“What Is Life Like On Coumadin?” Asks Mary Anne
Use of Coumadin for patients that select a mechanical valve replacement is typically required to prevent blood clots. As a result, many pre-surgical patients considering a mechanical valve (versus a tissue valve) often wonder, “What is life like on Coumadin?”
In the last 24 hours, I have received this question from 5 different patients and two caregivers. One of those patients thinking about Coumadin and mechanical valves is Mary Anne.
Perhaps you can help Mary Anne and the others? As she writes below, Mary Anne would like to hear from other patients about Coumadin therapy and the side effects of using this drug long-term.
In an email to me, Mary Anne writes, “I am facing aortic valve replacement within the next few months. I am trying to decide what type of valve replacement, mechanical or tissue, is the best option for me. What I would like to know is… What is it like living on Coumadin? (from someone who has lived on it for a period of time.) What are the side effects, the limitations, the lifestyle issues, etc.? Thank you. Mary Anne”
Like Mary Anne, I am very hopeful that the former, heart valve surgery patients (who regularly read this blog) will help Mary Anne by sharing their thoughts on this critical topic. That said, if you are on Coumadin or have thoughts about the pros-and-cons of Coumadin therapy, please click here to leave a comment.
Keep on tickin!
About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
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March 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Mary,
I am a 29 year old male and have been on coumadin since 2002 for a mechanical aortic valve replacement. My experience has been mostly positive. Activity wise, I am doing everything I have enjoed doing most of my life (surfing, basketball etc.) i do bruise a little easier these days and you need to be careful about head injuries, but really the worse thing about coumadin is needing to go to the clinic to get blood drawn every 2-3 weeks. besides that, life isn’t that much different on coumadin and it’s really not a big deal. I hope this helps!
March 27th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Jonathan,
Wow. That was fast. No sooner had I posted the Coumadin question did I notice you had already responded.
Thanks so much for your thoughts. Specific to “going to the clinic” is there any possibility of you getting an INR home testing machine like Margaret’s?
http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2009/01/07/inr-home-testing-machine-for-margaret/
Keep on tickin!
Adam
P.S. We should get a “Heart Surgery Surf Team” together. There’s a bunch of us on this site.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
i have not had the valve surgery yet but the doctors i have talked to do not like patients on long term coumadin because of the bleeding possibilities. If you are 60 or older more or less they prefer tissue valves. A recent St Jude Study showed 92% survival rate at 20yrs with tissue valves. Yes The tissue valves last much longer than years ago. They are now doing experimental studies on valve replacements through a catheter and not opening the chest. If I was young I’d have to have mechanical valve to avoid reoperations. Age matters here
March 27th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I am now facing a redo surgery after a mechanical valve replacement I had 2 years ago. I have done much more research this time around.I sat down and asked both my surgeon and my cardiologist (both in their early 40’s) which valve they would choose.I was shocked to hear them both say a pig valve.They both said that coumadin is a dangerous drug that can complicate all kind of disease states.So I began searching.
I found a recent scholarly article that addresses the question.”Patient outcome after aortic valve replacement with a mechanical or
biological prosthesis: Weighing lifetime anticoagulant-related event
risk against reoperation risk” February 2009. You can get a hold of it on line.
The surgeon also told me that I need to look up diseases separately to find out how coumadin affects the outcome of each individual one.(I did find out that the survival rate with cancer drops dramatically.)
Ask your surgeon a direct question. Ask him how coumadin complicates treatment for other disease states down the line. The little booklets they hand out dont alert us to what can happen down the line. Those booklets are too generalized.
I have not had any problems with coumadin (I am 51) but This time but I will be choosing the safer route and using a pig valve.Both Doctors told me they would choose a pig valve and hope for new medical technologies to come along.(The article also talks about the techniques they are currently working on..they are actually looking at placing a new valve WITHIN an old Biological valve when structural valve deterioration diminished cardiac output).
I hope this helps.
I found out that patients need to ask specific questions when discussing the outcomes with your doctors.
My personal 2 cents worth: GET MORE THAN ONE OPINION! I should have gotten a second opinion the first time around..I might have avoided this reoperation.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
hi i am on warfarin, coumadin to you in the states, same reply as Jonathan find no great difficulties but certain foods do take the inr but if you are willing to eat a a higher dose no problem. I think age comes into consideration for a younger person because they would need a replacement after 10 or 15 years.
