INR check this morning.  It dropped.  I don’t really understand it.

I haven’t had any cranberries.  I have had very small amounts of green veg (salad actually) occasionally, but not much at all.  Yet it’s dropped to 2.1.  It needs to be kept between 2-3 and, because it’s still in range, they don’t seem worried.  The dose has not been changed.  The system, INR Star, says it doesn’t need checking again for a month but we’re actually going to check it on 4th Jan, which is the day the warfarin nurse gets back from Christmas.  I’ve not got a good feeling about that next check, as it’s a downward curve.  But we shall see, I suppose.  I think my neck is probably healed by now anyway, but it’s still not the most exciting position to be in for the next 11 days.  I have a box of Clexane syringes in the cupboard, but my bruises have only just really and truly disappeared and I’ve no desire to go back.

As a layperson, I’m also not rating INR Star.  Obviously I know nothing.  But there is clearly an unexplained drop in INR, it hasn’t changed the dose, and it suggested not checking again for another month.  That doesn’t seem like a very sensible or intelligent system to me.  Though I just found this FAQ thing – not on the INR Star site – which makes me wonder if they just haven’t customised the settings on the system for me…?  I’ll ask in January.

See, now I’m wondering if I should ask for it to be checked before 4 January.  But, well, the neck is probably healed anyway and the warfarin nurse didn’t seem at all worried that it would drop or anything, so maybe it’s just one of those things.

Diet Coke and stress, by the way, if anything – there isn’t much proof - raise INR, rather than make it drop.

Happy Christmas Eve!