As the proud owner of a mechanical heart valve a blood thinner called coumadin (warfarin) comes with the package. In most areas of life coumadin is nothing more than a 10 second inconvenience in the morning… unless you are making dietary and life style changes.

I’ve not been on coumadin for the better part of a year and I’m finding that even after this much time has passed if I make changes that are to drastic, then there are consequences.

Ideally, as the recipient of a mechanical heart valve my coumadin level (according to my cardiologist) should run at at PT-INR of 3. After being tested today I found that (after another dietary change last week) that mine had dropped to a 1.3… not good. When it gets that low, you can certainly feel it.

For those of you working to lose weight and increase exercise, and are a daily user of coumadin (warfarin), here are some rules of thumb to follow concerning a proper coumadin diet:

1.) Watch your vitamin k intake – Vitamin K changes the way that warfarin affects your blog. Vitamin K is prevalent in green leafy vegetables, like spinach, for example. It’s unfortunate because spinach is a great dietary food, it’s good for you, has some protein and is very low in fat and calories. It also suppresses the appetite (at least it does mine.) I still eat spinach but it’s in moderation. Also watch peanuts, peas and legumes.

2.) Alcohol consumption – in short, alcohol and warfarin do not mix and consumption of alcoholic beverages should be avoided as not to affect the medicine in your system.

3.) Manage your diet - you can eat healthy, lose weight and keep your calorie budget in check without hurting your coumadin levels. There are several free resources available online where you can get ideas and even set up a meal plan as illustrated in the image below:

Here are a couple of great resources you can use to manage and monitor your coumadin diet: Dr.Gourmet – Managing Your Warfarin (pdf) – Coumadin Side Effects

The worst side effect I have noticed from coumadin are visual disturbances. I’ve noticed cloudy, distorted vision from time to time as well as something like seeing stars. These, for me, are usually signs that my coumadin is too low. I’ve also noticed some slight redness (rash) on my face from time to time but have found that lotion seems to help as well as getting some sun. If your valve is like mine then you are going to hear it 24 hours per day, 7 days per week as well. If you are a candidate for a heart valve replacement MAKE SURE to talk to your surgeon about the valve you are going to receive and if there are other options.

Always consult your doctor before making any major changes to your diet when on coumadin. It’s a good idea to consult your doctor anytime you are going to make a drastic lifestyle change.

In closing, having a mechanical heart valve isn’t all that bad… and if your life is in danger it’s much better than the alternative… !! If anyone has any questions about having a mechanical heart valve, feel free to contact me using Twitter @rexharrislive.

Cheers!

Rex