Corey's Guestbook

Amy Steele  Corey, you are in my thoughts as you prepare for surgery tomorrow. I am praying for a very successful surgery and an uncomplicated recovery.

Denise Kirchner  Corey: You are in my thoughts and prayers! Tomorrow you will be on the other side of this mountain. God will keep you on His care and be guiding the surgeon's hands. Take care and God bless you!

Corey Sines  Yep your right overall, and even if there is slight stenosis of the valve (not significant) they wouldn't want to fix it. Based on your activity level now, I would say it isn't significant. Only treatment is additional surgery, and no guarantee of any better outcome really.
Getting the tests would only confirm or deny the amount of stenosis, if its light/mod, it would still explain your after surgery limitations and at least maybe provide you some answers,but that would be it.
Its just the symptoms you describe match very closely to things I experienced early on, that have degraded to where I am now. As long as it isn't getting any worse, I would take it a good sign that heart wise things are good.

Also by the 'closed throat' symptoms and feeling like you can't breathe, take a look at "vocal cord dysfunction", it can be sometimes a symptom after any breathing tube has been inserted/removed. See if you match any of the other common signs: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/head-neck/diseases-conditions/vocal-cord-dysfunction

Corey Sines  Thanks Juanita, vale prosthetic is a hard choice at times. Mine was made easy by my age and the Mitral position. If I were older, and in the Aortic position, it would have been more of a decision. The On-X valve has a softer close feature and is said to not be as noisy, but doctors say it all depends on the acoustics of your chest cavity on how pronounced the mechanical click will be. Some say its very loud, others don't notice it much. I know some people need background noise to drown out the clicking at night to sleep. I guess I am prepared for these trade offs to not need surgery likely again in 8-10 years. Which is what the Surgeon thought at best a tissue valve would last for me in my situation. Tissue valve due fail early, and a little more often than mechanical valves. You also have more potential issues for the tissue valve to get infected, which can lead to early failure as well. But with mechanical valves, because of blood thinners, you have the real potential for life threatening bleeding events and clots that it manages to reduce the risk for. Again, a little less odds of that on the On-X valve with reduced Anti-Coagulant therapy and improved hemodynamics. But if a mechanical valve does fail, it will often be disastrous and at best require emergency surgery. No perfect valve choice unfortunately exists, each has their trade offs.

Denise Campbell  I have a on-x valve for about 5 months. Yes I still hear it. But most of the time I don't notice the noise. Believe it or not.

Juanita Linn  Just wow! I have to be honest, I was put on aspirin 325mg. Took it until a few months back when I cut my hand unknowingly when I felt a trickle down my left hand. As I looked down the kitchen floor was one giant pool of blood! Scared the jeepers out of me especially when a ton of flour took forever to stop the bleeding!
While discussing blood thinners with the mechanical tonight, my friend said her mom takes a generic thinner with her pacemaker which eliminates frustrating trips to the clinic. With 3 valves being replaced, is a generic blood thinner an option?
Being 62 years old, my two youngest son's as well as 2 best friends are pushing me towards the mechanical in hopes it will prolong any future surgeries. Before I got so sick I was active with anything I could get into. Always cookouts and doing things with grandkids and now pretty much zero. So, I'm hoping your words of hardly notice it will be me echoing your words. Although I'm use to my heart stopping, fluttering and having spasms thumping against my chest, hearing my heart actually ticking is scary to me; like reminding me time is ticking away:(
As I walked my boyz tonight, 2 Shihtz I spoke with my neighbor whose brother who got a tissue valve two months ago said he had to go back into surgery due to an infection and several other problems and said he wished he had opted the mechanical. So, as I said, we are all different and I'll be doing a lot of praying that the Lord makes this call. I will keep reading and taking in as much knowledge as I can but trust he will have the final touch.
Thank you! Ever so grateful!
Juanita Linn