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I've never even heard of this.. I wear contacts every time I walk out of my house.

Take it easy, James. I was feeling great shortly after I had the On-x put in, and I ended up with a large amount of swelling just under the incision site. I got a little crazy with the walking.

My left arm was completely numb and swollen for about a week following my first surgery, and it was painful to use it off and on for weeks after. After my second surgery, the exact same thing happened, only it was my right leg this time? Really weird, but it seems to be common occurrence for...

It may be from laying in bed for so long. I had one butt cheek that felt like your leg does when it "falls asleep" immediately following my second surgery. The thing felt like this for a solid 3-4 weeks.

Thanks, everyone!

Because of the coumadin. Being hit in the head often and at the possibility of big cuts is not a good thing. I guess I could just do everything but spar, but there's no fun in that :) Good luck!

You have to make sure you breathe properly during your workouts. REALLY make sure. Holding your breath while lifting heavy usually results in a valsalva maneuver. This puts extra pressure on your aorta. I'm lifting regularly, but I'm a weakling :) I'm just trying to develop good habits for when...

You'll be fine :) Thanks everyone for the posts!

Hi, I was also apprehensive about having to take coumadin for the rest of my life, but I can tell you that it really isn't that big of a deal. Other than being a bit of an annoyance, I really don't even notice it anymore. The only real downside for me was never being able to box again, but I'll...

Actually, almost a year and a half :) I just had an echo and the ticker received an A+! I was a bit nervous considering I needed two surgeries within 8 months last time. Anyhow, I'm back to 100% and I workout 5 days a week. Those of you who are wondering if you will ever be the same again, you...

I know I'm late to the party, but I have a mechanical valve and I play basketball all the time! Go for it!

These pictures sure bring back penty of memories! Best of luck to your Dad! Looks like he has the right attitude.

I adjust my warfarin dosage according to what I'm eating, not the other way around. The only chart I look at is Lodwick's, but thankfully I rarely ever have to.

I'm 27 now. I have an ON-X valve and while I do hope the trial is a success and I won't have to take warfarin anymore, it's really not a big deal. It took me about 9 months to get comfortable with it and learn about different foods and portions and how they affect my INR. I'm more active now...

You probably did a better job than the dentist would have, anyway :)

Hi, I'm in a similar boat and I ended up going with an on-x valve. I had a repair performed last year and it began to leak again a few months later, so I just went with the mechanical valve. The surgery and recovery isn't a whole lot of fun, so I wanted to make sure I set myself up for the least...

First find out what hospitals your insurance works with, then find the best surgeon you can working out of one of those hospitals. Are you just having a bread and butter valve replacement? It's fairly commonplace these days, so I wouldn't worry about having to be at the best rated hospital in...

You can have the minimally invasive procedure done if that what you would prefer. Remember, though.. They still have to get in there somehow! It's not as bad as you think. It will be tough for a few weeks and then it will just be a memory!

Sometimes the test may come back incorrectly because the lab/lab techs are not meticulous with their quality control. I've been fortunate enough to have my mother run my tests now that I've moved back to my hometown. Miraculously, my numbers became much more steady, even though I haven't changed...

Hopefully I'll have similar success. I'll fax everything tomorrow