I am 65 years old, female, and moderately obese but with no other health issues, normal blood pressure, no meds of any kinds.
I have a damaged mitral valve that could be repaired. My cardiologist told me that we should wait for it "to get worse" before having it repaired. Is this normal? It seems to me that I should get this repaired before my heart gets worse.
Thank you.
Richard Munson Guess its whats worse to one is not bad to another. Second opinion in order?
James Holcomb Agree with Richard, a second opinion may be the right next step. Have you been given a degree of fin ... Read more
James Holcomb Agree with Richard, a second opinion may be the right next step. Have you been given a degree of findings for your valve? My regurgitation is listed a moderate/severe plus i'm experiencing left atrium enlargement.
Richard Munson That is what mine was and since surgery, chamber enlargement has shrunk a lot.
Klara Čičić Just like Richard says. I went for three opinions, two were for surgery, one was for watchful waiting ... Read more
Klara Čičić Just like Richard says. I went for three opinions, two were for surgery, one was for watchful waiting. I wanted surgery in order to not cause any more strain to my heart and made the decision. The surgery wasn't 100% successful but now my heart chambers are back to normal size. My advice is to read a lot, educate yourself and go for second, even third opinion....
Have any of you opted for biological valve replacement as opposed to mechanical? Thank you.
Michael Day I am on my next surgery. My last one I got the on-x 6 yrs ago and it hasnt done so well. I have a hig ... Read more
Michael Day I am on my next surgery. My last one I got the on-x 6 yrs ago and it hasnt done so well. I have a high gradient and palps are back. I'm going with a tissue this time. Also the loud ticking drives me crazy.
Marie Myers I chose a biological valve at age 63. Hope that I get a long life out of it, but only time will tell. ... Read more
Marie Myers I chose a biological valve at age 63. Hope that I get a long life out of it, but only time will tell. It was a very hard decision to make!
Wes Edens I just got a tissue valve at age 59. I decided I’d rather be free from warfarin knowing the trade o ... Read more
Wes Edens I just got a tissue valve at age 59. I decided I’d rather be free from warfarin knowing the trade off is a valve that probably won’t last my lifetime. I’m hoping for a transcatheter replacement when this one wears out, but we’ll see. I also got diagnosed with lymphoma during my workup for surgery so that may come into play as well. (I am on warfarin for a short time, btw).
Wes Edens My wife was also concerned about the ticking noise, so that played a part.
Rose Madura I was 59 when I got a tissue valve. I'm hoping for a long life out of it. It's a difficult yet very ... Read more
Rose Madura I was 59 when I got a tissue valve. I'm hoping for a long life out of it. It's a difficult yet very personal decision. My advice is to do research, talk to the doctors, make a decision. And don't look back. Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you. Godspeed.
I’m just now starting this journey, trying to decide what to do. I’m 64 years old, in excellent health, but have a grade 3 murmur.
Does biological heart ...Read more
I’m just now starting this journey, trying to decide what to do. I’m 64 years old, in excellent health, but have a grade 3 murmur.
Does biological heart valve replacement preserve a normal lifespan? Thank you.
Marie Myers My cow valve and I are planning on it!
Richard Munson Marie, hope you have at least another 60-70 years with your cow valve. Very moooooving.
Hello. I'm new here. I'll be eligible for Medicare in September 2022. I currently pay a lot for private insurance. I'd like to know some opinions from you all. ...Read more
Hello. I'm new here. I'll be eligible for Medicare in September 2022. I currently pay a lot for private insurance. I'd like to know some opinions from you all.
Is it better to use private insurance for heart valve surgery? Or is Medicare just as good?
Thank you.
Richard Munson Medicare is not enough, you also need a supplement. Mine happens to be blue cross which paid 95% of t ... Read more
Richard Munson Medicare is not enough, you also need a supplement. Mine happens to be blue cross which paid 95% of the bill which was. Are you ready, over 300K. I think i paid out of pocket about $1500. Bear in mind this was a major boston hospital, mitral valve repair and i was there a week. Hope this helps.
Marie Myers I was 63 at the time of my surgery, so I had to use my pricey private insurance . I had a $7500 deduc ... Read more
Marie Myers I was 63 at the time of my surgery, so I had to use my pricey private insurance . I had a $7500 deductible, and lots of little 20%” not covered” items. If I could have waited, I would have been happy to use Medicare and my secondary, but waiting was not recommended. I think Medicare is great!
Tom Everson Like Richard said you need a supplement to Medicare There are lots out there . When you are first eli ... Read more
Tom Everson Like Richard said you need a supplement to Medicare There are lots out there . When you are first eligible for Medicare you have the opportunity to sign up for a supplement named MediGap . This plan costs a little more pet month ( not anywhere close to what you are paying now) but it covers the 20% that Medicare does not cover some plans have no deductible. You can only get this plan ( with some exceptions) when you are first eligible. I paid nothing out of pocket for my operation . Check it out it may or may not work for you . The system tends to keep this coverage quite
Thoma Lile Thank you so much for this information. I appreciate all of you.
I have a damaged mitral ...Read more
I have a damaged mitral valve that could be repaired. My cardiologist told me that we should wait for it "to get worse" before having it repaired. Is this normal? It seems to me that I should get this repaired before my heart gets worse.
Thank you.