No warfarin tests for weeks?

[Jomomo]

I almost died from warfarin. No one has time to check your INR levels. I bled out from my stomach. 10 days in the hospital. Don't take warfarin if no one has time to check you. I'll never take it ever again. It almost killed me.

[Hidden]

I was led to believe that INR blood tests were one of those that was a priority and would be done anyway!

[MazzyB]

Couldn’t your local hospital have done it? Shocked, hope your feeling better now

[Jomomo in reply to MazzyB]

I am going to be honest with you. I didn't understand how dire it was to get the INR tests. I thought I was getting regular blood tests. I realize now what happened to me. You have to realize I've been so sick, couldn't really think rationally, I couldn't even walk to my restroom from my bed. I just knew....im going to die. When I went in the hospital, a doctor who I've never seen, issued the orders to take me off Elliquis and put me on warfarin. I was never consulted with a doctor about warfarin and why they were changing me, I never had a doctor come talk to me and say, this is what an INR test is. Never knew how dangerous warfarin can be if levels go up. I didn't know about levels. I just was trying not to die, and I was hallucinating, and not me. But when it was better for me, I was never given instructions and warnings at all. The oncologist came in my room on check out day and said I need to be sure to see her once a week. The lady doctor who put me on warfarin came in to talk to me and when I asked her about why my cardiologist hadn't been there to see me and why my meds were changed, she rolled her eyes and walked out on me. I had been asking for contact with my cardiologist during the week. No one had let him know I was in the hospital. No one notified him of any tests and results found. I was mad thinking my cardiologist just didn't give a hoot. I mean....if I told the whole story in detail what exactly happened it'd be too lengthy. What happened to me was failure to get consent and failure to inform.

[MazzyB]

That’s really disgusting! But I’ve been lot’s better on Warfarin than when they changed me! There are certain triggers though like if you go on Antibiotics you must have your INR checked! Hope you get well very soon.

[busdriver1]

I check my INR every two weeks. I have a home monitoring kit that contains lancets, test strips and a monitor.

[Suebo2 Moderator]

It’s hard to comment clearly on here as we do not know the full story. Anyone on warfarin should be managed by a health care professional All people on warfarin should have had a good counselling session to explain the process. It’s worth remembering that warfarin and Apixaban do not cause you to bleed. You need a ‘hole in the pipe’ before this can happen. They merely mean that your blood takes longer to clot. You can have a very high INR but not bleed unless you cut yourself, fall over and ? hit your head.

If you are seeing an oncologist that indicates to me that you potentially have a medical condition which might increase your bleeding risk

If you are still confused, worried please speak to your oncologist.

Good luck.

[Sleafy in reply to Suebo2]

That’s actually not true. If your INR gets extremely high your organs start to bleed by themselves and you die.

[Jomomo in reply to Suebo2]

You are so wrong. Warfarin caused me to bleed internally. Not because I had something wrong anyway. Read the history of the drug. It caused thousands of cattle to bleed to death internally before it was discovered what they were eating.(Coumadin) Warfarin is also a rat poison. Rats eat it and bleed internally and die. I'm not a rat, and I don't want to take a drug that can also double as rat poison. That is taking it too far. And if you are lethargic, dizzy, feel like you can't walk 2 steps without fainting..... ITS THE WARFARIN!!!!!