Michael's Journal

Bonnie Stone-Hope  Wow, that does sound neat to see the chest X-ray. Thanks for sharing and great to know how well you are doing.

Anna Jones  I might go to the emergency clinic now to have them look at it and clean it out if needed...maybe start you on an antibiotic.

Rita Savelis  Yes. This is really common as a side effect of OHS. Most patients are given betablockers to take for a short time or a longer time in order to slow the heart down and to give it a rest after its ordeaL, Hopefully after a short course of betablockers, and some rest time, your heart will slow down.
I think most patients are on a lot of pills right after surgery (for water retention, slowing the heart down, anticoagulation, etc;) but usually only for a short time. You can keep asking your doctor at each visit whether you need to stay on all your meds, what they are for and how they work... and you will usually find that you can eventually lower the doses and/or stop completely.
All those meds can be overwhelming right after surgery....
Take care Michael.

Ilisangela Flores oliva  I have a redo and a aortic replacement in 3 days. I am glad your went well. I am trying to cope with anxiety. It’s hard; but not impossible.❤️

Dena Newberry Meyer  Yes! My normal heart rate is in the 60s and ran in the 90s for the first two weeks after surgery. It’s still dropping (I’m at 5 weeks post op and it’s down in the low 70s) no beta blockers

Gerald Poulton  Hi Michael, it is very common to have an elevated heart rate post op, I had the same thing at first. Not only has your heart been through extreme trauma, your body is rushing blood to several places in your body to repair a lot of damage. Give it time, you still have a lot of healing to do. I think the new louder sound of the heart beat also takes your attention to the faster beating. Hang in there, you are just into recovery, take it easy and drink lots of water. 👍

Patrick Loy  Well done Michael , your sounding good - very positive - I have the Garmin on, so have been keeping a watch the whole time, I found it very helpful - so I am just over 12 weeks , walking a lot exercise bike and an odd mountain - going strong. Enjoy the post !

Gerald Poulton  Good for you Michael, it pays to go into it healthy. Just remember to take it easy but do those lung exercises. 👍

Civita Fahey  Its strange that you won't meet him until the morning of the surgery. I met with my doctor before at the initial consultation and then that morning.. Has someone answered all your questions? They do act like this surgery is like taking out your tonsils hahaha.. easy for them to say.. but, after my pre op I was feeling more confident that they do this daily and have it down to a science. You need to put your confidence in surgeon and the Man above.. Keep positive and you will do great. BTW, I'm from Topsfield Mass. not too far from Lawrence.. welcome to the site.. ask any questions you need. I"d be happy to answer.

Michael Mell  Hi Civita, was supposed to meet with him tomorrow but with the snow storm it got pushed out. Hopefully meet with him the Wednesday prior, but yes i do have faith in the surgeon and CMC, just the process getting me there seemed just like its another day at the beach. ( :

Cindy Williams  I met my surgeon a month before my surgery, but a week later had more questions, I was not able to meet with him but I was able to email him a list of questions, he hand wrote answers to every question and his staff scanned and emailed those back to me. I also met with him 4 days before surgery to go over everything one more time. If you cannot meet with your surgeon I would speak with his PA or nurse, they can always ask the surgeon any questions they cannot answer. You have time to get your answers before surgery day :) Once you have all of your questions answered you will be confident and ready!

Gerald Poulton  Hi Michael, when you meet your surgeon can depend on several things, especially if out of town or not. I travelled to meet mine initially but other than that, next time was the morning of surgery. I told him the first time that I wanted bovine and he asked me to reconsider, but they check with you again before surgery. Good luck with your surgery, you sound healthy and medication free and that makes a huge difference, you will do great 👍

Phyllis Petersen  I traveled for surgery, so met mine a couple of days before surgery. I had so many of my questions already answered from Adam's book and people on here and other reading, that my list was short. He spent time and made sure I fully understood the reason I needed the surgery and what to expect, as far as they can tell you. Good luck!

Patrick Loy  I met my surgeon 2 hours before surgery - I had done the research, and meeting lasted 5 mins and we talked about why I was opting for the particular valve, and he was happy - he just said looks like your up for this.
Surgery was 6 and half hours. Its been uphill since the odd bit of a dark evening , but got out for a walk right away. Wishing you well michael.

Bonnie Stone-Hope  Hi Michael,
As long as he has all your test results, that is all he needs to know what to expect when you go into surgery.
Only thing I asked my surgeon just prior to surgery was "Don't forget to look at the tricuspid valve". As it turned out, he had a look and it was OK.

