Martin 's Journal

Richard Munson  Glad you are better. Hospital food is never 5 star anyplace. Its done on purpose to get you to leave faster. 

Richard Munson  Since reading you are from bulgaria, i checked it out on line. Sounds like an interesting place with a varied historical past. I assume you are not a native bulgarian but only base that on your name. Hope you are turning the corner heart wise. 

Marie Myers  On the bright side, at least you didn’t have too much time to dwell and worry  on the upcoming surgery! Welcome to recovery!!

Pamela Gregory  I have been to Bulgaria twice. Glad you are already on the mend! For me the worse part was waiting and thinking about it. You will do great

Martin Smith   Thank you everyone for your kind words. And yes Richard, I'm a Brit, I wonder if things would have happened so quickly in the UK 

Brian Leonard  I have been on warfarin for nearly 6 years with no issues - and I’m not worried about my valve wearing out like a biological valve - that was the trade off or so I’ve been told betting on my mechanical valve now 

Martin Smith   Hi Brian, 
Thanks for that. I'm not planning on slashing myself with knives anytime soon 😂 but occasional accidents do happen. And it sounds like more than a sticking plaster might be needed. Any experience of that? 
Also, currently, I I do like a few glasses of wine or whisky occasionally, and it sounds like that might be a problem?

Rita Savelis  I've been on warfarin for 10 years with no issues. I remember being so stressed and worried the first year and then just getting on with my life. There are some special bandages you can buy (forget what they're called) that help one coagulate faster when you get cuts and scrapes.  It's not an easy med to start because it's normal to be worried. Also it can take some time to get stable on it and one needs a blood test at least once a month. I eat what I want and do what I want. I do bruise easier.

Rita Savelis  As far as alcohol goes, it's okay to drink just not excessively. So if you drink a lot, perhaps warfarin is a bad choice, but then I guess drinking a lot is a bad choice for many reasons. I drink occasionally - a few glasses of wine or a few cocktails. It can make my INR go up so I try to avoid it the night before a blood test.

Rita Savelis  I'm sorry that you have to make a valve choice - it's not easy for anyone and there is no right or wrong choice. Just the choice you make and then you have to move forward. I imagine you are young (in the cardiac world) if you are thinking of a mechanical valve? I had radiation damaged valves (3 of them) so already my first valve surgery was difficult (at age 53) so I was advised by my surgeons to go with mechanical to try to avoid future surgeries. In a perfect world I wouldn't be on warfarin, but it is manageable.

Martin Smith   Rita, thank you thank you so much. Oh and am 61, so I don't know where that puts me on the scale. For me, all this has happened only in the past 3½ weeks, it's good that everything is happening so quickly, so I'm told. But it means that everything is a bit of a whirlwind and my head is spinning. 
No, I'm not an every day drinker, but I do like a drink every now and then. But if I was limited to say, 1 glass, that would be kind of depressing, a 2nd beer (or 3rd 😁) with friends is currently so enjoyable.

Susan Lynn  Martin - if you're 61, you may want to consider a bio valve,  specifically one that's large enough to accommodate a TAVR, if needed in the future.  The newer bio valves have a pretty significant life span and a future TAVR procedure is not as traumatizing as OHS.  Just curious if your surgeon fully covered the options. 

Martin Smith   Believe it or not, I haven't spoken to any surgeons yet. Prior to 3 weeks ago,I was a fit and healthy guy, who'd never had any health complaints. I'm going to the cardiology hospital on Monday and hopefully the surgeons there will help me decide the best course of action.

Susan Lynn  Martin- Don't panic, yet. You're just starting your research.   It's easy to jump to the conclusion of a mechanical valve and the blood thinners, but that's only one choice.  Make a list of your questions for the cardiologist and you can always come back to this site for more input.  Also,  we routinely recommend multiple surgical opinions - It's always good to hear multiple points of view. 

In addition to discussing bio and mechanical valves,  you might want to ask about the Ross procedure.  Good luck with your appointment! 

susan harris  i was going to say pretty much what susan lynn said-must be in the  name.  i’d suggest asking surgeon and cardiologist about TAVRs later. a cardiologist at john’s hopkins said he’s seen a bio tissue valve and then two TAVRs.  a surgeon at cleveland clinic told my 26 yr old son he’d suggest a mechanical valve then plan to take it out at age 60. and put in tissue valve. net, if that reco was at age 60, you’re past that at 61.  lots to think about and sounds like you’re short in time. lots of great videos i. the learning center in this site. there is no right or wrong!  

Robert Miller  I only have been on Warfarin for a very short time as they repaired my valve. However, I am on a blood thinner probably forever. Warfarin is a bit harder to manage but as for bleeding side effects, I have more blue/black spots when I hit something (even if I don't realize it at the time I hit something) and I have frequent nose bleeds (don't push tissue up your nose but squeeze your nose for a couple of minutes). I don't do contact sports but do other things including handling tools (screw drivers, jig saws, circular saws, hammers, and a bunch of other sharp tools). 

Autumn Stuart  I have been on warfarin for 6 1/2 years due to having a mechanical valve. It has not caused any problems for me. I was worried about being on warfarin for the rest of my life too when I first found out, but it was that or have to have another surgery 10 years later and I did not want to do that. Feel free to ask me any questions. 

Marie Myers  I was right where you are now, back in 2017. I had never been in a hospital (except to work), no serious illnesses, then at 63 years old, a routine echocardiogram of my bicuspid aortic valve showed an ascending aortic aneurysm and an aortic root aneurysm. In short order, I met a cardiologist, a cardiac surgeon, and had a modified Bentall Procedure. Fast forward 8 years, and I am good!  I totally understand the terrified feeling. I was very scared also.  You WILL make it through this, and there is a very good chance you will feel that it wasn’t as scary an experience as your worrying mind would have you believe. It is no walk in the park, but the odds are in your favor! And these great surgeons do these procedures every day. Read some of the stories on here, and if you have questions, there are lots of us who have been down that road. 

Rose Madura  Martin, I had know since I was a child that some day I would need OHS. I was super scared every time I went to the cardiologist for my annual visit.  I was most frightened about going under for some reason.  But in 2007, I needed an ablation (which successfully treated my SVT) and that procedure lessened the anxiety. Then I had to have a hysterectomy which was the first time I was completely out and intubated. That wasn't so bad so I wasn't quite as scared then. It's very understandable to feel this way but honestly, it's not as bad as we met ourselves think.  At least that was my case  Hope this helps.

Martin Smith   Thank you Rose, my head is still spinning, just 3 weeks in and I'm booked into the hospital next week, I should be grateful that things are happening so fast