My cardiologist advised me to take a baby aspirin per day, soon after I met him. He said he does, and thinks maybe everybody and definitely all "older" men should, based on the evidence to date. It seems to be statistically associated with lower rates of heart attack and maybe other cardiac problems. I think the theory is that some or many of those problems are caused by an over-active inflammatory response, which aspirin (a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory = NSAID) decreases.
I haven't noticed any stomach upset, and I've "cheaped out" and rebelled against paying MORE for an 81 mg Aspirin than the normal cost of a 325 mg Aspirin -- so I buy the normal-sized ones and chop them into four ~81 mg pieces. Whatever coating was applied to the surface of the original pill is definitely NOT on the chopped edges! I usually pop them just before bed, with a good slug (~4-6 oz.) of water, no milk or food. I do gurgle a bit after drinking the water, but I don't associate that with the pill. . .
I'm guessing that my same cardiologist will continue to encourage me to keep low-dosing with ASA after I get the pig valve. . .
