Paul's Guestbook

Paul Anderson  Hi Juergen, Thank you for the encouragement about OHSU and your very positive experience. I was initially going to go with Dr Raman, but seemed to have challenges getting scheduled to meet him so I decided to go with Dr. Tibayan. Based on his recommendation I am having a full sternotomy. I am 2 weeks away from surgery and feeling good about the decision to go with OHSU. Thanks again.

Paul Anderson  Hi Juergen, I see from your other posts that you make mention of the mechanical valve and that you are happy with the decision. What brand valve did you go with and did you participate in the decision on which brand to go with or did Dr. Raman make that decision? I'm leaning toward telling my Dr. that I would prefer the On-X valve due to being quieter and the chance to have a lower INR level.

Juergen Li  Paul - I wish you all the best for your upcoming surgery. My recovery is still going very well - almost too good to be true. I chose the On-X valve as well (was also the suggestion by the two surgeons that I consulted with), and I don't think you will go wrong with this very advanced and modern valve. I think the surgeons at OHSU are very familiar with this model, and as you probably have found out, there are a lot of recipient on the various discussion boards that went with the On-X valve with good results. Although I don't have much to compare it with the valve noise is minimal, absolutely acceptable and does not bother me at all. And as you pointed out, the required INR is lower than any other mechanical valve. I am virtually pain-free and only take 1-2 regular Tylenol per day as a precaution. I am on Tylenol since the day after surgery. I am not sure if the little and very manageable pain was due to the partial sternotomy or for other reasons. I would recommend though to look into this as well; my 4-inch scar is comparatively small and I can only assume that this also means less damage to the chest. I consider myself lucky - I don't think everybody has such an uneventful recovery, and I hope I can manage my INR myself very soon.

Paul Anderson  Thank you Juergen, I appreciate the response and the encouragement. I have already informed my surgeon that I'd like the On-X valve and I've not heard back that there are any concerns. I know that he has used that valve with some patients but I believe he personally prefers the St. Jude. Glad to hear that all is going so well for you. Best wishes for continued success.

Juergen Li  Paul, I already returned to work and think that part of the reason for my quick recovery was the less invasive surgery technique used. I would highly recommend to find out from your surgeon what type of surgery he is planning.