Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.

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Jean1014 03/29/2011

This is absolutely ridiculous! I am only a month out from my PE's and not yet therapeutic on Coumadin, so still taking the lovenox injections. I am having to wait on average 2-3, sometimes more, days to get results of my INR, despite leaving messages daily! Is it me or is that just a little too lax given the circumstances? Just trying to get to speak to an actual person is beyond difficult. I don't know if it is the doctor himself, or the office, but eithert way I am so frustrated. Every doctor I saw while in the hospital stressed the importance of being tested and getting these results, yet my doctors office can't seem to be bothered. I also told them in my message, twice, that as of tomorrow I will be out of injections so if I need to stay on them he needs to call them in. And still I have heard nothing.

Sorry, just needed to vent!

deleted_user 03/29/2011

I would look for the overall person in charge of your clinic and voice your concerns. I do my labs at my clinic every two weeks now. I know the instance they do as they you a testing monitor like one you would use at home. it has proved to be accurate. My clinic labs are always ready right then. They sure can do better , let them know!

deleted_user 03/29/2011

Look into if there is a Coumadin clinic near you. There is one at my Pulmonologist, that I use but I do blood draws at the outpatient center so I dont have to make appointments etc. I have always gotten my results the day of the draw, but I also go in first thing in the morning so they can get it to the lab that day.

deleted_user 03/29/2011

I think it is time for a new doctor. You have had problems with his staff since this began, so I would be looking for someone else, if it were me. I would also speak directly to the doctor, and tell him why you are leaving. If the staff is doing this to you, they are doing it to others too, and he needs to know. Just my two cents.

TossNTurn 03/29/2011

Time to bail on that doctor. You need up-to-date monitoring and information when working with INRs and this guy doesn't seem to get it. I'd find a new doc and go in for a "meet and greet" to ask questions about how they handle their patients on warfarin.

Having a doctor you trust is half the battle in recovery. My primary has saved my tail more than once.

monael 03/29/2011

I think checking for a coumadin clinic is a good idea. When I get tested, my clinic calls me the same day if there is a dosage change needed (which was every time for the first 2-3 months). If they didn't call, I would get a letter in the mail in about 2 days telling me my INR and when the next test date would be. I also have the ability to go online to check test results.

Jean1014 03/29/2011

Thanks everyone. I didn't even know about coumadin clinics!! I will look into that. In the meantime, I am looking for a new doctor, asking around to family and friends.
Thanks again!

TossNTurn 03/29/2011

As a suggestion to find a new doc ...

If you have a doctor you DO like (specialist, nurse, etc.) ask them for a referral. Sometimes the folks you like know other folks you'll like. Also, it is helpful when your doctors know and like each other. Makes it easy to coordinate between offices.

deleted_user 03/31/2011

Ditto to all. Look for a Coumadin Clinic. I was in one while I was on coumadin, and they did INR by fingerstick and gave me immediate results along with adjusting coumadin dosages if necessary.

If you doctor is not responsive, raise a stink! It's your life.

JR

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