In the uk the inr machines are very expensive so there is a track to the docs but its a minor inconvenience
thank you
March 27th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I have been on Coumadin for about 8 years now for another heart defect (PFO). I now have aortic stenosis and will eventually need valve replacement. The biggest thing about taking Coumadin is that if I get the slightest little nick, I will bleed. Not profusely, just enough to be inconvenient. Also, more seriously, whenever I have any surgical procedure, I have to come off the Coumadin until my INR is low enough. Then, going back on it is sometimes difficult to get adjusted. I work in a laboratory, so getting my blood tested is not as inconvenient as it is for some. You do have to monitor your INR periodically, usually once a month once you are at a stable level. You also have to avoid eating excessive amounts of leafy greens as they contain vitamin K, which will cause your INR level to be too low. You also have to be careful with any sort of supplements sold OTC such as those containing green tea, etc. This too will affect your blood level. Other than these more nuisance type things, I have not experienced any bad side effects. One more thing, you do have to be careful not to fall, etc. anything that might cause internal injury causing bleeding inside. All in all, it isn’t too bad and sure beats a stroke or in both our cases sudden death from aortic stenosis! Hope this helps. It really isn’t so bad!
March 27th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
My 1st & 2nd diagnosis were that I needed valve replacement … thus coumadin for life. I’m 56 & have horses. My 1st cardiologist & surgeon told me I would need to give up horseback riding. Maybe horses are a bit more unpredictable than surfing?? I think they sort of both fall in the same range! That news pushed me to search the internet .. I found Dr. David Adams at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Mitral Valve REPAIR center. After reviewing my echo & TEE he gave me a chance of 100% repair. I flew to NY from CA & next Tues. will be 8 wks. post op. I long to ride my horses … BUT now WITHOUT needing coumadin it will just be a matter of time
!!!! THANK YOU DR. ADAMS for saving my LIFESTYLE!!!
For ME, I wanted badly to avoid coumadin. My father is a pharmacist & he did said it isn’t THAT bad … but it was my activities that would suffer. And there are some diet limitations. Dark green leafy veggies …
March 27th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Aortic value replacement is in my future. My husband has been taking Coumadin for over 5 years. He has had no side effects and remains quite stable on the blood tests. I had been thinking that I would have a mechanical heart valve when the time came. However, we learned the hard way about the unseen possible effects. He fell and broke 2 ribs at the office. The fall caused only a minor cut on his back when he hit the bookcase. He had very little pain. It is a good thing we had the doctor check him out that day. One of the fractured ribs tore a small hole in the lining of one of his lungs. And, being on coumadin, he bled internally. He was hospitalized for 5 days. As a result, I will not have the mechanical valve. The risk of falling rises as you get older.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I’m 69 years old and had mitral valve replacement last May. I chose a tissue (cow) valve because I’m very active (Climbing, Biking, Hiking, Hunting) and did not want to deal with coumadin and the risk of bleeding I heard was associated with it. I’ve fully resumed my activities (700 mile bicycle ride back to my 50th high school reunion in August) and am glad of my decision. I take a fall on my bike occasionally and have only bruised without any other problems. Lynn Heeren, Sheridan, Wyoming
March 27th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I have been on Wafarin since last December and the only issues I have had is remembering to take the medication. I used to drink more before my surgery and now I am limited more or less to a glass of wine per day but I would say that is probably a positive rather than a negative. I have not changed my diet, I just have to be consistent with the amount of greens I eat each day. I am fairly active and I notice I bruise a little more easily. I ride a dirt bikes (moto) and the risk is a little higher but like my cardiologist said, If I crash and break my leg or bust my spleen I will have bigger problems than just being on Wafarin. You have to continue to live life, not just being a spectator.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
im 46 and have an artificial valve. ive been on coumadin for about 7 months now. i did have trouble getting mine level.ive only been level for a little over a month due to it changing as my activity level increased as i started getting back to my old self again since surgery. i am extra careful now about preventing injury and it is abit scary in the beginning, but i made my decision based on not wanting another surgery and one of my family members lived on it from 40 til she passed away in her 80s.ive been reading and recently learned that the st judes valve is a very low-risk one as far as clotting, so maybe i’ll be able to switch to something else as more studies are completed, maybe aspirin or something! i agree its a hard decision……..any questions, you can email me at jeffstoveken@yahoo.com
March 27th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Mary Anne, if I had a choice I would select a tissue valve.
