Maureen's Guestbook

I haven't had anything like that. Not even sure what that would feel like. I do hear my valve pumping at night if I lay on my side or in a quiet moment. I'm back to teaching fitness and was able to do some hiking in VA. The sustained climbs were hard in the heat there and I had to stop several times to rest. Sorry I took so long to respond, I haven't been checking the blog as often!

I have a bovine tissue valve from my AVR 13 years ago when it was damaged from ablation surgery (so aortic valve was fine to begin with). At the time I was told that it's shelf-life was an average of 10 years, and it would need to be replaced (whereas a mechanical valve likely wouldn't). I chose the tissue valve due to the QOL issues that (interestingly) the article mentioned (first time I've seen that in print--Thank you for posting !). Most cardiologists at the time would have recommended a mechanical valve though (due to my age--55). It's still functioning (I'm now 68)—albeit moderately calcified, but no activity restrictions so far (I have an unrelated tricuspid valve problem which will prompt OHS surgery sooner than the AVR will wear out, at which point they will replace both, so as to not require a third OHS). They also suggest that the reason that my bovine valve is still doing as well as it is, is related to a number of factors: low blood pressure (reduced stress on the tissue valve); pristine blood work (plaque and associated "crud" did not collect on the valve as quickly, although it is beginning to be calcified; that's the nutrition connection); no infection from dental work, due to antibiotic use (septicemia is deadly for a valves, because as porous tissue they act as a "sponge" for bacteria running through your blood stream, which results in infection--i.e. endocarditis with a high mortality rate). Hoping this helps clarify a bit? For sure, it's a difficult decision (and for me it was made in an emergency situation, so I couldn't weigh alternatives at the time; I can't say that I would have chosen differently however). I'm so pleased that folks can now weigh in on issues to consider in forums like this, and also have access to a literature base, to help make an informed decision...