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I haven't posted in awhile and thought I would let everyone know I am still alive and kicking. I check the site frequently but haven't posted much. Around the time of my second surgery in 2006 I was getting caught up in the heated mech vs. tissue debates that were running rampant here and...

I found this article that was in Time magazine way back in 1978. It suggests that Abraham Lincoln had Marfan's syndrome and suffered from aortic insufficiency. Interesting, even if unproven. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919679,00.html

I ran across this thread in a forum for heart surgeons. The postings are very critical of both the St. Jude Regent and Edwards tissue valves. It talks about the struts on the perimount valve being so sharp as to puncture the LV wall of the heart. It also discusses the Regent having walls so thin...

For years I have had recurrent infections in the lymph nodes in my neck, usually just one side or ther other. I rarely sought treatment and the situation always resolved itself within a week or so. I have not had one since my AVR but now I do have the first indications of one...some discomfort...

I am nearly six months postop and feel great. Back to lifting weights, running and bicycling. When I first came home from surgery my resting heart rate was running around 90. Now it is around 50. My blood pressure hasn't changed much. It stays around 128/65. My question is how low is too low...

I have been so busy with work and renovations at home that I have not been able to run for the last six weeks. Today I get out there and, to my great surprise, I best my last time by twenty seconds for a 2 mile run! My AVR surgery was in February. I can only assume this is the result of...

I know it's pretty slow for a seasoned runner but I feel pretty proud hitting a 12 minute mile only 3 months after my AVR. Plus I'm still about fifteen pounds over my optimum weight. For someone who considered himself asymptomatic before my surgery, I think I am beginning to see that perhaps...

Interesting article on herbs and meds that can interact with warfarin. Not too much that hasn't already been discussed here though. http://www.medpagetoday.com/2005MeetingCoverage/ACP/tb/3050

I have done quite a bit of running in my life but I have never felt the need to use a heart rate monitor. Now that I've gotten a little older and have had AVR I think it might be time to reconsider. What monitors would you recommend? I'm a bit of a gadget freak and have been looking at the...

MCRI just put a new informational site online. It is designed to help patients make an informed decision concerning valve choice with an emphasis on the potential advantages of the On-X. http://www.heartvalvechoice.com

I have already lost all faith in having my PCP control my dosage. They cannot even get back to me the same day of the test. Either the lab neglects to fax the results to them or they simply don't return my call. I am therefore asking my friends here for advice even though I have a good idea...

I just wanted to share my experiences with the staff at Cleveland Clinic regarding their perception of coumadin therapy. These incidents do not convey the opinions of the entire staff, only those specific individuals I had contact with. My surgeon, Dr. Pettersson, thought a mechanical valve was...

Just got my walking papers and we are back at the Holiday Inn. Four days in,the same as last time. So far, no regrets for my choice. Dr. Pettersson honestly is impressed with the valve and believes there is a good chance of it being a lifetime solution. There is absolutely no regurgitation...

:) Randy is out of surgery and in ICU. He is breating on his own and the ICU nurse anticipates the breating tube coming out very shortly. The surgery only took 90 minutes! The surgeon has never used the ON-X valve before and it still only took him 90 minutes! He did great and I know he will...

Tomorrow morning at 5:15 I go in. Preop testing was done Monday. My ENT doctor saw nothing concerning my nosebleeds to contraindicate anticoagulation. The other good news I received was that, in the four months since my first surgery, I would not have built up a great deal of scar tissue. They...

My wife and I head for Cleveland Clinic on Sunday. I have a full day of tests Monday. Tuesday I meet with the preop team and Dr. Pettersson, my illustrious surgeon. It has also become official that I will be able to get my On-X after all. A vendor has been contacted to supply the valve and a...

I just received the call from Cleveland Clinic. My next surgery is scheduled for February 16th. The nurse told me Dr. Pettersson is leaning toward a homograft yet but he will be calling to discuss the situation later this week or early next week at which time I will express my desire for the...

We just received two checks totalling nearly $7,000 for my first valve repair surgery and the subsequent hospitalization for endocarditis. We had only taken out the policy a year before my diagnosis. Nice when something actually goes our way for once. Not that we can go on a shopping spree or...

Hi all, Just thought I would let you know how things are going. Not alot has changed. Brucellosis is still the suspected culprit for my endocarditis but not confirmed. The first test from Quest labs and a repeat came back positive. A culture sent to Mayo came back negative. My infectious...

One of my cultures from nearly a month ago finally grew. My cardiologist and infectious disease doctor were both absolutely shocked when the bacteria was identified. Acute brucellosis, a very rare form of the infection. We even get to have a visit from the cdc since they will be doing an...