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I think most of us develop some form of PTSD.....especially if we were young when we had the surgery. That's something the surgeons don't tell you......that's why forums like VR.org are important. Aftercare is something that we have to deal with long after we leave the operating table.

Thank you all for the advice. The only thing I know about the internet is what I taught myself after I retired........back when the world was sane. Unfortunately, I'm learning that the NEW world order is not for sissies.........or people who remember when the world was much simpler. I much...

Anti-coagulants are used for patients having A-Fib to minimize stroke risk. I developed periodic A-Fib several years ago. Since I was already on Warfarin for my mechanical valve no additional treatment for the A-Fib was needed. My A-Fib is now chronic and my treatment is still the Warfarin I...

Hi kreagen. I have one of the oldest mech Aortic valves ever implanted (1967). It is a Starr-Edwards "ball-in-cage" valve. I am 87 years old and NOT very computer savvy. If you call, please identify yourself quickly as we receive 20-30 spam calls a day and hang up quickly on calls that we...

Please do the above. I've been on warfarin long enough that I thought I knew what was best for me.......not sure anymore. For decades my INR was extremely stable, 2.5-3.5 and I made few adjustments over the last few decades (5mg daily). Last spring I was diagnosed with a heart/lung disease...

According to ONYX the 1.7 INR should keep you out of trouble.......but to be safe I would increase my weekly dose(35mg) by 15%(5mg) now and recheck in a week. If you still need to raise your INR then increase it slowly, 5mg per week, until you get back in range. My own experience is to make...

Please provide a little more info....... What is your prescribed INR range? What is your prescribed warfarin dosing? What is the Brand of your mechanical valve? My hunch is that the initial instruction to "hold two days" was excessive for a 4.1 INR and drove your INR very low......

Welcome to the forum. I agree with the earlier posters that a valve replacement will do little to alter your life and lifestyle in the future. I got my "one and only" mechanical valve when I was 31, in the very early days of valve replacement surgery, and have lived a nearly normal life since...

Aortic valve replaced by "ball-in-cage" Starr-Edwards mechanical valve.....no longer on the market.

It is my understanding that Bristol, Myers, Squibb, the owner of the drug Coumadin discontinued the manufacture of the Brand Coumadin last year........due to a decline in the demand for that brand name drug. I would make the switch to Marevan, Warfarin, or other warfarin-based anti-coagulant as...

Your question should be directed to your Cardio and/or Surgeon.

Welcome to the forum MIB. Always glad to see another southerner on the site.......and from an SEC school city no less. INR stumps new people a lot.......and even some of us who have been on warfarin for years ever so often. The basic thing to remember is....1. Take the warfarin as prescribed...

I will be 87 (in a couple of weeks) and I had this surgery when I was 31. I remember being put on Warfarin along with a couple of other meds for several months. Warfarin remained my only long-term med for several decades.......until I reached my 60's when a hi-blood med was added. In my early...

I would ask my cardiologist before I started "baby aspirin" therapy.

Glad to see you are on the other side of the mountain. Warfarin should not be a problem for you......but it may take a little time to maintain your INR range. After the standard three-month waiting period I would encourage you to self-test at home.

Welcome, Cormac_1989. You are certainly not alone in your worry pre-op......and post-op. I doubt any normal person can go thru this surgery without questioning their future. For me, the valve has made me think a little before I act.......most of the time (LOL). I have only one "must-do" for...

I believe the normal wait time for home testing is three months. BTW, waiting six weeks between INR tests would worry me a little. That timing might be often enough for the majority of INR patients such as a-fib and other conditions requiring anti-coagulation but it would be too long for...

Hi Mr. Charles and welcome to this site. I can't add much to what Pellico posted except I am sure I felt as you do. I was diagnosed when I was in my late teens but surgery was not an option in the 1950s. When I was 31 I had the surgery with a lot of questions and uncertainty.......just as you...

Welcome to the group. From your bio you have had somewhat similar heart surgeries before so you have some idea of what is ahead of you. Hopefully, this will be your last heart surgery.......and with the mechanical valve your chances of not needing another surgery are very high. Good luck and...