When on warfarin
* you need to have regular blood tests for INR levels about every 3 or 4 weeks (after INR has been stabiised (took me 3 months)).
* you have to be very meticulous in your dosing, that is, dose size, the time of day you take it and even the time of day of your blood tests.
* you have to be very careful about your diet, generally limiting your intake of vitamin K, mostly in leafy green vegetables.
* if you acidentally forget to take your tablets it can take several days to get your INR back to the correct level, whilst that happens your risk of stroke is increased somewhat.
* when on Warfarin you must be very careful to avoid bruising particularly internally.
* depending on your prescribed INR level you tend to bleed more from the nose and skin wounds than you did before your operation. (Although the prescibed INR level is usually a careful trade off between minimising your risk of stroke and bruising/bleeding.
A major consideration in choosing between a tissue and a mechanical valve is the statistical life expectantcy of each type. As I understand it, the mechanical valves have a longer statistical life expectantcy than the tissue valves. This is no problem if you are over 70 say when your normal life expectancy would be similar to the tissue valve. However if you are younger you might otherwise expect to live longer than the life expectantcy a tissue valve. This means you would statistically have to face another valve replacement when you are at an advance age which is statistically risky.
I have had a St Jude mechanical mitral valve since December and am quite fit and “getting on with it”. I still have Arterial Fibrulation (arrythmia) and am not sure if it is related to the type of valve or not.
Please don’t accept my word for it but use my comments as a basis for your consulatation with your cardioligist or surgeon.
Ross Parrott
March 27th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
At 73 I have been on coumadin for 9 years and in no way does it or has it interfered with my life except having to go constantly to check levels–it seems to stay at a certain level for quite awhile then it has to be adjusted.
It does take a while for wounds to heal and sometimes, like having teeth cleaned, you have to stop taking it for a few days.
of all the medicines I have taken and am taking it has had the least side effects and/or recations from me or my body.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Hi,
I have been on cumadin since I had my aortic valve replaced with a St. Jude valve on Dec 4, 2008. I have not had any problems with bleeding or brusing that I was warned about from my Doctor. The only problem was remembering to take my dosage every day but with an alarm to remind me that is not a problem anymore.
For anybody trying to decide on a mechanical or tissue valve do not let the cumadin keep you from chooseing a mechanical valve.
Lee C.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Once you get used to it, Life with coumadin is not much different. I suggest ordering a home-test dvice for PT/INR testing. INR is an international standard value (1.0 - 8.0) that shows how fast your blood is likely to form a clot or, in other words, how thin (easy to flow) or thick (slower to flow especialliy in small veins). The bigger the NR value is, the longer it takes for the blood to clot and the less is the probabilty to have a blood clot in your legs (DVT) which can move into your heart and lungs. However, if he value goes above 4,0, you may be prone to intenal (mostly Gastro-Intestinal) bleeding. Main interaction is with alcohol (increases INR) and foods with vitamin K (spinach, brocolli, aragula, cole slaw, etc.) (decreases INR). Using a home test device, I was able to keep it in range ( 2.5 - 3.5) most of the time even with heavy alcohol use (50+ drinks per week). If you get a result below the desired range, you take 2.5 mg more Coumadin than your usual dose that night and maybe the next night as well. If you are above the desired range, just eat some spinach or aragula or cabbage at dinner and take less or no coumdin that night, it will go down in the next day or two. Home test devices are available from companies like EdgePark and QAS. Check with your insurance first regarding coverage inclding the device itself (it also has testing supplies).
Kemal
March 29th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
LAurie Collins, If you don’t mind, why are you doing another replacement after just 2 years?
March 30th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Hi,
I’m 30 years old and I’ve been on warfarin since my aortic valve replacement in October 2008. I haven’t noticed any side-effects except, perhaps, that I bruise more easily than before. The 20 minute detour once a month to pop into a testing facility to check my INR is a very minor inconvenience. Given the choice between being on warfarin and re-operation in 5-10 years, I’d take warfarin every time.
