1. Community
  2. Blood & Immune System
  3. Anticoagulants

i have a first appointment at warfarin clinic this week what will they do

Posted , 2 users are following.

buckrogers1
buckrogers1

was diagnosed with AF several weeks ago and have my first appointment this week at warfarin clinic - what happens there

 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • rob60599
    rob60599 buckrogers1

    Posted

    Hi Buck, when you go to a warfarin clinic they will if its our first ever appointment give you a yellow INR book which they record your INR readings in (INR is how thick your blood is) usually they set it at 2.5  to 3. They may even go through what you should avoid eating lots of e.g. spinach, broccali, cranberries, grapefruit etc

    They will then take a blood sample and test its thickness, then take it from there really if your blood level is close to 2.5 - 3 then they normally give you a time to go back in weeks I started every day then onto weekly then every month etc. I hope this has been some help.

    Rob

    • buckrogers1
      buckrogers1 rob60599

      Posted

      thanks Rob - what if its higher - the last time i had a blood test was at the hospital and she just said my blood was very thick and hard to get a sample of - my hand stayed bruised for over 5 weeks after that test and i'm not on warfarin yet but they didn't tell me anything about INR
    • rob60599
      rob60599 buckrogers1

      Posted

      Hi Buck,

      if when its tested, your blood INR is a high number then this means that your blood is thin if its a low number then thick.

      From this number the clinic will determine  your dosage in milligrams and how long until your next test.  

    • derek76
      derek76 buckrogers1

      Posted

      They should have started you on warfarin right away. My AF started in hospital after heart surgery and they started Warfarin at once and gave me a date in three days for the INR clinic after my release.

      Last year I went to my GP as I felt that I was again in AF. His nurse did an ECG to confirm it and I started Warfarin that day and then had twice weekly checks until it settled down.

      The hospital started me on a low dosage and gradually increased it until I was in range. My GP started me on 10mg and I was not comfortable with that but they said that was the standard way of doing it.

        

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.