Need Prayers for Mike Webb

[ibuycues]

Yup. For sure. My dad was on blood thinners for over 25 years. Can't miss a blood test, have to stay on top of the numbers, don't make any major dietary changes, stay in touch with your doctor and adjust your dose based on his or her recommendations.

You are absolutely correct. One of our daughters had an aortic valve replacement and aneurism 4 years ago.
She is FOREVER checking her INR level, battling blood thickness because it can adversely impact her mechanical valve. Blood thickness is one of the biggest issues to monitor.
Important.

Will Prout

 

[fastone371]

You got the vitamin K part right, and the part where you need to keep your diet consistent right, but vitamin K is a blood-clotter, not blood thinner. Green leafy vegetables are high in vitamin K which can thicken your blood if eaten in abundance.

"The Role of Vitamin K in INR Levels​

Vitamin K is a key player when discussing INR levels. It's essential for the synthesis of certain clotting factors in the liver. Foods rich in vitamin K can increase INR, making it important for those on anticoagulants to manage their intake carefully. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and broccoli are particularly high in vitamin K. While these foods are nutritious, they can interfere with the effectiveness of warfarin by promoting clotting.

Conversely, reducing vitamin K intake can help lower INR levels. This doesn't mean completely eliminating these foods from the diet; rather, it’s about finding a balance. For instance, if someone usually consumes a lot of spinach, gradually reducing that intake while monitoring INR levels can be beneficial. It’s all about consistency."

Typically when on blood thinners they shoot for INR levels of 2.0-3.0, they say that is the therapeutic level to prevent clotting. Someone not on thinners will typically test around 1.0-1.5 I believe. I also know that when my dose of Warfarin is too high my INR levels increase to the 3.0-4.0 range, when my dose is too low I fall between 1.0-2.0. Higher INR test readings are "thinner" blood and lower numbers are "thicker" blood, too much vitamin K will make your INR test readings higher. Personally I never really saw any changes in my INR due to eating foods rich with vitamin K, maybe I didnt eat enough of it or one really needs to eat a lot to have much affect. For me what affected my levels the most was being ill with things like the flu or respiratory infections.

Another article that explains blood thinners and the effect of vitamin K

https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2015/june/consistency-not-avoidance-the-truth-about-blood-thinners-leafy-greens-and-vitamin-k

 

[FranCrimi]

"The Role of Vitamin K in INR Levels​

Vitamin K is a key player when discussing INR levels. It's essential for the synthesis of certain clotting factors in the liver. Foods rich in vitamin K can increase INR, making it important for those on anticoagulants to manage their intake carefully. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and broccoli are particularly high in vitamin K. While these foods are nutritious, they can interfere with the effectiveness of warfarin by promoting clotting.

Conversely, reducing vitamin K intake can help lower INR levels. This doesn't mean completely eliminating these foods from the diet; rather, it’s about finding a balance. For instance, if someone usually consumes a lot of spinach, gradually reducing that intake while monitoring INR levels can be beneficial. It’s all about consistency."

Typically when on blood thinners they shoot for INR levels of 2.0-3.0, they say that is the therapeutic level to prevent clotting. Someone not on thinners will typically test around 1.0-1.5 I believe. I also know that when my dose of Warfarin is too high my INR levels increase to the 3.0-4.0 range, when my dose is too low I fall between 1.0-2.0. Higher INR test readings are "thinner" blood and lower numbers are "thicker" blood, too much vitamin K will make your INR test readings higher. Personally I never really saw any changes in my INR due to eating foods rich with vitamin K, maybe I didnt eat enough of it or one really needs to eat a lot to have much affect. For me what affected my levels the most was being ill with things like the flu or respiratory infections.

Another article that explains blood thinners and the effect of vitamin K

https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2015/june/consistency-not-avoidance-the-truth-about-blood-thinners-leafy-greens-and-vitamin-k

Right. Now you've got it. Too much vitamin K = thicker blood.

 

[Quesports]

After having CABG double by pass on March 10 everything has been a challenge.

I developed a femoral hernia from the hacking and coughing in the Cardiac rehab unit at Duke.
Surgery to repair that is June 13th.

In the meantime I was told that walking would help greatly to clear my lungs and start to regain some stamina.

That caused plantar fasciitis in left foot. Which is still an issue today.

It was decided I should only go to cardiac physical therapy twice a week, (as opposed to three) so as to save some visits after I recover from the hernia surgery.

I lost 10% of my weight in muscle mass due to the CABG and lost my sense of taste for about 5 weeks as well.

Hope that Mike and all the others recover quicker than I have so far. I feel pretty good but the hernia and foot injury are complicating my journey!

Oddly I had a large bowl of steamed spinach with red wine vinegar tonight. Had no idea about vitamin k till reading this thread.

I also have a lesion on my T12 vertebrate which has stumped everyone so far. Done two PET scans and many MRI’s. No cancer at all but the lesion remains a mystery..had a biopsy but they missed the lesion and got healthy bone, nothing learned from that sadly.

Open heart procedures are no joke!!