Allan
March 30th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Hi guys,
Been on Warfarin for 10 months since AVR. Apart from the regular trip out to have INR check - not really an inconvenience - I have not experienced any problems. Of course, any cuts or nicks can cause a concern, more psychological that anything else. Am I going to bleed to death in front of the shaving mirror? Of course not! Go electric, grow a beard - be more careful. That goes for the boys too!
I keep myself active, eat well, do all the things I have always done, but like Mike, I have had to cut back on the pleasures of red wine. Not that I over-indulged, of course. I just enjoyed it. Mike, split your glass into two smaller glasses and sip slowly. It make socialising a more pleasurable experience. It’s all in the mind!
Kemal! You have got a problem. Do you keep your INR machine in your wine rack or chill cabinet? 50 a week! Amazing… You certainly keep your brain active with the math.
March 30th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Mary Anne,
I am 39 year old healthy person, 5 months removed (10/27/08) from aortic value replacement and aortic root repair. I have a St. Jude mechanical value, and opted to go that direction because of my age, and with the hope of not having to do it again. I have been on Coumadin/Warfarin ever since and am doing great ! I take my does 1st thing in the morning, so it is easy to remember. I am in the process of obtaining my own home PT/INR testing kit (these are expensive and can cost up to $1500 just for the machine). I go once a month for testing right now. All of the studies show those who test themselves at home and more often than monthly stay in “range” better, thus preventing the blood from clotting.
I plan to buy my own machine if insurance does not cover it, I figure I am worth it and want to have the best handle on this since it’s a lifetime commitment.
I am athletic and play sports, and this has not stopped me !! Bottom line, it’s different for every person, but NOT NEAR as troublesome as I thought it would be. My life has adjusted to it without a problem. I wish you the best of luck with whatever direction you head.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR RESPONSES! You’ve all given me a lot to think about and I greatly appreciate your input.
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 am
Hi Mary Anne,
My 6-yr-old son had his mitral valve replaced w/ a St. Jude valve and has been on Coumadin(warfarin) the last 4 years. I think the decision depends on your unique situation. My son has bruising & nosebleeds a lot. He just recently had to have a surgery to have his nose cauterized because we couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. He has other medical conditions that require prescription drugs and we’ve learned that Coumadin does interfere with many drugs out there. We worry about him like crazy - at the park, on the school playground because he is so active & falls down & rough-houses all the time. We have an INR testing machine at home for finger pokes & that’s good cuz it allows to avoid the frequent doctor’s visits. But we have found that monitoring his INR & adjusting Coumadin dosing is like a part-time job. When he gets sick, his levels change. If he has a med change, his levels change. I think the difficulty with Coumadin is different for each patient depending on age, diet, prescription drugs, other medical conditions, etc.
Best of luck whatever you choose!
April 6th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Hi all: Thanks for all of the responses. My husband is facing surgery and I wrote in along with Mary Ann to find out about Coumadin.
We would also like to hear from Laurie Collins re: why her surgery is being re-done. Sorry to hear it!
April 12th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Coumadin therapy is not that bad — unless it gives you other side effects and problems. I had a mechanical valve replacement about 11 months ago and I’m doing great with it.
I asked my doctors to increase my dosage so I can eat more vegetables and healthier stuff (e.g. greens).
The inconvenience is a really small price to pay in my mind. Millions of people take prescription drugs daily and many also monitor themselves daily (e.g. patients with diabetes).
My employer’s insurance paid for a self-test INR system and I use it weekly to keep my INR on track.
However, like any drug, Coumadin does have side effects and I agree the effects and treatment for everyone is different.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
I’ve had two back to back AVR surgeries (Aortic Stenosis) in 8/2000 and have a mechanical St. Jude’s valve I’ve been on Coumadin for almost 9 years. I was 53 years old when I had the surgery and am 62 now. The drug Coumadin hasn’t been a big deal but about 6-8 months ago the nosebleeds started and they are a big deal when you cannot go to bed at night. They start when you least expect it during the day as well. I’ve gone for three cauterizing treatments so far (last one a week and a half ago) and need to make another appointment because the nosebleeds started up again.
My health is okay but I tire very easily these days. My cardio told me during my last appointment that the valve pressure has increased again and that that is not a good sign. I thought I’d get 30 years out of a mechanical valve. Not so I guess. I am dreading a third surgery since it took me about 18 months to recover from the first two and I am older now. It gets harder and harder with age.
