Yay! I can has SALAD!!!

[nekosensei]

My doctor called this morning. My INR is too high. This means I get a break from taking my rat poison Coumadin and I can have salad this evening. doomsey suggested that we go out to dinner today. I asked him to take me to a place that serves salad with Thousand Island dressing.

I haven't had salad with Thousand Island dressing in almost a year! >:P

And you know, there's something wrong with me writing a squee post about being able to have salad when an INR that's too high can make me...oh...randomly hemorrhage.

Comments

[kjpepper.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with you at all. I liked the higher than "normal" days for precisely that reason. And if it were too low? break out the alcohol, baby!

[laurainlimbo.livejournal.com]

question out of curiosity - what is INR?
what does it imean that it's too high?

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

I'm on blood thinners because I got a blood clot earlier this year and almost dropped dead from a pulmonary embolism (aka blood clots in the lungs). The drug I'm on is called Coumadin, and it used to be used as a rat poison, hence that's why I refer to it as such. It works by inhibiting the re-uptake of Vitamin K, which controls clotting. For this reason, I'm not supposed to eat foods that are high in Vitamin K because they interfere with the blood thinners. So, this means that leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, and broccoli are out. If I do eat something high in Vitamin K, my INR drops, which means that my blood is too thick and I'm at a greater risk for clots.

Since this is a pretty risky drug, I have to get blood tests every couple of weeks to see how long it takes for my blood to clot. A low INR means that my blood is clotting too much. A high INR means that it's not clotting fast enough. This could cause me to hemorrhage, especially if I had an accident. Think hemophilia. Since my INR is too high, I get to take a break from the blood thinners for a day and have a salad to lower my INR. Afterwards, I have to resume the Coumadin at a lower dose to keep my INR from getting too high again. Then, I have to get retested in ten days to make sure I'm getting the correct dosage. Long story short, it's a pain in the butt.

[laurainlimbo.livejournal.com]

thank you for the explanation - I wanted to know what you were talking about and what you were experiencing. I've heard of coumadin but didn't realize it's uses.
it does really sound like a pain - I"m sorry you have to go through all this. I remember you telling me about your pulmonary embolism. that's so scary. do take care of yourself:)
*hugs*

[gindaisy.livejournal.com]

Salad it up!

[bibliofilen.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I guess?

Hope it tastes heavenly.

[ftemery.livejournal.com]

Unh..........enjoy it !! Whatever is going on. Nice break from "it"?

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

Here's an explanation of what's going on...

I'm on blood thinners because I got a blood clot earlier this year and almost dropped dead from a pulmonary embolism (aka blood clots in the lungs). The drug I'm on is called Coumadin, and it used to be used as a rat poison, hence that's why I refer to it as such. It works by inhibiting the re-uptake of Vitamin K, which controls clotting. For this reason, I'm not supposed to eat foods that are high in Vitamin K because they interfere with the blood thinners. So, this means that leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, and broccoli are out. If I do eat something high in Vitamin K, my INR drops, which means that my blood is too thick and I'm at a greater risk for clots.

Since this is a pretty risky drug, I have to get blood tests every couple of weeks to see how long it takes for my blood to clot. A low INR means that my blood is clotting too much. A high INR means that it's not clotting fast enough. This could cause me to hemorrhage, especially if I had an accident. Think hemophilia. Since my INR is too high, I get to take a break from the blood thinners for a day and have a salad to lower my INR. Afterwards, I have to resume the Coumadin at a lower dose to keep my INR from getting too high again. Then, I have to get retested in ten days to make sure I'm getting the correct dosage. Long story short, it's a pain in the butt.

[ftemery.livejournal.com]

O M G. I'm so sorry. I am more familiar with this than I would like, as Robyn's daughter, who is a NICU nurse in Boston, had that happen during her last pregnancy. We were lucky to not lose her or the baby. What a balancing act it all is, isn't it?

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is. Fortunately, my doctor is pretty good at it. It seems like, sometimes, my tolerance for Coumadin changes. Sometimes I need a higher dosage to stay in range and sometimes I don't. I usually vary between 7 and 8 mg. It's a pain in the ass, but at least I'm still alive, right?

By the way, did they ever figure out why Robyn's daughter got the embolism? Was is just the hormones from the pregnancy that caused it, or does she have a clotting disorder on top of it. Mine seems to be a combination of a leg injury and birth control.

[ftemery.livejournal.com]

I asked Robyn and just forgot what she said about her d, except that the daughter also has been diagnosed with lupus. She's has a string of very bad luck, I don't know if stress plays into it or not.