Somsuvra Chatterjee - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

610 days ago

Hi, I went through the heart surgery recently, AVR with mechanical Onyx valve replacement. Am on Warfarin. My INR value in last 4 weeks at best was 1.58. But ...Read more

Hi, I went through the heart surgery recently, AVR with mechanical Onyx valve replacement. Am on Warfarin. My INR value in last 4 weeks at best was 1.58. But last two reading were 1.2 and 1.3. Surgery was done almost 4 weeks ago. Want to know how long will it can take to reach the INR within 2-3. I am completely avoiding Vitamin K and on healthy diets, avoiding any spicy rich food, alcohol etc. Kindly help. I am worried on how I can maintain INR!!

Klara Čičić Dear Somsuvra, warfarin users should aim for stable daily vitamin K intakes, not completely avoiding ... Read more

Klara Čičić Dear Somsuvra, warfarin users should aim for stable daily vitamin K intakes, not completely avoiding vitamin K rich food as it is not recommended and may cause vitamin K deficiency and malnutrition. I see your surgery was recently. It's still early days. You and your GP together should manage to find the right daily dose of warfarin that results in 2.0-3.0 INR range but also doesn't totally prevent you from eating vitamin K rich food. Oscillations are important to avoid, not vitamin K rich food entirely (for example if you eat a portion of broccoli one day, you should eat the same portion of some other vitamin K rich food the next day etc). Some people get there sooner, some later (how our body metabolizes warfarin is very individual). It's a trial and error process and it takes time. After few months you will be a pro :) educate yourself as much as you can from reliable websites and give it some time...it's not easy and can be frustrating but it is achievable. Also, do everything in agreement with your primary care physician or a specialized nurse, he/she should guide you through this is these first days... Good luck!

Mike Tirrell Somsuvra, it takes some time to get into a groove but it happens. With an OnyX valve you will want t ... Read more

Mike Tirrell Somsuvra, it takes some time to get into a groove but it happens. With an OnyX valve you will want to be in the 1.5-2 range after 3 months so they will likely try to manage you on the low end of that 2-3 range, especially as you get further along. They should be slowly upping your dosage if your INR is low. Don't worry, it will work out, it just takes a little adjustment.

Rita Savelis You can eat what you like (in moderation) but you will have to increase yr anticoagulant dose until y ... Read more

Rita Savelis You can eat what you like (in moderation) but you will have to increase yr anticoagulant dose until you get into target range. Your INR will continue to fluctuate because that's what it does and you may need slight adjustments in meds when it does. It can take weeks and months to get your INR stable and this causes a lot of nervousness and worry. It took me a long time to stop worrying. Now, 7 years later, I test once a month and dose my own meds. I have a high target range ( 3 to 4.5) because I have 2 mechanical valves. I'm sorry that you have to go through this. It's a big adjustment. But feel free to eat what you normally would eat and adjust meds around that. However your INR will never be completely stable. Take care.

Brady Busch I had an aortic tissue valve installed,but because of atrial fibrillation,I'm on Warfarin,still after ... Read more

Brady Busch I had an aortic tissue valve installed,but because of atrial fibrillation,I'm on Warfarin,still after 8 months and am about to go on Eliquis.It took awhile for the pharmacists to get the right dosage.My number was low also and then was over corrected and only for a day,it was about 3.2 and a noticeable change in urine color.One of them told me,that it takes my system a long time to react to the Warfarin.But really,once they get the amount to take, squared away,it should be a lot more normal and easy to do.