Recent content by MarkU

I got my St Jude mechanical valve at age 47, nineteen years ago. I've always been active and was given no restrictions, other than no heavy weight lifting, or lifting-to-failure at the gym. Two years post-op I started competing in triathlons, continuing until I started having trouble with my...

My cardiologist has had me pre-medicate since my AVR. My dentist is on board with it and won't touch me, even for routine cleanings, unless I have pre-medicated an hour before. I'm allergic to penicillin, so I take 600mg of Clindamycin.

My anniversary was on 12/15. Don't post much anymore, but just thought I'd stop by and check in. Life's great; I'm blessed and lucky. Good luck to you all and keep the faith. Mark

It's been nice to see you pop up on the USMS forum and follow your progress with your swimming. Good luck in the coming year. Mark

I joined in 2001 about six months after my AVR. The site was a great help to me for the first few years, helping me get through my recovery and other adjustments in my life. Made some good friends here, and unfortunately lost many of them over the years. Over time I eventually drifted away...

My bicuspid valve was first diagnosed as a "murmur" when I was five years old. When I was 15, my doctor thought it would be a good idea to have a cath to check things out; that was when the bicuspid valve diagnosis was confirmed. I was otherwise healthy and was given no restrictions on my...

It took me 9-12 months to fully recover and regain my stamina after my AVR. My doc had me do some LTHR (lactic threshold heart rate) testing at a lab to establish my heart rate training zones before releasing me to train again. At first it seemed that I was having to walk all the time to keep...

I didn't do much serious running until after my AVR back in December, 2000. I started competing in sprint triathlons in 2004. Running was my weak discipline versus my swimming and cycling, so I started doing a lot more running during to the triathlon off-season. I eventually completed five...

I have my first follow up at the cardiologist's office this afternoon. My low point is set at 56 bpm, which seems to be working well, but I want to talk with them about the rate response setting. I haven't been able to do much in the past week except walk, but have noticed that there seems to...

It takes Coumadin about three days to metabolize through your liver. The Lovenox injections provide short-term anti-coagulation protection while you are either going off or going back on Coumadin. It requires getting an injection every 12 hours. Because my INR was pretty high in Monday...

Update: Had my pacemaker implanted on Thursday. My HR had dropped to around 28 bpm, which was continuously triggering the alarm on my monitor as I waited in pre-op (the nurses didn't know how to reset the alarm set point below 30). I felt a little light-headed, but really not too bad...

Haven't posted here in a long, long time, mostly because of nothing that interesting to report. Been leading a boring life with my St. Jude valve (not a bad thing...) Plus, I've felt like I had less and less to contribute since I haven't really kept up with all the new developments since my...

Today is the 15th anniversary of my AVR. Don't hang out here much anymore, but just thought I'd stop by and say hello. I'm doing well and staying active, so I'm thankful. Best wishes to all. Mark

I've probably gone through about 3-4 Medic Alert bracelets in the past 15 years. The first few were inexpensive metal versions. The one I have now is a more expensive stainless steel model and it seems to have held up pretty well. When I'm out running or riding my bike I also wear a RoadID...

I was an avid weigthlifter prior to my AVR, but afterwards my cardiologist encouraged me to pursue more aerobic exercise instead. That eventually led me to do my first triathlon three years post-op. In the past 12 years I've done over 20 triathlons, 5 half marathons and numerous other races...