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Hello all, I had an AVR about 10 months ago and had a quick question. Am I able to smoke pipe tobacco once or twice a month? Are there any associated risks with my heart being that I had an AVR? Thanks in advance and God bless! :)

http://www.onxlti.com/2012/10/on-x-life-technologies-submits-for-fdace-approval-of-reduced-anticoagulation-indication-for-on-x-aortic-heart-valve/

Hello all, I haven't been on here for a while, but things have been extremely well, until just recently. I had my 6 month echo and EKG in December 2012 and my Cardio told me that everything looked perfect. Just last week, I started experiencing what I believe to be shortness of breath and...

Hello all, I am 5 months post-op next week and have recently noticed that my heart rate jumps up about 10-20 bpm when laying down (I've measured with my BP monitors). My blood pressure stays within normal range always though. Has anyone else experienced this? What could it be? I can...

Hello everyone, I'm almost 5 months post-op and I have been experiencing some strange stuff, so I wanted to see if any of you have had similar experiences. Every couple of weeks for the last few months, my heart becomes more rapid (this lasts for 2 days or so), then goes back to normal. For...

Hello all, In the last week, my INR has dropped by .7, from 2.8 to 2.1, so I am still within normal limits for On-X (I believe it's 2.0-3.0). I am taking 5.5mg, except for Mon/Wed/Fri, where I take 6mg. I upped my dose today to 6mg per day, 7 days a week. My goal INR is 2.7-2.8. Is it...

Hello friends, Just thought I'd write a word of praise for all of you soon-to-be AVR patients. Leading up to my AVR, I was so stressed, anxious, and scared. This website helped me out a lot by providing me with a ton of information, BUT often times, more information led to more stress for me...

Hello all, My scar is finally beginning to heal after 6 weeks, and I am feeling great. The other day, I was feeling my incision and I noticed that I have a "bumpy" area towards the bottom of the incision. It's a solid bumpy area, and it doesn't move. My scar also doesn't hurt to feel or...

Hey all, I received some pretty encouraging news the other day from my Cardiologist. Before going into the AVR surgery, my LV was dilated at 6.1cm. Four days after surgery, the hospital performed an echo on my chest and I just received the results yesterday. My LV went down to 4.8cm and...

Hello all, My heart rate has been around 75-100 since leaving the hospital on Atenelol. For the last 2 days, my heart rate has been lingering around 90-110 with/without the Atenelol. Also, I've been having some back pain. It is possible that the pain is from sleeping on my back, as I am a...

Hello all, I will be 3 weeks post op on Monday. My incision site has been healing well, but this morning I woke up and found a "wet" spot on my shirt about the size of a quarter. After examining my sternotomy incision site, I found that there is a yellow discharge coming out of the bottom...

Hello all, I had a bowel movement today (15 days post-op) and there was bright red/pink blood in around my stool and anus. Immediately, I checked my INR with my InRatio 2 and it read 2.3, so I should be fine as far as INR level. I called my cardio and he didn't sound too concerned about it...

Hello all, I am 2 weeks post op and feeling great. I have spent each and everyday out of the house and running errands. I was able to stand for over 4 hours yesterday! I've been able to sleep on my sides as well. I have a lot of energy and very little pain. God has surely blessed me with...

Hello everyone, I received an AVR last Monday (June 4th, 2012) and I chose an On-X mechanical valve (I'm 25 years old). I wanted to write a short entry regarding my experience and hopefully encourage some of you about to go through the procedure. The surgery went smooth and I was in ICU...

Hello friends, I was soliciting some advice from you all. What kind of medical bracelets do you recommend? For coumadin. And what kind of INR home testing device should I get? Any website links to reasonably priced deals? Thanks all!

Hello all, This is Peter's wife posting on his behalf. My husband had a BAV replacement (On-X) on Monday. His surgery was from 8:30-1. As of now, he is still hospitalized and it looks like he will be here until at least Saturday. He has been experiencing tachycardia as well as a...

Hey all, Just wanted to let you know that I will be undergoing an AVR tomorrow. Preop is at 5am and surgery is at 8am. Super nervous, but by God, I will get through it. My wife will probably be updating you all on my progress. God bless! Peter Gammo

Hello all, It's your local hypochondriac checking in again :p . My surgery is in less than two days and I find myself getting anxiety attacks at times; xanax doesn't help much. How did you all handle your day before surgery? How did you handle the preop before surgery? Thanks!

Hello all, My AVR is this coming Friday at 5am. My children are sick with fevers and I hope that I will not contract anything from them. In the event that I do, is it true that the surgeon will not operate on me until I'm one week post-illness? In other words, will the surgeon postpone the...

Hey all, I am having my AVR this coming Friday and I was wondering: will I physically be able to go to church the following Sunday (as in 12 days after)? Thanks