International Normalized Ratio (INR)

September 25, 2009 — I once thought that the Defense Department could not exist without the use of acronyms. I know there seems to be an acronym for almost everything connected with DoD. I am finding out that it is also true of the medical profession.

Since encountering my third blood clot in one of my legs...oh okay it's the right one...I am learning more and more about the terms used to describe the medical issues related to having a blood clot, e.g., DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis the medical term for a blood clot. Then there is INR or International Normalized Ratio which becomes important to those of us that have suffered a DVT and are on Warfarin (Coumadin) drug therapy. This is a measure of how long it takes the blood to clot (to put it very simply in laymen terms) and is critical for those that have problems with DVTs. If you really want to punish yourself I invite you to read about DVT and INR in Wikipedia...and I mean if you really want to punish yourself.

With my history of this malady, I will be on Warfarin the rest of my life. This also means that I will most likely have my blood tested monthly to ensure the INR is at the proper level and therefore the dosage of Warfarin I am taking is correct. There are any number of things that can affect the INR. An intake of too much vitamin K is one and that means I have to watch eating too much leafy green veggies. Gee, no honey I don't care for a second helping of that spinach. Now I have a good excuse for refusing things like that. Excessive weight gain or loss is another factor among many. It can get really complicated if you let it.

I am under the care of the VA for the administration of my Warfarin and the monitoring of my INR time. I could not feel more comfortable with that situation. I went to my first check the other day and the technician at the clinic took almost an hour in explaining what was going on and how important it is to do this thing correctly. I came away from that visit completely convinced that I will be taken care of as I need to be. As I have said many times before in this blog, the VA does an outstanding job in their medical care regardless of mistakes that are made sometimes. Anyone is susceptible to making a mistake. To me it's a matter of faith and trust and I have that in the VA system.

So I will be taking my meds exactly as directed by the VA and be all the better for it...it's what really matters!

P.S BTW IBTWANC

BTW = By The Way
IBTWANC = It's Been Two Weeks And No Cigarette

Just thought I'd throw those acronyms in!