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Hi everyone, I had my AVR back in March of 2011 and now I found out I have to have my gallbladder removed. I am meeting with my cardiologist tomorrow for my annual echo and check up and to get clearance for gall bladdery surgery. I am extremely nervous. I was just wondering how many people...

Hi everyone, I just wanted to check in and say hello. I had my surgery back on March 1st. It went extremely well and life has been progressing to near normalcy ever since. This coming wednesday I have my 6 month follow up echo and the following tuesday I meet with my cardio to discuss the...

I just spent 3 hours typing up my story and then discovered it had logged me out :( the whole thing is lost. I will have to re-type at some point. :(

Hi everyone! My fog has cleared enough for me to type a quick message. If all goes well I shouldbe going home tomorrow. Red tape has kept me here for 2 extra days! The surgeon said I was ready to go home yesterday! Once I have a proper keyboard I will write details, which will mostly be thank...

Dmeehan is recovering nicely after a successful surgery. He was awake by 4:00, eating ice chips by 5:00-- as well as maintaining "perfect" heart rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure, etc. without any aiding-- and out of bed (albeit not far) and in a chair by 7:30. He is uncomfortable, the pain...

question for the group that has been through OHS: Many people tell me that one second you're awake and then the next thing you know...darkness. And then when you wake up in ICU it feels like 2 minutes later. Is that what most of you experienced? Did anyone wake up in ICU feeling like they...

Wow, everyone said the last week would fly by and that's not exactly what I experienced. Most of last week went very very slow. Now it's Sunday, surgery is Tuesday morning at 5:30, and I'm screaming (on the inside) "stop the train!, stop the train!" I've never been so nervous in my life. I...

Hi everyone, just a few questions that have come up about life after surgery: I pretty much only wear shirts that pull over my head: polo-style shirts in the day and cotton tee-shirts at night. Will I be able to get into these post-surgery or should I go out and buy some shirts that button up...

I am 36 yo and having AVR on March 1st. I had my final appointment yesterday with my cardiologist. I was pretty surprised yesterday when all 3 members of the cardiology team said they would recommend I get a biological valve rather than a mechanical. Their reasoning was this: The bio valve...

Hello, I will be joining the coumadin club soon. How often do you test your INR? Do many insurance companies cover the cost of test strips and home testing machines? I have Blue Cross Blue shield. Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone, AVR coming up for me in March. I know all about the links between Vitamin K and coumadin but I'm reading very mixed things about black tea. I know green tea is supposedly high in vit K but I don't like green tea so that's not a problem for me. I do drink black tea every morning...

Hi Everyone I have AVR surgery coming up on March 1st. My family and I are wondering what I will want to/be able to do in the recovery weeks at home. I was hoping some of you might weigh in and tell me what you did during your recovery. Apart from the exercise portion of it, what did you do...

Hey everyone, The big thing that I am worried about now is....drum roll...the breathing tube and I'm also wondering if anyone had any trouble breathing after the surgery. I'm asking because I read on another thread that someone who just had AVR was not able to take a deep breath when she woke...

Hello, My name is Derek and I'm a 36 year old who lives outside of Boston. I will be having AVR surgery with Dr. MacGillivray in March at Mass General. I've known my whole life this was coming but when I found out in November that the time has come I was a bit surprised because I thought it...