You can rant all you want, you know we all feel exactly like you. And people who haven't been through a PE or on Coumadin don't know how we feel. So, complain, complain, complain. At least you will know we will listen and understand!! I know how you feel with the crappy part. Who wants to go for a walk when laying on the couch is just easier and less exertion. And as far as eating good, sometimes all I can stomach is bread and soup. It sometimes feels as if we'll never get back to normal but I know we will. God bless your day.

Vent away, friend! That's what we're here for.

Out of curiousity, I thought you could eat veggies (vit K) as long as you are always consistent with it from week to week. Is this wrong? Wouldn't they just adjust your coumadin dose if you ate more veggies? Again, just curious.

Just keep doing your best, as you seem to be doing, and hang in there.... :)

barbierox you are right. you can eat whatever but you have to be consistent every week.

Just a comment about eating healthy...

You can eat healthy when on warfarin or Coumadin. Whatever you eat, though, you must eat it consistently. So, if you eat a salad three days a week, you should do that every week.

I am warfarin resistant so I've had a really hard time reaching a therapeutic INR. The first 4 months that I was on warfarin, I tried anything to get my INR levels up. I eliminated salads and a lot of veggies. Not only did I not feel great because I eliminated all that stuff, but it totally stressed me out to be worrying about my food intake so much. Plus, it didnt work! My INR was still goofy. So, I just stopped playing around with my diet and stuck to what I like to eat. And eventually, my INR got to where it needed to be. The docs will find a dosage of warfarin that will work for your body. It can just take time.

I eat a salad every day for lunch and I have a serving of veggies with my dinner at night. I do watch how much lettuce I eat, so rather than loading up on lettuce, I stick to a small portion of that and then use cucumbers and other veggies as the base of my salad. My INR has been around 2.4, give or take a few weird times where it was lower or higher, for the last few months.

I know what it's like to struggle with weight; I've done so my whole life. And I've gained weight since the PE. But I think for me, it had to do more with overeating to comfort myself due to the anxiety and lack of activity.

People have the wrong impression that you must cut every green veggie or all vitamin K out of your diet when on warfarin/Coumadin. That's absolutely not true and I think warfarin clinics and dieticians scare warfarin patients into thinking that.

Hi all thanks for the information, I do remember them telling me in the hospital to be consistant with the greens. I think what happened is I spent the first 3 months after my pe soo afraid of everything that I cut anyting that even could possibly have k in it out. Now that Im a little more comfortable with the situation I have tried to eat better.

For a while my inr was between 2.6-2.8 and now it is between 2.3-2.4 since Ive started eating better.

Its odd, when I eat salad I also fill up on the cucumbers, carrots and other goodies rather than piling on the lettuce, and I even opt to eat the iceburge lettuce and not spinach or romaine. I tried doing celary sticks as a snack and I have introduced a lot more whole grains and omega 3s into my diet. I also starting eating danactiv and activia..so i wonder if the probiotics are making the difference in my inr...I dunno I just want to be healthy again it gets so fustrating. Im just trying to focus on loosing the weight and its not happening right now.

Yeah, I totally get where you're coming from. And feeling pressured to lose weight is so incredibly difficult, whether it's pressure from a doctor or pressure we put on ourselves. When we feel so stressed out about it and anxious, it's almost like we set our selves up to fail. For me, I'm just trying to relax about food. It's so hard though. My relationship track record with food is not great.

It sounds like you're on a great path right now with your food. So, just get in a good head place about it and go with the flow. The weight will come off but you have to be realistic too. It takes a long time to put weight on so losing weight, in a healthy way, takes time too.

INR is a tricky business and any little thing can goof it up. I'll be chugging along at 2.4 and then out of no where, it'll be 1.8. When that happens, my doc will usually test me again a few days later and it will be then be back to 2.4. So, really, who knows is right. I take a probiotic supplement too. I don't know if it messes with my INR or not, but it may. Also, if you are becoming more active, that can mess with your INR too.

You sound like you're doing all the right things so just keep doing what you're doing and stay positive.

Do you have a facebook page? I am also a part of a support group with facebook and they have a vitamin that they are recommending that does not have vitamin K. I am considering trying it because like you, I have had to give up some things and I need a boost of energy. I asked my doctor about it and he told me to try it, I have just been to frighten to take any more medications because I take something all day. I am going to do a bit more research on it so that I can feel better about taking it. Ida

Hi Ida, I dont have facebook, Ive been meaning to sign up to the group, Ive heard of it. Really thats great about the vitamin keep me updated!!!!!! I was told not to take vitamins bc it would mess with INR but yay let me know!
Thanks for the info, its nice that we all stick together.

It is so weird
If you have others diseases/afflictions people seem to understand and have sympathy but for some reason not so much with PE's. Don't get it
Heard a weird thing from my RN this w/e avoid dried bananas ~ ever heard of this one before

a vitamin that does not have vitmin K in it is Flinstone chewables. I know you are laughing but my Pulmonologist recomended it. This is the second time in a month I have heard this vitamin being recommended. My assistant's partner had gastric bypass surgery and his doctor recommeded Flintstones also!