April 26th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Hi Mary Anne, I ave been on COUMADIN now for 11 months. After the operation is the hardest part but if you think about what would it be like if you didn’t have the operation. After a couple of mounths of testing and getting your INR stabilized it will seem just like another day. I have my cell phone alarm set for 8 PM and that reminds me to take my 7 MG’s. I call it my life line candy. It won’t be as bad as you think. May God Bless you and be with you. I had this done on my 67th Birthday. worker@att.net
May 5th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Marie Anne:
I lived on Coumadin for 8 plus years. During this period my sister died from an open vein opening while she was home alone. She also was taking Coumadin because of a heart condition. As a result of her death I started to investigate operations for afib since that was my heart condition at the time. Because of my weight I decided to wait until I lost some of it.
However, a year passed and I did nothing about the Afib, taking Coumadin each night, until I developed an Aortic Valve Problem which needed replacement.
My worry during the period of taking Coumadin and the valve operation was intense simply because I feared being in an accident which, possibly, would end up with me bleeding to death because of an open wound. Coumadin is a BLOOD THINNER.
Last year while humming :”Stairway to Heaven” and being driven to the Heart Hospital In Plano Tx., I realized I could not do anything about the operation which turned out successful. The treatment in the hospital was so uplifting that I did not wish to leave it.
I should say, I instructed the doctor that I did not want a Mechanical Valve, because that would have ended up with me taking Coumadin for the balance of my life. Thankfully I had a “pig valve” as a replacement for my Aortic Valve. As an aside, my Afib procedure was completed during my valve replacement surgery. It also was successful. I no longer have Afib. I no longer take Coumadin.
Jerry
May 5th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
At age 59 I am also facing surgery for my severe aortic stenosis. I told the doctor that I want a pig valve due to the fact that Coumadin scares me to death. Pardon the pun! I have not had any symptoms yet and my doctor seems to want me to wait until I pass out or get out of breath, etc before I actually have the surgery. I don’t think I want to wait as sudden death is also a symptom. I see the surgeon for the first time tomorrow and and am very eager to ask him questions. My Cardio doctor said that I am too young for a pig valve and too old for the Ross Procedure. I talked with a man in the waiting room before seeing the Cardo doctor and I could hear his mechanical valve. He had had it for three years and he says that it actually keeps him awake at night due to the noise. He also said that he has had two brain bleeds due to the Coumadin and gets dizzy spells. Just wondering if others with the mechanical valves can actually hear noise? This is such a hard decision. Please email me with personal experiences of having the mechanical valve. janies-attic@hotmail.com
Thank you, Janie
May 5th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Hi Mary Anne,
I had an aortic valve replacement on March 5, 2009, and I requested a bovine valve because I didnot want to be on coumadin any longer than I had to. I’m a lover of green vegetables and that was the hardest thing to accept. On coumadin, you cannot eat foods that contain vitamin K. Due to atrial fibrillations, I will have to stay on coumadin longer. The other inconvenience was having my finger stuck every 2 weeks for prothrombin times to measure the proper dosage in my body. Bovine and/or porcine valves are recommended for those of us over 50. Mechanical valves are for younger people yet they have to remain on coumedin for life. That I would not like!
May 29th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I had an aortic mechanical valve put in April 2 2009. It was a bicuspid valve that was functioning normally but I required surgery for and anerysim being 45 and having the strong possibilty that my valve would become diseased decided to have it done. The problem is being on warfarin. I want some plastic surgery done and it can’t. Every plastic surgeon I go to says I am too high risk to bleed and will not follow the heparin guidlines my cardiac surgeon wants him to follow. The plastic surgeon wants me off coumidan 5 days. So I am stuck nothing I can do about it. Thats not something that they discuss with you before surgery that other surgeons will be hesitant to operate on you.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I am a 49 yr old and have had 2 replacement surguries. One for the Mitrol valve and then a second for the Aortic. I find the hardest thing I have faced living on Coumadin, is trying to lose weight. The diet as you know can be a little hard to just make changes. But otherwise I live my
life just as I would have before. No restrictions. Of course I discuss what ever is extreme (like tattoos) with my doctor first.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
I have been on Coumadin (I switched to generic Warfarin a couple months ago and experienced no changes) for almost 9 years without any bad side effects. I have my own Protime machine and have been hometesting for 8 1/2 years without any problems. Last year October I started having nosebleeds with a normal INR and that required a cauterization by an ENT, but that cured the problem. For the rest I can do what I want, when I want. I exercise about 4-5 times per week, and even with a 75% organic foodplan find it difficult to lose weight. But hey, I am 62 years old. I should lose 40 pounds but I eat what I want and don’t crave junk foods. I feel healthy. I eat a variety of greens, fresh fruits and whole grains every day and I dose my diet, and not the other way around. I also take quite a few whole food supplements. I also have a couple glasses of wine every week, but for the rest I don’t drink much and never have.
