Ashley 's Journal

Yumiko Ishida  Hi, Ashley. It’s not just vitamin K that affects your INR. Various medications and supplements. Even Tylenol if taken in large quantities. Another major item is alcohol. I was off alcohol for the longest time, and when I started drinking again, my INR shot up. Even topical remedies like CBD cream affected my INR. Just try to make changes slowly. It does take time to find a routine that works for you. Like with vitamin K, you need to be consistent. Eventually you should be able to adjust your own dose on special occasions when you go off script.

Yumiko Ishida  Here is the list I created for myself, based on what I eat and drink regularly but not every day. I did not bother with things I take/consume every day in the same quantity, even if they affect my INR (wine, fish oil, vitamin D, turmeric, etc). There is a lot of information out there on what affects your INR, but it can be confusing, so it’s useful to create your personal cheat sheet. Hope this helps!

Rita Savelis  This is normal and just part of the process. I'm sorry that you have to go through this. Those first months with anticoagulants are hard because one gets nervous. I was very nervous. INR goes up and down all the time. That's what it does. At some point you get more stable and you generally take the same amount of meds and need less testing. But every so often for an unknown reason it goes up or down. This is okay. There are many factors that make INR go up and down which you can't control. I eat everything in moderation. I have never changed my diet. I do not think about what I eat. This is on the advice of doctors and it works for me. Most people's diet is naturally fairly consistant so you can work your med dose around whatever you naturally eat. And yes alcohol (too much) can affect INR but I have a drink or two. It is an impossible task to try to control INR by diet. If you do something unusual like never eat spinach and then one day suddenly eat spinach all day, that will affect INR obviously. Sometimes my INR gets high but it always eventually goes back down. Sometimes it's low. At some point you will get more at ease and you can manage your own meds. You will change your coumadin dose by half a milligram one way or the other. I have been on anticoagulants for 9 years. I have 2 mechanical valves. My target is 2.5 to 3.5 and yes sometimes I go to 5 or higher and then I eventuallly go back into range. Please try not to stress about it. I no longer think much about INR. I test about once a month. I have written a post about INR way back when about all my fears. You can probably find it in my journal. 10 weeks is very very early. (I also took a long time to get into range when I first began anticoagulants.) Take care.

Yumiko Ishida  Welcome to the site, Ashley! Glad you have an awesome cardiologist and an excellent surgeon. Finding the right doctors is part of the big challenge.

I had rheumatic fever as a child, too, apparently, but don’t remember. I was aware of my mitral valve stenosis in my early 20s but it was mild for decades. Just got a new valve earlier this year, at age 54.

I found cardiac rehab to be very helpful. I was afraid of overdoing things, so it was nice to know that there was always someone there to make sure I was ok. There are two ways of doing cardiac rehab. One way is in a class setting on a schedule. The other is more like an open gym setting. In both scenarios they will monitor your HR throughout and take your BP at the beginning, middle, and end. I’ve done it both ways and found them both useful. Wishing you continued recovery!

Robert Miller  My cardiologist told me that the cardiac rehab people will just slow you down, then have you increase your pace and then say what a big improvement you made. He would have prescribed it if I wanted it but he didn't think it makes any sense. Having said that, he made this comment considering my general activity and my recovery while in the hospital and after I got out of the hospital. So if you feel you could benefit from cardiac rehab, by all means do it. You could also just try it a few times and see if it is helpful. If not, then just stop it. 

Ann T  Hello. I am 40 and had my 2nd emergency open heart surgery before turning 39! It's amazing what our bodies can go through! I found that cardiac rehab was helpful and gave me the confidence to know what I could do and be more active. I had a really friendly group of therapists that I think helped it be an enjoyable experience.  

Suelynn Hanegraaf  The monitoring and the cardiac rehab therapists & my fellow ♥️ rehabbers keep me energized and accountable to consistently exercise. 

Jennifer reynolds  Hi, I am 59 yo and 6 1/2 weeks post mitral valve replacement; also with a mechanical valve: Started  rehab 3 weeks ago and love it! I feel that it is really helping get my stamina back. I plan on doing it for the full 12 weeks my insurance will cover it..would highly recommend it
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