We are adjusting to the new normal of Noelle's healing process and the lifestyle changes that her medication requires. Noelle will need blood tests twice a week to see if the dose of coumadin (blood thinner) she is taking is at the right level. Eventually she will only need to be checked once or twice per month. It is about a 35 minute drive to the anti coagulation (hematology) clinic so it will be nice when we don't have to go as often.
We also have to make diet changes for Noelle. Well, to be more precise, we need to provide a more consistent diet. There are some foods(all the green veggies, which contain vitamin K)that she needs to eat the same amount of everyday or it will decrease the effectiveness of her medication. There are also foods, medications and supplements that are best to avoid such as soy, mangoes, vitamin E and garlic supplements as they can increase the effects of coumadin. The anti coag clinic's philosophy is to live your life and they will help adjust your dosage so you can live your life. Basically, anytime there is a change in diet or Noelle gets sick and needs antibiotics, etc., we need to be on the phone with them.
Yeah, it's a bit daunting.
I am not very good at meal planning and tend to fly by the seat of my pants more than I should; I guess it's time to make a change!
We also need to be careful about Noelle's physical activity for the next 6 weeks to give her sternum a chance to heal. So no PE, recess, bike riding, swinging, cartwheels; bottom line, all the fun stuff that our active girl loves to do is out for a while. Bummer!
1 comment:
Jen- wow. Lots of changes. I'm sure it'll take a lot of getting used to. My sister is really good at planning her menu for an entire month, and essentially using the same plan every month (or as long as you don't get sick of it). Her intention is to save more money, but it might help you as well to take the time once every few months to make a giant grocery list for what you require every day, and then you know what you are going to the store to buy... nothing more! I need to do it too so I don't do as much impulse buying! Just an idea. Good luck with organizing yourself! It'll get a lot easier once you figure it out initially.
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