i hate Coumadin
now that i'm on topic number 11, i decided that this entry needs...no, deserves a special title that will truly portray the deep sentiments that i have for this topic
11. f*** acceptance...I HATE COUMADIN!!! i hate the little number that i have to chase around on a regular basis to make sure that i will not have another stroke (too little) or an intercranial bleed (too much). i hate the myriad of medications which speed up or slow down the various cytochrome P450s so that i have to go for more frequent blood tests when i am on them and when i stop them. i hate that i have to go off Coumadin and on injectible low-molecular weight heparin whenever i am faced with a surgical procedure, and then have to spend several weeks with more blood tests afterwards while my Coumadin becomes therapeutic.
i hate having much more severe injuries whenever i am in an accident because i bleed into my subcutaneous tissues, my joint capsules, and whatever else happens to be around at the moment.
i used to hate wearing a Medi-Alert bracelet which says 'stroke-takes coumadin' on the back until Medi-Alert came out with an inexpensive orange (one of my two fave colors) beaded bracelet and an inexpensive black and red dog tag. the bracelet goes with all of the other bracelets that i usually wear, and the dog tag is sufficiently trendy/punky/hip-hop for me to wear it. fashionista triumphs over mad dog-now i like wearing these pieces of jewelry.
so, today, i went for yet another INR. because i am taking Xenical, and because i was taking Biaxin and Flagyl for two days because of very severe gastritis/reflux,/stomach pain, i expected my INR to be high, and cut down on my Coumadin for the two days that i was taking antibiotics. well, my INR was 4.84-not too bad, since i'm supposed to ruin an INR between 3 and 4 (a thick head has to have thick blood, don't you think?)i'll cut down on my Coumadin by 1/2 mg (4-3 1/2 mg/day)and get it testing again next week)
on a more positive note, some of the most meaningful conversations that my dad and i have had over the last two years have been about Coumadin and elevated INRs. does that qualify for a silver lining?
i'm sure he would say that he hates Coumadin, too. the only difference is, he would curse in Rumanian.
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