Laura's Guestbook

Hello Laura. I'm a Ross recipient, five months into recovery. My operation was performed by Dr. Chu in London, Canada. My recovery is going well, but it's still too soon for me to draw any conclusions about the best valve choices. As others have said, each patient is different, and it's a personal decision. I wish you all the best in your journey and look forward to learning that your outcomes are excellent.

Hello Laura - I can’t speak for anybody except for myself and certainly can’t recommend a valve. I have trusted my surgeon to make that call. I am 52 years old and have been living with aorta issues all my life. Because of my age, my surgeon recommended I have a prosthetic mechanical aorta valve. I have been told this valve is good for 30-40 years. It’s an ON-X valve. This lessons my chances of being opened up again if I went with a pig/cow valve which I was told last 10~20 years. Yes it is slightly on the noisy side but only at rest when quiet. It’s been two weeks and I am used to it now. Music and other surrounding noise tends to drown the noise out. I have been on Eliquis (sp.) for ten years and had to switch to Coumadin. I go to the clinic 15 min from my house and it literally takes 10 minutes to check my INR number. Diet is extremely important with Coumadin. I hope this helps. Many blessings to you and your surgical team! David