Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

Wow, I'm really sorry that you have to go through all of that again. Now I'm a little nervous cause I am getting my machine from Raytel on Monday. Thanks for the heads up though!!

I'm sorry too. That must just be a real blow to you.

Not too long ago, I think I posted on the DVT support group site that there was a striking difference in my INR within 2 days- the first INR was checked through my arm vein and it was 2.4, I think. Two days later it was checked through the Coagucheck at my doc's office and it was 1.8. My INR is funny anyway, so it wouldn't be that out of the question for it to be that different within 48 hours, but I did wonder if the doc's machine was off. Now, that seems even more plausible.

My PE was slow to reabsorb and had to be on the meds for an extra 2 months and then they did the scan again and it was all gone thank goodness. good luch with the shots! I hated them things! I was on them a little over 7 months (only on coumadin for a month). I would suggest if you get too bruised to have some one do the shots for you. At some points i was so bruised and it hurt so bad then i started letting friends and family do it when they were around and this helped tremendously. Also there are places you cant reach that they can do to give it a rest! Talk to your doctor. i was told it was safe to do it in your stomach,hips and thighs. (basically anywhere you can pinch an inch.) good luck!!

I am sorry to hear that. I'm glad that they sent you in for another CT scan. I had a similar experience with my INR a few weeks ago. I went into the ER because I was feeling leg pains. They did an ultrsound of the leg and another CT--no new clots and the one I had was being absorbed. My INR, however, was only 1.56---the ER doctor had me take an extra half of my warfarin pill for that day and sent me home. When I got my finger prick test at my pulmonologist's office the following day, my INR was 2.1. Hopefully their machine is registering correctly. I have had consistent readings of 2.1, 2.4, 2.0, and 2.2 the last few times so am going 3 weeks between readings this time (next finger prick is on July 8). I was excited about my readings, but if the machine is off---I am probably under my therapeutic range. I wonder how likely it is that those machines are off---it seems like the office would have tested their machines pretty thoroughly (guess you never know).

Hope that you are doing well today.

Hopper69

Hi guys, I have a home INR monitor. The doc didn't want this problem to happen to me. He only does venous-arm draw- INRs in the office. So, when I got the coagucheck monitor, I have been doing my own, and the lab draw for the first month- so far only off by .1-0 every time. That is weekly draws -sometimes more often. I tend to bounce around a lot too. If my level is therapeutic tomorrow, then I get to go to every month lab draw with the coagucheck in between -doc said every 2 weeks, but I will be doin git every week. A friend of mine has not had as good of luck with his. His is off from .1 to .5 -1/2 the range with his monitor. The last time I checked mine last week with the lab, the lab was 2.5, the venous blood from the tubing was 2.5 on the coagucheck, and the capillary blood-finger stick- was 2.6. It makes me wonder if the machine is being properly serviced and calibrated regularly if it was so off in the office.

I am so glad that you posted this. I went in today to a lab to get a venous blood draw--just to compare to my doctor's Coagucheck machine. I have been very consistent with my INR over the last several checks so I feel like I will really know how accurate the machine is based on the results I get from this draw. I feel like I really have to take so many of these matters into my own hands---be my own medical advocate. The doctors that I have are good, but they have a lot of patients and may not realize how accurate their machines are. It really seems dangerous that there are possibly some machines that are off by .5 or more---that could really hurt a lot of patients' recovery process. Hopefully I am in about the same range as I have been with this draw, but if not---I will know that I am better off getting a venous draw from now on. I had a CT scan last month and know that my clot is being reabsorbed, but I certainly don't want to run the risk of getting new clots.

The information and support on this board is truly priceless.

Thanks,

Hopper69

Again, I am so glad that you posted this. I found out tonight from my family doctor that my INR was 1.7 (& I was consistently 2.1, 2.4, 2.0, 2.2 with the Coagucheck at my Pulmonologist's office). My husband talked to my doctor tonight--I was already at my son's baseball game. I too have been having breast pains---chest whatever---not quite sure what is going on. I usually take 7.5 five days a week and 5mg two days a week--today was one of my 5mg days. I had already taken my 5mg pill, but after hearing what my doctor said---took an extra 1/2 pill to make it 7.5mg today. I have extra Lovenox shots left so had a nursing friend of mine give me one of those tonight. My doctor didn't say to do that, but I just want to feel protected. A pharmacist friend of mine was at the baseball game and told me it was perfectly fine to take the Lovenox shot. If I would happen to have any clots, I want to make sure they are not moving. I took both when I was in the hospital-----she assured me that I would be fine---and I had taken Tylenol today---pharmacist friend said that was perfectly fine as well.

I guess I am being my own doctor a bit....but I am just so disgusted right now. I can't believe the machine (Coagucheck) could be so off....about one month ago I was 1.56 in the hospital and then was 2.1 in my pulm. office the next day (using the finger prick machine). I may be okay....there may be no new clots, but there is such a danger to so many patients when they are this far off (possibly by .5).

Thank you for posting this....it made me double-check and I am so glad that I did.

Hopper69

Update - it appears that the Coagucheck machine in my doctor's office was not miscalibrated.

My doctor has done double-controls with other people (two INR tests at the same time, one with Coagucheck and another with a laboratory test from a venous draw) and those tests show that the Coagucheck machine is accurate. I've now had two double-controls and both have shown that the Coagucheck machine has been wrong (.6 off in one, .3 off in the other).

My doctor contacted a specialist and apparently there are some people for whom finger-prick tests NEVER work and I might be one of those people. This means that I will never be using the Coagucheck machine again. (I'm on Arixtra needles now, so INR doesn't matter anyways.) All the doctors concur that the last 4 months of my anticoagulation therapy has been ineffective.

So, I think this is good news for those of you using Coagucheck and there's not an inherent unreliability in the technology. Maybe the best idea is to establish right away if the Coagucheck machine works well for you through some double-control tests.

Good luck everyone!

Small update - I had a second opinion on everything when I returned to Canada. The Canadian doctors said it is not true that there are certain people for whom Coagucheck machines do not work and others from whom they do. They said that Coagucheck machines are less reliable than venous tests.

Also, 2 of 3 opinions are that I had a new PE while under-coagulated in June. (My 2nd PE episode after the initial one in February.) Because of all this, I'm staying on the needles for the next 5 months and not going back to the oral anticoagulants.

I'm definitely not a big fan of those Coagucheck machines.....

I have had my Coagucheck for about 3 moths now. My level has never been off by more than 0.1 from the venous draw. In order to compare, you just can't take random values -they have to be donew within 2 hours of each other to be a fair comparison. Your level can change and be off if more than 2 hours between draws. I drew mine at the exact same time they did the venous draw, and I even compared fingerstick blood to the venous blood (used the extra in the tubing from the butterfly needle). I am pretty satisfied with the coaguchek at this time.