William's Journal

I made short goodbye videos for each of my family members and friends for my daughter to send out in the event I didn't make it. Since I did survive, I will of course keep the videos on my laptop. But it felt good to say something personal to each of them, So what do you think -- good idea or not.

One day when, as occasionally happens, I became aware of my St. Jude aortic heart valve clicking. it got me to thinking. -How many times do I click during a year? Before I continue with my own results, without doing any written or calculator math, try to estimate how many times your valve replacement clicks each year. I suspect you will be surprised with the results when you perform your own calculation. I certainly found my numbers to be both scary and reassuring at the same time. Here is my (very non-scientific) calculation: At rest, my heart rate is about 60 times per minute. After walking both up and down the stairs 15 times (if this is too many times, just do a couple of up-and-down rounds on the stairs), my heart rate was 80 per minute. I have settled on 70 heart beats per minute as a (very low-end?) average, taking into account my walking around the house and neighborhood, biking two to three times a week for one to three hours per trip, my at-ease time during the day, and my daily sleeping habits. That works out to: -per hour: 4,200 clicks. -per day: 100,800 clicks. -per year: 36,729,000 clicks. That number blew me away. But wait – there is more. As I am writing this, I have had my St. Jude valve for 24 years. Thus: -per my time since the operation: 883,008,000 clicks This means I should hit the 1 billion click mark in just over 3 years. Leave comments on your calculation of how many times you click per year - and perhaps your total since your operation.

I had a St. Jude aortic valve implanted and a replacement of part of my ascending aorta in 1993. I am now 65 as I write this. In other words, I have had the valve (and the clicking) for 24 years. Two questions: 1) I would like some reassurance from others who have had a St. Jude for this long – and longer - as I am concerned about life expectancy. My first grandchild was born this year, and I would certainly like to live long enough for him to have a decent memory of me. Any stories about the longevity of the St. Jude valve? 2) I have had several ultrasounds and one MRI over the years, and everything appears to be fine. But considering my age and the number of years I have been “clicking," how often do you think I should have my valve checked?