So a nice person in the ladies room at Margarita's Restaurant helped Sarah with the bloody nose - her first on Coumadin. "Just squeeze here and count to 30," she said. But think about where this is happening - one of Sarah's favorite restaurants, out for some Mexican food with her mom and sister. Wow!
Sarah has a new plastic box with little covered compartments for each day's pills, and she wants to manage that herself. And she is on strike about dressing changes - "They hurt, it's my body, no more." So we'll have to negotiate a little on that, but hopefully she is on her last couple of those if we stop the IV antibiotics next Thursday and there are (please) no fevers.
Sunday I traveled to Washington for a two-night trip - the first travel since Sarah's illness began. This trip included Tuesday when Seddon would also have to be out of the house for her clinic at the Manchester VA. Someone else would have to be with Sarah all day that day. Fortunately, one of Sarah's oldest friends from first grade was available, someone who along with her twin sister acted as Sarah's six-year-old personal guardians on the school bus. She happens to work as a direct care provider locally which made it possible to pay her for her time from Sarah's community supports budget. It all worked out very well.
Monday's INR was 4.0, which is above the 2.5 to 3.5 range and means that her blood was over coagulated. Why? Nothing obvious - no illnesses, no new medications, no changes in diet. Maybe it is just one of the mysteries of Coumadin therapy. We are advised to start a lower Coumadin dose every other day alternating with her current dose - and re-check next Monday. Hope this doesn't become a weekly surprise to look forward to!
But, as you can see this is generally good news overall. Minimal pain medication has been needed for 4 or 5 days, cardiac rehab session tomorrow, and, best of all, Levi will be visiting this weekend and celebrating his birthday with Sarah and with us. Sarah would like to be rid of her IV bag with the pump and tubing for "just one night," but that will have to wait until the next time.
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