James's Guestbook

Hi James - Hope you are on the mend - through the gauntlet now.... How did it go. I want to hear your experience.    Sending nothing but the best vibes. J Alex 

Hello James,  I had mitral valve repair in March 2020, when I was age 59, near Pittsburgh, PA.  I will be praying for you and your surgeon, for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery.  I will check to see how you’re doing and share more of my experience later.

God Bless you!

Hi James - Also exploring minimally invasive MVP approaches. Did you do several consults. I have heard of UT's approach and it sounds interesting.  Hoping to exchange more info... Thank you 

Hello James from New York! I had mitral valve replacement July 18, 2023 and I went with the tissue valve to avoid being on blood thinners and getting my numbers checked regularly.  Though it's a personal choice, you should think what you have to go through with each valve.  Wish you luck and a speedy recovery!

James, I was 65 when I chose a tissue valve rather than mechanical. I really did not want to be on blood thinners as I believe that eating a variety of greens is very healthy for me, and eating a consistent amount of greens daily is important while on warfarin. Todays tissue valves are much improved over the one I received in 2011, which failed in 2016. I was given a choice of surgery to replace the failing mitral valve, or to try going on Warfarin first. I decided to begin warfarin, and my valve performance improved greatly, allowing me to avoid open heart surgery for a new mitral valve until 2021. I just had an echo this morning, and my new tissue valve is performing “terrifically”! Yes, I am no longer on warfarin with my new tissue valve. However, I learned how to manage warfarin successfully for 6 years, and it is very doable. I was able to eat a wide variety of greens and to mostly stay with a stable dose of warfarin - but I did need to be very aware of what I was eating and to eat greens every day. And yes, I am delighted to once again not have to take warfarin. I wish you all the best with your heart surgery.

Hi James.. for me, nutrition is a big part of my life so the mechanical valve is not as attractive because your diet is limited due to having to take blood thinners.  I eat many leafy green veggies so that would not be an optimal choice for me. Thoughts?

Hi I am 47 and waiting for my mechanical replacement mitral valve. I chose the mechanical valve for longevity as I don’t want to be in the same situation in 10 or 15 years. I had a date for 13th July but it has been cancelled but when I eventually get it I will tell you how it all goes and what to expect. Hopefully it won’t be more than a few weeks longer. I hope you can have a successful repair though as it will be much easier for you. I was hoping for a repair myself but the stenosis is too bad.

Hi James, 
Welcome to this wonderful community. 

I was so happy to find this group which was very supportive and informative.

I had a mitral valve repair,(Dec 2017) but needed a valve replacement 14 months later (Feb 2019) Chose a tissue valve since did not want to take blood thinners. All good now.

The surgery was fine (both times) with very minimal discomfort. May I suggest you rent a lift chair for the first month. So helpful so I could be independent quickly when home..

Best wishes Bonnie

Best of luck to you James. I had my repair when I was 32 which was botched and I needed another OHS less than a year later. Mitral Valve Replacement. I have a mechanical valve. If I were you I’d get a tissue. I’ve had two blood clots and now my valve leaflets are frozen and I need a third OHS. I’m now in heart failure at 48 years old. If I were to do it again I’d do a tissue replacement right off the bat. And I had the best mitral valve repair surgeon, Dr. Stephen Bolling at UM. It turned out I have a connective tissue disease (EDS) that caused the valve to be over corrected.



Dee  

My only prior concern was surviving, which I did.  My next concern was understanding my directives, which I did.  My current concern is executing those directives, which I am.

I feel fine, and am grateful to Dr Hodges, whom I understand is leaving Cleveland Clinic.  Jess Moore

If the repair isn’t possible, get the Mitris bovine tissue valve from Edwards.  You can live a normal life and not be a prisoner to blood thinners.  The Mitris valve will last a long time and by the time it would ever need to be replaced, most likely you can have a catheter valve in valve procedure and not another surgery.  Don’t get an old technology pig valve and don’t believe mechanical valves will last forever.  You will have more risks with a mechanical valve. Best of luck and demand that your surgeon has the Mitris valve as a back up or get a new surgeon that will. 

Hi James.  I was in your shoes last December at age 57.  My surgeon attempted repair but switched to replacement as he just did not feel he could guarantee a good outcome once he saw what was going on.  I chose mechanical valve ahead of time, mainly based on my age and the thought that I never wanted to have it replaced again!  It’s worked out fine.  The warafin took awhile to get straightened around but really has not been a big deal at all.  I can hear my valve tick at night and I’ve grown to be comforted by the sound telling me all is well in there.

