John's Guestbook

Troy Ainsworth  Well, about 20 million people in the U.S. use that “rat poison” to survive so I’m not sure that surgeon is being very helpful

John Formby   Hi Wendy
You’re welcome- as I said, it’s a personal decision and views will vary across all the “experts” out there. Good luck and I’m sure you’ll come to the right decision that works best for you and your partner.
I have just had some good news in that my INR has stayed within my targeted range for the second week on the run - the red wine must be working😁

John

Steve Farthing  The warning that warfarin has another use in pest control (at a higher dose per unit of body weight) seems verrryyy strange.

John Formby   Hi Wendy,
The first thing to say is that it is a very personal decision and there is no right or wrong answer. Also, the advice and guidance from the experts may differ between the US and the UK, but ultimately the decision is yours / your partners.
From my perspective, I met up with Mr Ng ( my surgeon) on the 2 January where we discussed in detail the issues with my condition. During the consultation we spoke about the valve options. Mr Ng explained that he did not need to know which option I was going for until the morning of the operation so there was no pressure for me to make a decision at that time. Although he would not make a recommendation, he explained that as the life cycle of a tissue valve is 15 - 20 years, he could not give a guarantee to anybody under 65 that they would not have to have a repeat operation during their life time. He explained that it is feasible that repairs to a tissue valve could be done in future years by keyhole surgery, but there is no guarantee that this procedure could be done. With the mechanical value, it’s a one off operation with a guarantee that the valve will last for the rest of your life.
We then had a conversation about living with warfarin. Mr Ng told me to ignore the horror stories you find on the internet ( unfortunately I didn’t!!!) but he reassured me that living warfarin is a day to day occurrence for millions of people. He explained that having day to dat accidents isn’t a concern- it just takes a little bit longer for cuts to stop bleeding. He said I should avoid contact sports, but those days are behind me anyway. I came away reassured that I would be in the hands of a brilliant man and the strong probability that I would be taking the mechanical valve option. During the weeks leading up to my OHS I discussed the valve options with close friends and family. All were supportive and the general consensus was that the mechanical valve option would be best for somebody at my age. As mentioned on my journal, my brother made the point that as I get older. If I’m feeling tired and possibly breathless, at least with a mechanical valve I’ll know that it’s old age whereas with a tissue valve I will have the added concern that the valve maybe wearing out!!
Finally, I spoke with my local doctor. Again, she would not recommend a route, but agreed with the view that age is a big factor in deciding which valve option to take. She told me that the first few months on warfarin can be frustrating but once your INR level and dosage have settled There is no reasons to stop you having a normal life.
I hope this has helped and I wish you and your patner well. Please keep me informed with his progress and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

John