Coumadin and INR
The new school of thought is that I should eat a healthy diet and drink alcohol if I want, just as long as I keep things consistent. When deciding to go with a mechanical Aortic Valve, I knew there was going to be some compromise. The upside is that, unlike a tissue valve, my new parts should last the rest of my life. This means that I should not ever need another heart surgery! The negative side of this decision is that my body recognizes this new valve as a foreign object and will try to form a clot around it for the rest of my life. In order to prevent this from happening, I take a daily dose of Warfarin. Basically, Warfarin has been used as a rat poison. When I take my daily dose, it prevents a clotting factor from working in my body. This means that my blood will clot more slowly. Although Warfarin is often referred to as a "blood-thinner," this is inaccurate. My blood is not thinner by any means; it simply does not produce clots as quickly. When determi