Dear Twinmaker! (gotta love the name!!)
My husband has a similar situation. He has mechanical mitral and aortic valves, implanted in 2001. He has a severely leaking tricuspid valve, which showed itself about 4-6 months post surgery. He also takes a lot of diuretics.
He has been managed with medication for four and a half years. Unfortunately, he also has chronic atrial fibrillation, and without going into the entire story, he needs a pacemaker. His cardio and the electrophysciologist believe tht he should have a standard implant, which means that the pacing wires would have to cross the tricuspid valve. No can do, unless the tricuspid valve is repaired.
He was originally scheduled to have this surgery (annuloplasty, and then pacemaker) done this month (August). But for reasons I won't go in to now, we are postponing for a bit. (death in the family)
Were it not for the need of the pacemaker, I think the tricuspid repair could have waited quite a bit longer.
The right side of the heart is of course, the passive side, and it takes a long time before it's deficincies create a problem with the left side again. Soooo.....you are not alone in this issue. Take a deep breath. I am sure it came as a surprise to you (as it did to us), but it is definitely not as serious as the mitral/aortic valve situation. By the way, are your issues rheumatic in origin?
Marybeth