Hi James, I went with the Bovine aortic valve replacement over the mechanical valve as #1reason was that I do not want to be on medications for the valve for the rest of my life. I do take 1/2 of a  25MG of Metoprolo, at night for my heart rate and Eliquis 2x daily for blood thinning. I am still going strong and this valve has been working for the last 14 years and still looks good! Oh, and I am a very light sleeper so I was afraid that the clicking of the valve would keep me up at night, per some friends of mine. Best decision I ever made!!!! Good Luck  

Hello James, I guess much depends on your precise condition. (How severe is the leak, what are/were its causes). If it helps however, I’m now 64 and had a mitral valve repair 18 th March this year. Back to cycling now, heart in much better shape, severe leak repaired and feeling much better. Had chordae repaired, annular ring fitted, cryogenic maze procedure. Now no leaks. Early days but hope it stays that way. Best wishes for your procedure ~ fortune favours the brave.

James, in lieu of your recent question (I tried responding to the actual post but it wouldn't take), I went through the same scenario over 2 years ago. I remember my surgeon asking as I was being wheeled into the surgery room, "what's it gonna be if I can't repair it?" I told him, "we're going with tissue, doc!" My father chose a mechanical valve when he had his aortic valve replaced 15 years ago. Looking back he wishes he went tissue. It's not so much the "clicking" that bothers him but much more so the blood thinners. The poor guy can't even have a simple outpatient procedure without it becoming a huge issue due to the thinners. For me, a big concern was the recovery from the sternotomy and what that would look like having it again when the tissue valve begins to fail in the 7-10 year future window. The recovery from my sternotomy was not as brutal as I anticipated. After a month I was pretty well healed. I was an active and healthy 48 year old when I had my mitral valve done so my recovery, I'm sure, had a lot to do with that. I was diagnosed with severe mitral valve regurgitation that thankfully ended up being repairable. It was quite a thing going under not knowing if I would wake with a different valve or a repaired one. Going into it feeling confident about your replacement decision is definitely a plus. Everyone's situation is unique and other factors can and should play a role in your final decision, but I figured the more input you have the better. Best of luck with your procedure!

Hey James! I was 59 when I had mitral valve surgery as well. It turned out to be non-repairable, so I got the bovine version. I chose that in advance in order to avoid long-term coagulants. It's worked out fine--I just have a craving for alfalfa now (jk). The downside is that I'll probably need to replace it in 10-15 years. I'm hoping that I can get it done non-surgically at that point (TAVR).I was anxious before surgery, but it was actually pretty easy from my standpoint. Everything I was nervous about, like removing tubes and such in recovery was nothing at all. I was back to my normal self in no time. Good luck!

Hi, James:  I know what you are going through.  I had a severely leaking mitral valve due to a blood infection from teeth cleaning!  I had to choose between a Mitra Clip intravenous, easy procedure, or open heart robotic surgery with all the risks.  Then the added question of whether a replacemant would be needed, because my mitral valve might not be in great shape when they went in.  I opted for the robotic surgery (short term pain for long term gain).  THE MAIN THING IS TO DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND BE FULLY INFORMED ABOUT EACH CHOICE.  THEN DECIDE AND DO NOT RE-THINK IT.  JUST RELAX AND DO YOUR BEST TO BE A VICTOR IN THIS CHALLENGE.  I didn't worry about the issue of the mechanical or tissue valve replacement.  My surgery and recovery couldn't have been better.  Great medical team, great results.  Each replacement valve has its benefits and some detriments.  Both are good choices.  It is just a personal decision.  Do your due diligence, make your choice, and then don't think about it.  It may not be necessary to have a replacement, and if it is, you did what you thought was best.  Most likely, the repair, which is almost always preferable if it can be done, will work out just fine.  DECIDE, RELAX AND GO FOR IT!  I was 82 at he time of my surgery, March 11, 2022.  I feel great and am back to work and active sports.  Just don't rush it.  God bless.

Have you/your doctor considered the mitra clip procedure? I had the edwards version of that put in last november. its been approved for a wider group of people and No Surgery! If it helps the decision making, i had a mechanical aortic heart valve  since 2000. And i am glad my doctor chose that one. its still going strong and taking the blood thinners and getting tested once in a while is no big deal. You want to avoid re-surgeries at all costs especially as you get older....

Hi James, I had my aortic valve replaced in 2014 (in Dallas).  I went with a bovine valve instead of mechanical.  Two reasons - the mechanical valve makes a clicking noise and it would have driven me crazy.  Second reason is you don't have to be on blood thinners for the rest of your life with a bovine valve.  Mine is still going strong and if at some point in the future it needs to be replaced it can be done easily with a TAVR procedure.  

MY Surgeon recommended I get a bovine valve because at 68 I was in good health and if I needed anything different in the future when I'm older then a different approach would be needed.  With the tissue valve blood thinners aren't necessary.  Good luck and when you wake up you will feel much better.

Hi James, Good Luck with your upcoming Mitral Valve surgery. Hopefully you can have a repair. When I was discussing valve options as a backup to repair with my surgeon Dr. Marc Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic, I asked him (if you were in my position what would you do?), his reply without hesitation was Tissue. I had Mitral & Tricuspid valves repaired on 2/21/23. Take good care. Dan