Hi Ruth, so glad you found this site. It was a big help to me when I was newly diagnosed and facing surgery. I hope you can find answers to your questions here, ...Read more
Hi Ruth, so glad you found this site. It was a big help to me when I was newly diagnosed and facing surgery. I hope you can find answers to your questions here, and that reading about others will help you through the worst part - the waiting! Please ask lots of questions!
Meredith
Knoxville TN
Bicuspid aortic valve replaced with On-X mechanical valve at age 43 in 2014, Clearwater FL.
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Ruth Lear Thanks Meredith,
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Meredith Bray I have no objections to warfarin at this time. It took me about 6 months post-op to get levelled out. ... Read more
Meredith Bray I have no objections to warfarin at this time. It took me about 6 months post-op to get levelled out. My activity level has actually increased since surgery - more kayaking and hiking and home repair projects. The only downside for me has been slightly more bruising. If I walk into a doorknob, I *know* I'll have a bruise. (I've gotten better about that though.) I haven't noticed a difference in bleeding time - when I cut myself (I'm a klutz in the kitchen) maybe it takes 10 seconds longer to stop with direct pressure. But I haven't bled to death yet! (haha) Also, I haven't changed my diet. I eat salad and/or broccoli and/or some other green almost every day, just like I did before surgery.
My warfarin is managed by the "Coumidin Clinic Nurse" at my cardiologist office. I go in every 4-6 weeks for a quick finger stick (not a full blood draw!) and she makes adjustments as needed. I've been on the same dose for several years now.
The mechanical valves do make a noise. I'm sitting in a room with 2 computers and the furnace is running, and it took me a good 15 seconds to sit still enough to isolate the ticking noise. Other times I can pick it out right away. And some other times my husband can hear it. Sometimes out of the blue I'll hear it pretty distinctly, and I just take it as a reminder that I'm still here.
Taking a pill every day doesn't bother me. I spent 20+ years taking birth control pills, and now I'm taking other maintenance meds too, as well as vitamins etc. I set an alarm to take everything at once before I go to bed.
My surgeon and I talked about life on warfarin. He said don't go kayaking around the oysterbeds without watershoes. He's a "life on the edge" kinda guy - he also told me I would know when I was ready to ride rollercoasters again and he wasn't going to tell me I could or couldn't.
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I ... Read more
Finally after a long wait, I got to hear my CT scan results & talk to my surgeon. I was able to ask some questions about the mechanical v tissue valve, as I find the prospect of being on warfarin for life rather daunting. As I am a very active person ( my husband & I dance Latin & ballroom regularly) he said a tissue one would possibly only last 10 years. Also as I need aorta replacement due to dilation, it would make replacement of tissue one very complex. So it looks like the choice is made for me.
Still a wait I think as my exterior aorta is now 4.9cm I need to get the bell rolling for surgery. Im told there may be a long waiting list due to Covid I think.
How are you now, I hope you find you are able to do activities you enjoy? Are you ok with taking warfarin?
Best wishes,
Ruth
My warfarin is managed by the "Coumidin Clinic Nurse" at my cardiologist office. I go in every 4-6 weeks for a quick finger stick (not a full blood draw!) and she makes adjustments as needed. I've been on the same dose for several years now.
The mechanical valves do make a noise. I'm sitting in a room with 2 computers and the furnace is running, and it took me a good 15 seconds to sit still enough to isolate the ticking noise. Other times I can pick it out right away. And some other times my husband can hear it. Sometimes out of the blue I'll hear it pretty distinctly, and I just take it as a reminder that I'm still here.
Taking a pill every day doesn't bother me. I spent 20+ years taking birth control pills, and now I'm taking other maintenance meds too, as well as vitamins etc. I set an alarm to take everything at once before I go to bed.
My surgeon and I talked about life on warfarin. He said don't go kayaking around the oysterbeds without watershoes. He's a "life on the edge" kinda guy - he also told me I would know when I was ready to ride rollercoasters again and he wasn't going to tell me I could or couldn't.
What else?
Meredith
Knoxville, TN