Lupis Anticoagulant

Yes jessica I can relate to what you are experiencing. I also am taking coumadin and it is very frustrating. But from what I understand it is also likely saving my life. I take it for a different reason, I am not sure exactly what lupis anticoagulant is (a disease?).
I take it due to a severe family history of blood clots and I myself have had clots. Also, I have factor v lei-den (a genetic blood clotting disorder) along with factor viii, and some possible other factors.
In addition to getting blood clots easily,and I am told that any bump that may appear out of nowhere on my body is an emergency and I need to go straight to the er. This gets really old, really quickly.
Weekly my inr (a simple blood test) is checked to make sure I am in a therapeutic range. However my inr levels are usually not therapeutic so my medication is then adjusted to get me to that therapeutic level.
More recently, as if the aforementioned were not enough my specialist has explained to me that all of those inr's (that were checked over the last couple of years weekly) are most likely false.
In short, new research shows that when my inr was 4.7 (high) my factor xa levels of 20 (taken at the exact same time as my inr) were (therapeutic) and more accurate.
Even though an inr of 4.7 could cause a person to bleed to death, it is apparently a therapeutic range for me. (and likely other individuals out there on coumadin therapy).
Nevertheless, even though monitoring individuals on coumadin with a factor xa test will give more accurate results. It is hardly ever used. Possibly because it is more a more expensive test and even my doctors are afraid to let me go running around when the my inr shows 4.7 it is too risky. Given that, I find myself wondering; is it to risky not using the factor xa test and continuing to take coumadin which is monitored by my false inr.
Frustrated......