Complications in surgery or post surgery

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My life expectancy has gotta be low given that my parents only made it to 74/75 and my brother died at 46....I've got a million other health challenges

If you indeed have a low life expectancy, as you indicate, this would be something which might tip the scales towards tissue valve. But, you seem set on mechanical and at the end of the day, you need to make the choice which you feel the most comfortable with. You have weighed the pros and cons of each choice and there are advantages and disadvantages of each. If you go into the decision fully informed, there is no wrong choice. As Superman likes to say, you make the choice which lets you sleep at night.
 
If you indeed have a low life expectancy, as you indicate, this would be something which might tip the scales towards tissue valve. But, you seem set on mechanical and at the end of the day, you need to make the choice which you feel the most comfortable with. You have weighed the pros and cons of each choice and there are advantages and disadvantages of each. If you go into the decision fully informed, there is no wrong choice. As Superman likes to say, you make the choice which lets you sleep ..I prefer tissue but the bad thing is it's going to add to the cost of probably at least a second surgery.. yeah I've already got tinnitus in my brain for the last 25 years causing a lot of distress and sleep issues I can't imagine having to deal with the ticking heart valve as well. All I can do is hope the day of surgery is a way off. Who knows maybe I'll have a job that will cover it as well or maybe I'll end up back in America again and I'll have some sort of coverage. Thanks everybody for your well thought out feedback and thorough analysis. Hope everybody's having a wonderful weekend. Hello from beautiful Thailand :)
 
Luckily I've got a lot of good surgeons here in Thailand as well as heart doctors and I've got my 80 something year old American friend who went to open heart surgery with the tissue valve last year at a low cost government hospital and seem to be very happy with the outcome. She said her sternal bones are healing quickly she's recovering quickly she had zero complications she's very pleased with the surgery of course she didn't have to think about what kind of Valve she was going to get
 
Hi Newarrior.



I would strongly suggest that you at least consider going with a tissue valve.

1) You are 59 now and will almost certainly be over 60 when it is time for surgery. The last time you updated us you were still in the moderate range for aortic stenosis, so you could easily have a few more years before it is your time.

2) Almost every guideline for valve choice would indicate that, for the age range of 60 to 70, either mechanical or tissue is a reasonable choice.

3) In that you are dreading the ticking already, I would expect that you could very likely to be one of those rare individuals for whom the ticking bothers them. In my check up with my cardiologist last week, we discussed the issue of how ticking bothers a small percentage of patients with a mechanical valve. It is his opinion that it is psychologicial for the most part. The discussion of ticking comes up often here, and probably 95%+ of those with mechanical valves indicate that the ticking is a non-issue for them. I know that you have read those threads, as you have participated in them. But, despite having this encouraging feedback from those with mechanical valves, still you are dreading the ticking. So, if you are that certain that it will bother you, despite this feedback, I'd wager that it will, in fact, bother you.

4) You indicate that you are also dreading blood thinners, which we like to more correctly refer to as anti-coagulation. If you go with a tissue valve you will probably only need to be on anti-coagulation for a few months following your surgery. So, a tissue valve will allow you to avoid this concern of yours, most likely, although it is not a certainty, as some develop conditions which require anti-coagulation for other reasons.

Best of luck in whatever you ultimately decide and hoping that the day of surgery is many years off for you.
Chuck--thank you again--just re reading your responses)
 
If you indeed have a low life expectancy, as you indicate, this would be something which might tip the scales towards tissue valve. But, you seem set on mechanical and at the end of the day, you need to make the choice which you feel the most comfortable with. You have weighed the pros and cons of each choice and there are advantages and disadvantages of each. If you go into the decision fully informed, there is no wrong choice. As Superman likes to say, you make the choice which lets you sleep at night.
Good point. I don't know what my lifespan's going to be like of course the longer you live the longer you're likely to be alive if that makes sense. Next year I'm turning 60. I'm doing okay. I'm guessing I could live to be 89 or 90 which could tip the scales back towards mechanical it sounds like having a second heart surgery is a real nightmare that everybody wants to avoid.
 
What I hear is you are most worried about the financial cost of surgery. Do you have enough saved now to cover it? Can you save more as a contingency for complications, and to hire someone to come in and check on you, maybe prep some meals and clean? Even if you never need surgery, you could have greater peace of mind with a surgery and recovery nest egg in place.
 
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I currently have a partner but I'm not sure if we're going to be together at the time of surgery and I'm not sure I'm going to be living wherever I'm living I'll probably reach out to anybody I know even acquaintances and tell them I'm going to have cardiac surgery and see if they can at least check in on me over the phone or texting. Yes the cost is concerning as well I try to keep a certain amount of cash but aside I don't think the surgery is only going to pop up out of nowhere once I know it's happening I'll try to find out what might be the highest amount of money I could spend and then I make sure I have a certain amount of cash in reserves and I would transfer that money over to my bank in Thailand or use my credit cards in America
 

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