We understand the challenges of keeping your INR "in range" and we want you to know you're not alone. Real people just like yourself are working, playing, raising families, and moving forward with life with INRatio as part of their ongoing anticoagulation therapy. We hope you enjoy reading about some of them here.

Previous Profiles: Tonya Henderson-Meyer

Patient Profile: Hank G. Eyring

Home Town: Mesa, Arizona, USA

Family: Married with four children, including 2 teenage daughters :)

Condition: Bicuspid aortic valve degraded by bacterial endocarditis secondary to a blood infection introduced into my body through a broken wisdom tooth. In April 1999, I received a mechanical St. Jude Aortic valve. I now take Jantoven (branded generic) daily.

Years Self Testing: Eight years

How Did You Hear About INRatio? Through my own personal research on the Internet and through other members of my forum on ValveReplacement.com.

What was the most significant impact of self-testing with INRatio on your life? I would surely have to say that it gave me the peace of mind in knowing that anticoagulation therapy was not such an ominous thing in my life. I became self-aware of my body’s response to diet and medication dosages. I feel like it put me in control of my condition , instead of the medication being in control of my lifestyle.

What features of INRatio have you found to be the most important to you? The size, ease of use, and un-refrigerated shelf life of the test strips. I really don’t see how the process of testing my own INR could be made any easier or more convenient!

Tell us something unique about yourself that you’d like to share with others: When I was home recovering from valve replacement surgery in 1999, I created a website called ValveReplacement.com. The intention was to provide a place for people to get the support that is not offered by the medical community such as personal and family related concerns, what you need to do to prepare for surgery physically and mentally and what recovery is really like. It has since grown to thousands of members all working together to answer one another’s questions and concerns.

Hobbies: Computers, web design, family and church.

Favorite Childhood Memory: Running wild on the farm, driving Grandpa’s tractors, swimming in the ditch and terrorizing the cattle.

Favorite Web Sites: Why of course... www.ValveReplacement.com

Favorite Recipe: Simple but divine... Cheese Crisp! Take a corn tortilla, brush it lightly with extra virgin olive oil, lay on a layer of cheese and bake until bubbly. Remove from oven, splash with a healthy amount of Tabasco sauce and top with sliced tomatoes and avocados. Fold in half and dig in!

Have you ever taken your INRatio anywhere Special? Why yes! I always take my INRatio with me on Valvereplacement.com reunions (Baja Mexico Cruise, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Nashville, Chicago, Golden Colorado, etc..) to show off the device and to demonstrate to members how easy it is to use. And of course to make sure that vacationing agrees with my INR!

Best advice for others who are considering self-testing INR levels: Utilize the expertise of the INRatio vendors to get yourself one of these machines as quick as possible.