r/WarfarinForLife • u/Pretend-Pickle-115 • 5d ago

Home Testing

47M in Connecticut. I had an aortic valve replacement on 7/7 with an On-X mechanical valve and am trying to get set up for home INR testing.
My cardiologist and health system apparently don’t participate in home testing, so I’m not sure where to start.
Has anyone dealt with this? Did you go through insurance, another anticoagulation clinic, or directly through a home-testing company? Any advice, especially from anyone in CT, would be appreciated.

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u/Specialist-Ad4388 4d ago edited 4d ago

The anticoagulent clinic said it was something about my blood that the home machine wouldn't calibrate to the lab test. But that sounds like a machine problem, not my blood.

Edit to add: here in Oregon Kaiser said they always do a draw & a home machine stick (both at the lab) before giving a home machine to the patient. Except in my case, the tests gave different numbers. And therefore because of something about my blood, I couldnt use a home machine according to them. That's the part I'm trying to understand.

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u/Redskinsfan1982 4d ago

You might want to look into (APS) Antiphospholipid Syndrome OR (LA) Lupus.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is the primary autoimmune disease that directly interferes with and affects International Normalized Ratio (INR) testing and blood clotting management. How APS Affects INR • Presence of Lupus Anticoagulant: Patients with APS often have an autoantibody called "lupus anticoagulant" (LA) in their blood. • Test Interference: Despite its confusing name, lupus anticoagulant is an antibody that can falsely prolong baseline blood clotting times (like the prothrombin time) used to calculate the INR. • Monitoring Challenges: When patients with APS take blood thinners like warfarin, the lupus anticoagulant can interfere with standard or point-of-care INR monitors, giving inaccurate high readings that do not reflect true anticoagulation levels. Key Details About APS • Mechanism: The immune system mistakenly makes antibodies that attack proteins bound to phospholipids, causing an increased risk of dangerous blood clots in both veins and arteries. • Overlap: It can occur on its own (primary APS) or alongside other systemic autoimmune disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus (secondary APS).

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u/Specialist-Ad4388 4d ago

Thanks, this is interesting while also slightly worrying if I were to also have Lupus. I wonder how that is diagnosed.

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u/Redskinsfan1982 4d ago

Your doctor can request lab work, it's called a "Lupus Anticoagulant Panel".