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I've been a member for 6 years, haven't posted for 2 or 3 years. I'm a 48 year old male, 6.5 years out from Aortic Valve Surgery with an On-X mechanical valve. Have been doing great, I'm an aggressive uphill cyclist. Last week started having an irregular heartbeat (suddenly, not while...

This morning I exercised (ran about 2.5 miles) and then noticed darker urine. Later in the day I noticed the definite presence of fresh red blood in my urine (gross hematuria). I've heard exercise can cause it to exist for a short time and I'm wondering if being on Warfarin makes it more...

I've noticed that Protimenow has not posted for over 5 weeks. The last time I exchanged messages with him was around Thanksgiving time and I was sending him personal messages about buying some of his unused INRatio2 strips. Has anyone heard from him? He's been a regular poster and to go 5+...

I recently acquired a new box of 48 INRatio2 strips from Amazon.com. I noticed that these are "new improved with wider sample area". When I compared the old lot with the new in a blood test, the new read an INR of 0.8-0.9 higher. I trusted the old lot since I had 6 tests that were within 0.1...

I'm new to the home testing world and have been doing a few practice finger sticks with Unistik Normal and Extra. One thing I notice is soreness around the stick area that lasts up to a few days. This could become a problem for me if I'm testing weekly, since I'm a guitar player. I'm...

I am in the process of ordering an Inratio2. I have a good lab that is nearby and convenient. According to them, my INR has been stable for several months. My goal in getting a meter is to shadow the lab measurements until I get familiar with how it's done/how accurate the meter is. The lab...

I'm getting a new InRatio monitor after the New Year. I purchased some lancets on Amazon (Unistik 2 Normal) and tested them on my finger. They don't seem to stick me hard enough to get a drop of blood that falls within a few seconds. Will the Unistik Extra 21 Guage 3.0mm depth work more...

Today (11/7/2012) is my 1st anniversary for aortic valve, root and ascending aorta replacement. It's hard to believe it's only been 1 year after such a crazy year. I feel good these days and am happy with my recovery. Warfarin hasn't been much of an issue and I consider the audible tick of my...

I just had a 4 month post-AVR check up with my cardio. He said I would probably be able to go of Metoprolol after 6-8 months. I take 12.5 mg in the morning and evening, which is a small-ish dose. I notice that when I accidentally miss a morning dose, my HR is 10-20 BPM higher when I run...

In my area, an intestinal virus is going around which causes loss of appetite, diarrhea and maybe some vomiting. No fever or any other symptoms. My toddler has it now and I'm wondering what would happen to my INR if I get it. Would it tend to go down or up? Not eating or doing activity would...

After 6 weeks of having a large On-X valve in me, the most noticeable effect is the way it *thumps* on my chest. The *click* is very soft, high pitched and can only be heard by me or others in the quietest room or one that's got a lot of tiles or mirrors. I can feel the thumping, however, most...

I am nearly 6 weeks post op and it seems that my sternum has become more stiff and sore over the last week. Since 4 weeks, my cardio upped the allowable lifting to 20 lbs. I know I exceeded this once this last week (30lbs) but there was no obvious event or pain. When I cough, sneeze or blow...

I am 1 week post op and my incision pokes out at the top and drops down near the bottom, like a narrow ramp. The top pokes out and is more sore than the rest. I can see this being an annoyance. The surgeon used internal dissolvable stiches rather than external "zipper" style stitching. It...

I just had my aortic valve replaced on Monday (11/7), with an On-X 27/29mm. I was told that my aortic annulus was 36mm and could've supported the largest valve size, (machanical) the 33mm with St. Jude. The surgeon said he decided to use the smaller On-x because I had been insistent on it and...

The wife here: Steve is three days post surgery and very alive. The surgeon ended up replacing the root along with the valve and ascending aorta. Chest tubes should come out tomorrow and we expect him to be sent home Friday, the 11th. He has lots of questions to post and is looking forward...

Yesterday I confirmed my surgery will be November 7. After knowing I had a condition for 20 years, and knowing I was going to do something about it for 1 year, I am finally going to go under the knife. I am barely symptomatic and feel good most of the time. The only thing I notice is when I...

Hi all. I'm planning to have AVR surgery this November and I'm going mechanical. My Insurance (Kaiser Permanente Southern California) does not appear to pay for home monitors at this point. Even so, I plan to get my own INR monitor for the purpose of keeping in better range, and being more...

Last week I had a cardiac cath procedure done to see if my coronary arteries needed any work along with my upcoming AVR surgery. Luckily my arteries were clear, I recovered quickly and felt good for 3-4 days after. The last 2-3 days, however, I have developed a sore bump under the skin where...

Hello, I'm a relative newbe to this site. I will most likely be having AVR in early November 2011. I have a BAV that's leaking severely and a 48mm Aortic Aneurysm. I'm planning to get the On-X valve attach graft. I had a cardiac catheter angiogram 2 days ago and was told by the nurse who...