Joshua Montemayor - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

33 days ago

Hello, I’m a 37 year old who is planning to have a heart valve replacement before the end of this calendar year.

I’m healthy and very active. ...Read more

Hello, I’m a 37 year old who is planning to have a heart valve replacement before the end of this calendar year.

I’m healthy and very active. My wife and I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old that we adore.

I’m now at a point where I’m considering a Ross procedure as my cardiologist and my heart surgeon, both recommend that this is the best course of action.

I’m being told that avoiding blood thinners (Coumadin/Warfarin) would be wise considering my age and active lifestyle, which urges me to do the Ross procedure versus a mechanical valve.

does anyone in the network have any thoughts on this? Would love to hear from anyone on these butt thinners as well as anyone who has had a Ross procedure! Thank you so much for any guidance!

Robert Miller That's a difficult question. I am not familiar with the Ross procedure so take this into consideratio ... Read more

Robert Miller That's a difficult question. I am not familiar with the Ross procedure so take this into consideration. At your age a mechanical valve probably makes more sense. I was on Warfarin for about half a year and on other blood thinner now. Warfarin requires you to monitor INR and yes, bleeding can be an issue. But I do work with saws, hammers, clime ladders, etc. ski and do other sports. Do you need to be more careful? Yes, but I don't think it's as big an issue as people make it. But there is a lot of discussion and seminars about this. Check out https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/learning-center.php

Learning Center for Heart Valve Disease & Surgery

https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/learning-center.php

Get important facts about heart valve disease, symptoms, risks and treatment.

Marie Myers There are many Ross recipients on this site, and I am sure they will chime in. It sounds like a great ... Read more

Marie Myers There are many Ross recipients on this site, and I am sure they will chime in. It sounds like a great plan to me!

Janet Gaffney Hi, my surgeon is planning on a Ross procedure for me - as long as everything checks out - and I’m ... Read more

Janet Gaffney Hi, my surgeon is planning on a Ross procedure for me - as long as everything checks out - and I’m 60. It seemed like the better option for me as I’m a very active person. The founder of this site had one - there’s lots of really helpful info on here!

Rose Madura Joshua, you are on a good path with the Ross Procedure, in my opinion. There are several young men o ... Read more

Rose Madura Joshua, you are on a good path with the Ross Procedure, in my opinion. There are several young men on this site who have had it. Godspeed.

Grace Mason Hi Joshua
I had a Ross procedure 2 years ago and I am very happy with my decision. I am back to n ... Read more

Grace Mason Hi Joshua
I had a Ross procedure 2 years ago and I am very happy with my decision. I am back to normal activities biking, running, etc. I was taking BP meds for 20+ years and now I take none.
The recovery is very similar to a sternal single valve replacement.
I think for you a Ross is definitely worth considering given how young you are.

Fidel Martínez Ruiz I think that both Ross procedure and mechanical valve replacement (given the age of 37) are good choi ... Read more

Fidel Martínez Ruiz I think that both Ross procedure and mechanical valve replacement (given the age of 37) are good choices. I don´t know in deep the Ross procedure, here in the Learning Center of this site there are very good explanations on it. It´s a high technique surgery and requires highly skilled surgeons. Results are very good, as one can see from the fellows opinions here. By the other hand, the valve replacement is very reliable, less tricky and otherwise, have been also extensively tested with good results. The choice will depend on several medical considerations, perhaps the surgeons expertise be the key to tip the balance on one side or the other.

Fidel Martínez Ruiz Montemayor del Río is a beautiful village of Salamanca, Spain, with a great, great castle. Joshua, ... Read more

Fidel Martínez Ruiz Montemayor del Río is a beautiful village of Salamanca, Spain, with a great, great castle. Joshua, your surname reminds me it.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/sorry

Valerie Allen Fidel, I visited Salamanca in 2019. Beautiful!

Fidel Martínez Ruiz I´m glad of it, Valery!

Fidel Martínez Ruiz Let me know if you come other time!

John Cook I’m 53 and had a Ross 15 weeks ago. I was doing 5k runs right up to the week before my surgery.
... Read more

John Cook I’m 53 and had a Ross 15 weeks ago. I was doing 5k runs right up to the week before my surgery.

At Week 10, I was back to feeling normal for everything but stairs/hiking and running. For those, I’m still about 75% of where I was pre-op. I can do them, I’m just slow.