As we have mentioned before, my sisters and I have been caring for our 87 year old Mother. She is having trouble with her heart. The good news about modern meds and heart issues is there are medicines that can prolong our life in spite of the fact that our heart or kidney s are damaged. The side effects of the medicines can be uncomfortable or even life threatening. Learning just how to properly adjust the dosage for her little body has been an adventure.
Before helping Mom I had known people who were taking blood thinners,but they took a different kind than coumadin and had less side effects. One of the downfalls of coumadin is that it is vulnerable to vitamin K. This useful vitamin helps the blood clot quickly in order to prevent hemorrhaging. Food high in vitamin K, such as kale,Swiss chard, and collared greens are the highest and of course happen to be my Momma’s favorite!
It figures that the foods you have to convince others to eat are happily consumed by our Mom, along with a large dose of jalapenos. Mom is one of those rare people who actually enjoys eating foods that would normally be seen as good for her.
We have also learned that Coumadin is affected by antibiotics. There are good bacterias that the medicine needs to be absorbed. The anti biotics s interference makes it less effective and may end up in Too high a dose of the coumadin.
Where the patient has their blood checked their Doctors adjust the meds accordingly.
The recommended allowance for vitamin K is 65 mcg for woman and 80 mg for men. Some of the Vit K the body uses is produced by bacteria in the digestive tract but most of comes from food.
With proper choices you can still have a varied and nutritious diet.
It is recommended that one does not avoid their fave food with v k but eat them consistently in small amounts.
We’ve managed to come up with other veggies she likes that have some Vitamin k but not as much as greens. For example, asparagus ,cabbage and broccoli all have less than 100 mcg. Romain Lettuce and others which aren’t as dark green as Kale and beet greens also work well.
If you follow my blog, you know that I am a Massage Therapist, and an trainer, who has also obtained my CNA training, because my client base for many years is aging now. I feel fortunate that this training is something I can now use to help not only my long time clients, but also my own Mother. You just never know how life is going to work out.
Valentina Boonstra
