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Thanks for the input! I'm happy not to find a reason to quit exercising! My annual ultrasound is next week, it's great to have such a thorough checkup every year. Prior to getting a valve job, I really had no idea what was happening with my heart. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Thanks for the input! I'm happy not to find a reason to quit exercising! My annual ultrasound is next week, it's great to have such a thorough checkup every year. Prior to getting a valve job, I really had no idea what was happening with my heart. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Hi all, I have read several times that tissue valves last longer in older patients (my cardiologist does not seem to know why other than statistically, it seems to be the case). Does anyone know why? Could it be that older folks tend to be more sedentary and don't stress the heart as much? I...

Congrats! May you have many more years of excellent health!

Hi, I had a bovine tissue aortic valve installed on Aug 9, 2012. I was leaning towards the mechanical but my surgeon suggested going with tissue, partly because of the possible issues with coumadin, but also because I was not taking any medications at that time and I was very active (running)...

Congrats, Terry! Actually, today, August 9th is MY one year anniversary from getting a bovine aortic valve installed by Dr. Luber's team at St. Joe's Hospital in Tacoma, WA. It was a very stressful time leading up to the surgery but in hindsight, it is all a blur now! I really have trouble...

Heather Anne, I was (am) a jogger and asymptomatic when I found out I had a leaking aortic valve last June (replaced in August with a bovine valve). However, when I look back, I was having leg and foot cramps at night, fairly regularly. I did not associate that with the heart but they have...

I had pretty much decided on a mechanical valve but when I talked with my surgeon, he suggested a bovine valve because of my excellent health (other than the pesky leaking aortic valve). I was not taking any medications at all and am an avid exerciser. I am age 60. He felt a tissue valve...

Fast walking was great for me, I was walking several miles a day pretty quickly. I waited for three months post op to start light exercise on weight machines, then progressed from there. Now, I'm 8 months post op and exercising vigorously several times a week as well as building a house. I'm...

I am over 5 months post op and have been exercising more and more. However, what used to be a very routine jog of 4 miles I am unable to do at this point. I am only able to go maybe 1/2 mile, then I have to walk a bit and let the heart rate go down to 120 before jogging again. My heart rate...

Ok, Tom, I'm sitting here in Washington state, waiting for it to get light enough to get out the door! Thanks for the motivation!

Good for you, Gym Guy! It's funny, I talked quite a bit with my cardiologist about how much should I exercise, and whether I should change my lifestyle or if it was ok to keep running, how high could I get my heart rate, etc. I got the impression many of his patients are not very active and...

Jack, I just had an AVR in August, was thinking running might not be the best way to exercise, given my age (60) and prothesis (cow). Maybe I should've asked for a deer heart??? But, it sounds like it hasn't slowed you down a bit! Congrats on the half goal! And to ski girl, I agree with Jack...

Hi Pat, my surgeon told me if all else was ok, they would do a mini surgery on me, however, when I woke up, it was the full "zipper". I too was very stressed out because either way, it is a major event! I had my aortic valve replaced but chose a tissue valve. If you are stressing too much...

I think it is a great idea to print out these responses and show them to your manager. I had surgery on August 9th (AVR) and went back to work at my office job on September 10th. I felt pretty good and started exercising more and more at the two month post op date. Then, I travelled to...

Best wishes for an uneventful, speedy recovery! I'm four months post op and I think I have gotten past the worst of it. Today, I worked out at the gym and then raked leaves for a couple of hours. I feel great! I have no regrets for the bovine tissue valve. In looking back, those days in...

Hi Shamrock, It sounds like you are feeling what I was feeling in June and July. I was pretty much asymptomatic. I had a severely leaking aortic valve. My only symptom was a slight dizziness. I spent a lot of time worrying and trying to absorb the shocking information (my poor wife had to...

Yes, you are right, I should give up the coffee, at least most of it. Maybe a cup or two in the morning would be ok. I know it would be good for my heart. I did get an ultrasound today, but it didn't show any problems that would explain the pain I have been feeling after three or four days of...

I am getting an ultrasound on Monday, the 12th so I'm kind of holding out until then. I had similar symptoms about a month ago and went in to the cardiologist. My BP, HR, was normal. He did an EKG and saw nothing so he was kind of puzzled. He didn't think it was a heart attack, because I...

Thanks, Forrest and Mary! I actually had another bout with the chest pain yesterday. I think it may be related to caffeine. In Europe, we drank coffee at breaks and expresso at lunch. Yesterday, I drank quite a bit of coffee since I was off work and had a caffeinated soda during the football...