Reality Setting In

I went in to the INR Clinic today for blood tests. My INR (protime) has gone down to 1.9. The RN seemed to be okay with that. The INR or protime is the amount of time that it takes for my blood to clot. It needs to be between 2.0 and 3.0. They want the blood to still clot, but at a much slower pace than individuals who do not have clotting disorders or histories of clots. People not on blood thinners typically have an INR of 1.0. For those with clotting disorders, they need to have at least an INR of 1.7 to be in the safe zone - where they will not have any clots.

I finally got on a schedule for dosing my Coumadin and will be checking in at the INR clinic weekly instead of daily. That is a relief!

I was also given education on diet and exercise interactions with Coumadin. Vitamin K counteracts the effects and can cause INR levels to drop. That means I have to limit and/or regulate the amount of broccoli, leafy greens, green tea and other veggies I eat. At first, I thought I could not eat or drink any of the aforementioned but learned today that I can "pace" myself and set up a schedule for eating these things and stick to it!

I have been hearing from various nurses in the lab that they are seeing more and more young women getting blood clots. They have mentioned contraceptives as a reason more than one time. It is scary to think that something my generation depends on so heavily can be so harmful to our health.

I have learned that I can retest for the genetic mutation tests once I get on a regular dosage schedule with Coumadin. Because of the interaction with other meds and the contraceptives, I may have a false positive test this time around and may have a negative test in 6 months. I am hopeful for that ray of light, but one will never know!