John Dodson  Hi Michael, it's always a personal decision and there are no wrong answers, but here are 2 good articles to read:
https://www.drugs.com/news/study-tissue-heart-valves-seem-best-middle-aged-patients-59717.html

http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/03/03/09/28/surgical-aortic-valve-replacement-biologic-valves-are-better-even-in-the-young-patient

John Dodson  http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/03/03/09/28/surgical-aortic-valve-replacement-biologic-valves-are-better-even-in-the-young-patient

Willie Radl  I'm in the same boat trying to decide which option is better. Being 32 I'm leaning towards mechanical, the thought of several re-ops in my life doesn't sound appealing. Being younger the bio-prosethetic valves wear out faster and with variability (could be 5 years could be 20). One of my concerns with tissue is if I get a bad valve and have to redo surgery in 4-5 years then I'm right back in the same boat and would probably just go mechanical at that point. Although I do understand going mechanical doesn't necessarily prevent from re-ops either. Coumadin risks are a bit of a concern but most of the research that i have done shows people have said its not that big of an issue or doesn't affect their life much as long as you are tracking the INR levels. I don't mind pills or needles so I'm not worried about the medication or blood draws (I used to donate plasma 2 times a week in college for beer money). I think in time there will probably be better tissue valves such as the Edwards Resilia tissue or maybe new anti-coagulation medicines that have lower bleeding risks but unfortunately we don't know exactly what the future holds. I'd be interested to hear how you are leaning and what your thought process is.
Willie

Rita Savelis  I hear you. It is overwhelming.
And I'm sorry you have to go through this at such a young age. Or go through it at any age.

Everyone struggles over valve choice and there really is no right decision. Any decision you make will be the right decision for you at this time. Because there are pluses and minuses for both and you can never know what will happen with either choice.
OHS results are good these days and surgery is safe, so many feel okay having multiple surgeries as a younger patient like you would have to have as a tissue valve doesn't last long in a young patient. Many are hoping for future medical advances. And there are definite trends and marketing of valve brands and types and protocols.
Your situation is personal and specific to you and your choice is for your specific situation. I hope that your doctors are also giving you their advice as to your specific case.
Wishing you a peaceful January. Take care.

  Michael, I had a TAVR procedure and a bovine valve implanted. I was home in less than 36 hours. I know not everyone qualifies for TAVR, but with advancements they are making my heart doctors said they truly believe the tissue valve will last many years. They also do valve in Valve TAVR. So when your first valve needs attention, they just slip in a smaller valve. Who knows where technology will be in 10 years.
Just make sure you find a heart team you feel confident and comfortable with. You are your best advocate. Let us know how things are going.
Best regards, Karen warren

Patrick Loy  Hi Michael
Hope you make the right decision for you- I am 56 and went for the tissue valve, have already started saving for the next one! But as everyone is saying you filer in all the factors and make your decision. The warfarin made my decision for me, but everyone is different, I don't react well to any medication. Try and relax and get mentally ready - and for me again it was trusting in the surgeon - I was told the open heart surgery was the the gold-plate standard and they are doing it for some 60 years now.

Marie Myers  I agonized for weeks over the decision, even though I am 63. I did go with the tissue valve, with the hopes that TAVR will be my rescue when this valve deteriorates. I would have probably gone with the mechanical Ony-X valve if I was 20 years younger. It is a tough and personal decision. Best to you in your decision!

Meredith Bray  I got the On-X aortic valve at age 42. I wasn't really sure until I walked in to the surgeon's office for our last pre-op. Once I made the decision, I didn't look back. Some people really tried to get me to change my mind. I told them to step off for a few months. None of their business.

Gerald Poulton  Hi Michael and welcome. I faced that same choice just over 4 months ago and I chose the bovine bio prosthetic valve and I am glad I did. But having said that, my position like many here was different than yours because I am 65. I am healthy enough to face one more operation down the road or hold out hopes for the TAVR process to be improved, but that may be different at your young age of 43. You could need three or four operations just to reach my young age 😀 I always say that each person should do their own research and make their own decision because you are the person that has to live with it. Good luck on your research, your surgery and recovery and what ever choice you make will be the right one for you and your circumstances. All the best my friend 👍

Toni Z  Hi, yes that was my struggle too until I was told I don’t qualify for a TAVR. With this news, it made my decision to go with mechanical easier to avoid multiple OHS. Good luck with your upcoming coming surgery.

Civita Fahey  I was on the fence for a long time, but decided to go with the tissue, (am 56 and it was done last April).. my surgeon would have gone with an On-X if I had decided to go mechanical but after all my research and asking questions I felt that the risk of another surgery would outweigh the risk of being on blood thinners for the rest of my life.. Again, its a totally personal choice and there is no right or wrong answer.. its the hardest choice I've had to make so far in my life.. I'm happy so far that I chose the tissue, and am banking on TAVR in the future, but I was told that a re-do ( OHS) is still in the lower category of 2-3% risk.. you just have to do your pros and cons..best of luck to you.

Rose Madura  I had my surgery at 59 and like Marie and Civita, hope it lasts ~20 years and then I'll rely on the TAVR.