Now that my blood thin-ness levels have been stable for several months, I don't have to check in with my primary physican every couple days or weeks. Since what we're doing is working, I only have to go into the office once a month.

The thin-ness test -- called INR (who knows what it stands for) -- is much like a blood sugar test. They prick your finger, take gadzoodles of blood (much, much more than for a blood sugar test) and drop the blood into a machine that spits out a number. A person who is not on blood thinners should be between 1 and 2. A person who is on blood thinners should be nestled between 2 and 3. Anything above 3 is too high.

For the last three checks I've been steady at 2.3 and 2.4, which is practically perfect. But on Tuesday I was 3.4! Waaaay too thin.The nurse asked if I had had any changes in diet, exercise or medication in the last month. I couldn't think of anything. I left the office knowing I'd get a call about changing my dose.

Several minutes after I left, I remembered that I had started taking Crestor after my last endo appointment. When I talked to the nurse again, she told me that indeed Crestor can make your blood thinner. 

I was a little peeved that after a lengthy discussion with my endo about the meds I was taking and the recent blood clot and the blood thinners that she didn't make the connection between the Crestor and the blood thinners. I get that having multiple doctors means things can get overlooked, but when I hand you an updated list of meds and go into detail about my history of blood clots I'd hope that medication interactions would be something you'd think about.

But it also brings up the point about always advocating for yourself as a patient. Knowing what medications you're on, what they're supposed to do and asking tons of questions when a new medication is prescribed is paramount. I should have advocated for myself and asked about any possible interactions with the meds I was already on. I'll know better next time.