Hi All
Ive been on warfarin for 14 years and had been trying one of the noacs instead but didnt like the side effects .
So i have just purchased a coaguchek machine of my own as im tired of having to go into town every week or so for blood tests.
Question is does anyone have their own as well and can give me helpful tips so i know im using it correctly and getting the right readings, what do you do to make sure you keep in a stable 2-3 range?
Hi, Sorry can't help you with your new machine, but would like to ask you question please. What side effects did you get from the new anticoagulants? I have been taking Apixaban for 3 weeks and feel terrible. I wish you well and hope someone can help you further. Thank you.
My issues were with interaction with ppis stomach pains nauses etc
Hi fairgo, I have the coaguchek xs handheld device and take my own readings at home. I then ring the results to my gp surgery. They put the data through their computer software which then gives me a new test date and new dose or maybe confirms the existing dose.
I have been using this for 9 years now. Brilliant, I take it with me everywhere even on trips to Australia.
Is your gp surgery supporting you with NHS prescription test strips. Are you in UK ?
To be honest, keeping in range ( 2.0 to 3.0) is more an issue of diet and green veggies than anything else. Also it is important that whatever you eat you maintain a degree of consistency. No bingeing on this, that or the other.
John
In not in the uk im in New Zealand dont mention the cricket
I have just bought the machine so dont really know how to use it.
Nothing to do with coaguchek is funded here so i have to pay for the strips myself.
Im a bit worried about getting the blood sample on the right part of the strip im not sure i think i will have to ask for a demo at the pharmacy i have been having my tests at .
the reason I bought my own machine is because unstable readings kept me going to them too often
Glad you have got yours all sorted
OK fairgo, its breakfast time here in Cornwall, UK. Gimme a bit of time and I'll PM you some details.
John
Getting a Coaguchek on warfarin is a great move. What I do is:
Get my hands warmed up by washing in hot water or running around a bit
Load the Lance
Put strip in machine which turns it on and press M when the number of the chip in the side comes up
Continue rubbing hands and let them hang below my heart to get the blood moving
When the machine starts counting down (after about 30 sec), I use the lancet on the side of the end of my ring finger level with the bottom of the nail. I get a good blob of blood, if necessary squeezing the end of my finger a bit. The blob needs to be nearly dripping.
Carefully put the blob on the side of the strip where the clear bit is. The blood will be transported automatically into the strip.Wait about 30 secs and you will get your INR reading.
If you get error 5 then you haven't put enough blood on the strip.
With a bit of practice, you can get the whole process down to about 2 mins.
To get a consistent INR reading, you need a consistent intake of Vit K. You can do this by having a high Vit K food every day (e.g. broccoli or spinach), or as I do, take a 90mcg Vit K2 tablet every day. I have 99% of readings in range. I self adjust my 8.5mg daily warfarin either 0.5mg up if the reading dips to 2.2 or 0.5mg down if it rises to 2.8. I have a very varied diet.
I wouldn't be without my Coaguchek. We are abroad a lot and I can check my INR any time I like.
Just make sure that the droplet of blood on your finger is big enough, and when you hold your finger against the testing strip, don't move it until the machine bleeps. This is really important, in the early days I used to get lots of error messages as I was moving my finger before enough blood had been absorbed by the testing strip. And that is it, really.
I don't do anything at all to keep in a stable range, but on this site I saw a post which outlined the benefits of vitamin K2 MK7 which taken regularly prevents vitamin K levels oscillating wildly with what you eat. It seemed logical to me and I started taking taking it daily. My INR levels stabilised between 2-3 and I don't even think about what I eat. My personal experience is that the biggest cause of any wild swings in my INR is totally related to illness and infection.
So for ME (stressing that!) when I am unwell I check my INR and if it is high, I make a temporary minor adjustment to my dose.
Best of luck.
I didn't know about the vitamin k thanks for sharing your coaguchek experience Irene very useful
Hi. Although you have your own machine, you must still be registered with an anticoagulant clinic. They can prescribe the testing strips and advise on dosing. I email my results to my GP surgery and they suggest dose, sometimes we disagree but usually find a happy middle ground. They should also really calibrate your machine once a year to make sure it's accurate. Hope that helps
I cant do that in New Zealand
My coag check is great. I use wafarin. My my cardiologist doesn't like the new NOACS. The very long term affects of unknown. If you can afford a coag check, then WAFARIN seems to be the best way to go.
I watched the cricket and thought that New Zealand were the better side. They should have been joint winners with England.
As far as instructions go, you should get a User's handbook, and there's a good video on YouTube about setting up the Coaguchek meter for the first time you use it. It's a video promoted by Advance Diagnostics NZ
After the one-off set-up there's a guide to using the meter at around 5 minutes 20 seconds. Search YouTube using the terms Coaguchek and Advance Diagnostics NZ. I think the manual tells you not to squeeze your finger but my arrhythmia nurse says it's okay to squeeze your finger to get blood out. You need a good blob. Sometimes I have to try more than one finger, or thumb, to get a good blob.
Thank you for all that info my only worry is the comment made about sending results to somone do you do that or just fly solo
Thank you so much for all the info Thomas im looking at the video's on you tube im sure i will master it
In the medical practice where I used to go to have the INR test there is a nurse who does the tests and now she asks for my test results by email, approximately every 6 weeks. Having your own strips means that you can test more often, but once you see that your INR has stabilised then you don't need to test frequently, unless you prefer to.
You said in your original post that you were fed up of going into town to have your INR checked. I assume they keep your records or pass them on to your local doctors.
Yes Thomas the pharmacy keep records of each test i have there and they have a program that works out my dosage depending what my results are then they send the results to my doctor but now im doing it myself no one has told me how it will work i just assumed i would have to work it out myself
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AF do it sends the nervous system into over also? 
