We also met with a nurse specialist on Thrombophilia (clotting) and got all our questions and more answered about being on blood thinners and how they should and should not affect daily life. It was great to hear that life really won't need to be lived in a bubble...rather, my new motto should be consistency and moderation mixed with some common sense. That's in everything from eating to exercise.
The final piece to the puzzle was meeting with the Hemotologist. He was extremely straight forward and wanted to make sure I understood every aspect of the genetic mutation (Factor V) I have. The main thing he stressed was how important it is to keep my blood thickness ratio (INR) levels bw 2-3. It hasn't been there since I left the hospital and he bumped my blood thinner dosage up and insisted I get the level checked in 2 days...I'm very pleased to report that my level this afternoon was 2.1! Everyone we've consulted with says how hard it is to regulate because virtually everything can affect it's abilities...hydration, activity level, diet, medicines, weight gains and losses..etc.
All in all we're thrilled with the second opinion! Here are a couple more pics from the trip and one of my brain! I'm no doc, but the white shows blood flow and you can see where it stops when it gets to the top which is where the clot prevented blood flow to a huge part of the front of my brain.
The back of my head is on the right, you can see how the flow stops a little then comes back then completely stops...ta-da a stroke.
More of the Mayo campus...there are beautiful gardens and flowers all over.
Not sure if you can read it...but Mayo Clinic is etched above this doorway.
