Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Ok so i have been on meds since friday , if i am correct .they took theblood from finger the number was 1.2 .i know i have been told that it should be between 2 and 3 .
the cardio also wants me to do a calcium ct scan to see any plaque ,but as i recall that is very controversial and also it bombards you with huge amount of x rays .
would appreciate any feed back. can i also add that all of you guys are like a godsend to me and i am slowly coming to face this head on .
ray
los angeles
the cardio also wants me to do a calcium ct scan to see any plaque ,but as i recall that is very controversial and also it bombards you with huge amount of x rays .
would appreciate any feed back. can i also add that all of you guys are like a godsend to me and i am slowly coming to face this head on .
ray
los angeles
It's pretty normal to take some time to get the INR in range. Did they have you increase the dose? You will need labwork frequently until the right dose is found. Then lots of people only need their INR checked monthly.
It's important to be very consistent with coumadin. Take it at the same time every day. If you eats foods high in Vit K be consistent with that. If you have a salad 3 times a week, do that every week.
I don't know much about a calcium CT. I know that you do get alot more radiation from a CT than a regular Xray. But if it is a 1 time thing it might be worth it. I really haven't heard of that being part of a standard work up for a fib.
Glad you are getting a grip on things. It is a very hard thing to be a healthy active person, and then whammo....your heart isn't beating right. It really takes away your confidence for awhile, that's normal too. It will get easier to cope with.
Thanks for reply , this is my main problem i dont take my medicines at the same time ,i am not good at that ,I did change the hour for warafin to 6 p m .I havent statrted taking magnesium yet .and i might go back to baby aspirin may be 3 times a day .
thanks for encouraging words .
regards
ray
aspirin will cause your INR to go up, and fish oil will too. If you are going to take these, take them every day. I do not take warfarin, I take a 325mg aspirin a day at the direction of my cardiologist. Since you are on warfarin there isn't going to be much benefit to taking more than 1 baby aspirin a day. After awhile it will get to be a habit to take your meds like clockwork.
Marikay is right about getting used to taking pills...good grief!?! but it is worth it...just a word on caution on the aspirin with coumadin...my prescription bottle has a sticker on it that insists that I not take aspirin while on this medication without consulting a doctor...also, the advice to not change your diet is sound...let them adjust the meds to what you normally eat...where I find I am low is as I increase physical activity...thought I normally get two to three miles walking a day in plus some resistance exercise, the extra yard wok associated with spring in the Northeast keeps me on the low side so a dosage change is needed. I still just go in once a month...I am a big and relatively strong man, but even that dang finger stick hurts! (I am a wimp)
Take care and keep your chin up!
Reid
Warfarin seems to interact with many things, so any change to your routine can affect it. Lots of meds that you wouldn't think have anything to do with blood clotting will cause it to shoot up too high or drop. Some antibiotics, cholesterol meds, even pepto bismol.