... Iam learning as much as I can before the surgery
I recall you'd asked this question before, if I was you I'd start a file on what you have learned so that you're not relying only on memory. The answers to questions should be in that file. I strongly recommend that this is not your phone. If you don't have a computer then I recommend getting one. Make sure you back up your files because it may be years before you have surgery.
As to valve research I strongly recommend that you do research on actual data not company glossy brochures. Remember that companies are not "the good fairy" and have an agenda. On-X has an agenda that goes like this:
St Jude is the established player on the board, with an excellent reputation and millions of functioning valves in place, what can we do to get into that market? IDEA: lets prey on the ignorance and fears of people on the horrors of Warfarin.
The actual situation of warfarin is quite different to the anxiety riddled newbie who has not a clue but is unconsciously responding to the messages of FEAR that are given widely in the surgical and ACT management organisations.
Why fear?
Well because everyone in the medical and clinical world knows that people just don't take what they are supposed to take when they are supposed to take it. As much as half of the patients on warfarin become non takers after a year or so ...
There is actually nothing that anyone can point to and show that the On-X valve is anymore magical than the St Jude or others, indeed we have some evidence that they do not live up to their own claims, either physically:
Nice to meet someone else with a unicuspid valve (well, I used to have one). Your surgery is a day before my AVR one year anniversary. My AVA was .9 at time of surgery. My results from stress echo made my surgeon opt for surgery (even though I was successfully able to run at top speed at the top...
www.valvereplacement.org
or pharmacologically
Hi all - I need the help of the smarty pants like Ross. I apologize I cannot remember everyone's name. Not sure if you all remember me. I was actively on this forum and 2010 and part of 2011. I will briefly summarize my history. In June 2010 I was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve. Of...
www.valvereplacement.org
note that above title is misleading, the problem is not a mechanical failure but that the patient came to harm by following the guidance of the lower INR ... Why? In short the trial was too short and did not cover enough patients and had a presumption of INR monitoring that few in practice do.
This failure of the patient compliance has been known for thousands of years
So, keep your research on strictly science and keep notes (as any good researcher must)
Best Wishes