Recent content by bethann

My son Nathan had his aortic valve replaced when he was 10. He is now 13. His surgery was an done quickly - within the same day of his being diagnosed with endocarditis - so we did not have time to do much research. I followed the recommendations of the surgeon and a family friend who is a...

yes, this has happened to my son. I agree that it has to do with activity level. I notice his inr increases when he is less active (like our recent snow weeks!). He has very high metabolism and alternates 9-10mg of coumadin. This may make him more likely to experience this fluctuation. The...

Thanks Marsha, I did not know that about the 'healthy bacteria' and vitamin K. That is very useful info. I talked to the nurse again. She wouldn't change the dose, but said she'd call the doctor on call and double check. I gave her all kinds of statistics on what we've done before and how...

My 12 yr old son (who has a mech aortic valve) had an unusual week. Earlier this week he got his braces on (mega dose of amoxicillin) and then it was hard to eat for a couple of days, so his vitamin K was a unusually low. He recovered and ate fairly well thursday and friday, and yesterday was...

My son, Nathan, is 11 and had AVR with a mechanical valve a year ago. He had endocarditis. Because of the degree of active infection and valve damage, he had emergency surgery. Ross was not an option given to us. We had the choice between a tissue valve and mechanical valve. It was a hard...

We found out our son had a bicuspid aortic valve and endocarditis, and he had emergency AVR. Last night we celebrated our healthy boy and acknowledged what we've been through this year by going as a family to the Braves game (on a school night - it felt like a big deal!) It was a lovely...

Thanks so much for the responses. Ross, you've made us think - which is really important. We remain determined to not overprotect, so I appreciate it. Doug, That is good to hear from someone who understands the sport. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Nick and Lynn, your comments are...

Thanks for the warm welcomes and advice. I appreciate the push back on baseball, and I will admit it's one decision I revisit. We've had 2 different opinions from the cardiologists. Of those that said yes, one also cautioned that Nathan couldn't get hit in the chest with the baseball - that...

Hi, I've been lurking and learning for awhile now and thought I should introduce myself and my son. My son Nathan (11) had a BAV. We never knew - he had no murmer or symptoms that were attributed to his heart. Last year he developed endocarditis. We suspect he had this for months before it...