June 10th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Hi Mary Ann:
I’m on comuadin and the only side effects that I have is bruising easily. You would have to monitor the foods(green vegetables) that you eat because they have Vitamin “K” and can thin your blood as well. I have to be monitored(blood tests-inr) every two to three weeks, to make sure the consistency of my blood stays between 2 and 3. That is annoying. But, thank God for medical discoveries in helping us.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I received an aortic valve 12 days before my 31st birthday. It will be one year Aug. 4th 2009. I have to say my wife and I wrote a list of pros and cons many nights before deciding on a mechanical valve. Regardless of the medication, your life will be altered for life. You will appreciate anything and everything that you’ve taken for granted in the past. I honestly do not have a problem with the medication, after awhile you figure out what foods impact the thickness of your blood. I have a PT/INR machine since I work on the road and that definitely keeps my mind at ease. My insurance took care of the machine and strips, I highly recommend looking into obtaining your own instrument. What sold me on the mechanical valve after extensive research and considering the opinion of all my physicians was the fact that the valve would last a lifetime. As long as I did my part the probability of my valve failing would be less of a probability than my congenital valve disease in the first place. Thank God for technology and Adam’s Blog it has truly been a big part of my mental and physical recovery. Godspeed to everyone in need of open heart surgery and God Bless those who “keep on tickin”.
July 27th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I am 47 years old. I had a On-X valve installed on May 4th 2009 (aortic valve). For six weeks afterwords I felt great, exercising - new lease on life and all. Coumadin level was low dues to eating green salads with spinach 4 days a week. On the 6th week the room started spinning like mad and I nearly passed out and was taken to emergency. Thank God I was smart enough to lay down on the ground. They checked everything and said it was not my heart and I had vertigo. I thought that was rather odd. My Dads wife had the surgery 20 years ago and said it was a panic attack. She went to the hospital six times thinking she was dieing and it ended up being all in her head. I believe that’s what happened to me. Subconsciously you worry if your going to be OK and it finally caught up to me. It is good to have a site like this that helps you get this off your chest and share. I remember the nurse telling me some things I might experience once I left the hospital. She mentioned Panic attacks and I thought to myself “Ya right” - well it can happen to anyone. Please get the word out that “You are good to be OK”
I still feel dizzy once in a while but I tell myself its all in my head and I am OK.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I am 26 years old and have been on coumadin for about three years due to pulmonary embolisms. I actually take warfarin the generic px for coumadin. Being on coumadin itself is fine. No problems. However, it is something always in the back of your head. I worry about car accidents, falling down stairs, or anything that could cause injury. I play softball and worry about getting hit in the face with the ball causing a bloody nose. Its scary at times, but overall the drug itself has ZERO side affects. Getting the inr’s is good for me because I get a longer lunch on those days!
November 20th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Hope I am not too late to respond! I had my AVR Feb 2008 at 56 yrs. I choose a porcine valve. I did not want to be on coumadin, but that definitely was not the only reason. The TICKING with the mechanical valve, would (with all respect to mechanical valvers) drive me insane! I just do not have the personality for it. I know I could not live with that from day, to day. I think it’s wonderful, if you can, but for me it’s no go! With the coumadin, I would be worrying about internal bleeding. I have extensive diverticula, and don’t think it would have been a wise decision. The reality of this surgery is THERE IS NO PERFECT VALVE! Not yet anyway. It is a trade off. I may need another surgery, if I don’t die from something else first, but I have to have hope, that medical technology will have an improved procedure, vavle or both!
Good luck, to you with your AVR, and your valve selection. It’ a tough decision to make!