fence, killed the dog with a bite to the neck and jumped the fence with the dog in its mouth. It happened so fast that the people did not even get out of their chairs before it was gone."

I said a "couple". Labs are nice but a medium sized dog. Take a look at my avatar. Such a sweet little baby Now do a web search for English Mastiff. That is what those cute little darling grow in to. They used to use them to hunt African Lions which are much larger then a Mountain Lion/Cougar.
If a Mt. Lion was stupid enough to jump a fence to go after a couple of Mastiffs- it would be the last fence that cat jumped. Just trying to think of your safety- we need you here

 

[Ross]

what are mountain lions???
Emma
xxx

Mountain Lions are BIG KITTY CATS that look like this:

 

[Guest]

Its long tail is black-tipped.

Adult males may be more than 8 feet long from nose to end of tail and generally weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds.

Two dogs are more than a match for a mountain lion because they hunt from cover. Once dogs get the lion running, it is all but over for the lion.

A bear got in our local Pepsi bottling plant one Friday. All weekend the alarm kept going off but they never found anything. On Monday when they opened up the bear was in there passed out. The said that it must have been drinking concentrate and got its blood sugar so high that it lost consciousness. When it woke up and moved around it set off the alarm, drank more concentrate and passed out again.

These are brown bears, much more mild-mannered than grizzlies. It creates a little stir when they get up in a tree in someone's yard.