Mechanical valves/Coumadin - Changes in Lifestyle?

[ejc61]

I'm pretty new to the board, but I don't see a thread on this. I'm going to be 49 years old. I like to ride my road bike (bicycle), ski, kayak and walking with my dogs. I like beer and wine in extreme moderation and weekends only. I hear stories about what I can an cannot do. My cardiologist says I can still do all these things. I had MV repair last year and it was during this time we talked about mechanical valves. I do not have a mechanical valve currently. I was wondering what people's experience is?

 

[Ross]

No reason on earth you can't do those things. Take a look around this forum if you think having a mechanical valve and take Coumadin would affect you. People do everything they always have. Just use common sense and wear head protection when doing something that requires it.

The short answer is, no changes to very little changes.

Tell us the stories about what all you cannot do and we'll dispell all those myths for you. People are always told a bunch of BS about Coumadin.

 

[ejc61]

No reason on earth you can't do those things. Take a look around this forum if you think having a mechanical valve and take Coumadin would affect you. People do everything they always have. Just use common sense and wear head protection when doing something that requires it.

The short answer is, no changes to very little changes.

Tell us the stories about what all you cannot do and we'll dispell all those myths for you. People are always told a bunch of BS about Coumadin.

That's what I am thinking. And yes I wear a helmet for cycling, and I've started to wear a helmet for skiing, but I guess for a different reason like head trauma. The one thing I've learned reading this board is that I need to be more knowledgable about my own situation with regards to test results. Thanks.

 

[Ross]

Some people in the medical profession and others, love to profess that you can and can't do certain things and nearly all of it is hogwash. To this very day, they tell people that their diets will be restricted, activities will be restricted and on and on it goes. Most all of it is untrue. If there is something specific you want to know about, just ask. Obviously, sword fighting isn't something you'd want to do, but beyond that, people continue to live their lives to the fullest.

 

[Jkm7]

There are actually some doctors and nurses telling patients on coumadin they can't shave with a bladed razor. Ridiculous.

There are very few things you probably should not do while on coumadin but by no means must you give up your active lifestyle. Continue all the things you've been doing if you have a mechanical valve implanted and go onto coumadin. (You said you had a repair - are you facing replacement?)

As to beer/wine, continue with your sensible moderation and you should be fine. Consistency with diet is important. If you drink nothing for six months and suddenly have two bottles in one in a night, your INR (might) change. Some folks have changes from alcohol and some have no change at all.
With moderations, should be no problem.

 

[ejc61]

There are actually some doctors and nurses telling patients on coumadin they can't shave with a bladed razor. Ridiculous.

There are very few things you probably should not do while on coumadin but by no means must you give up your active lifestyle. Continue all the things you've been doing if you have a mechanical valve implanted and go onto coumadin. (You said you had a repair - are you facing replacement?)

As to beer/wine, continue with your sensible moderation and you should be fine. Consistency with diet is important. If you drink nothing for six months and suddenly have two bottles in one in a night, your INR (might) change. Some folks have changes from alcohol and some have no change at all.
With moderations, should be no problem.

At the moment, my first post- op stress/echo showed moderate regurg. I was asymptomatic severe pre-op. The echo appeared to show the repair to be good. ( Pre-op, I had a MV posterior leaflet tear). I'm due for a TEE on 7/15/10. For now, the cardiologist talked about maybe the accompanying ring changing shape causing the regurg. I guess fix one thing, something else goes freaky. Basic plumbing I guess. So maybe the repair was successful but with collateral damage somewhere else. I don't believe I'm facing a replacement. I'm one of these people who have to play out scenarios in my head. I've felt great since surgery. I felt good before surgery as well. I cycle better, my energy is better and my stress test improved by over a minute. It took 10 minutes 30 seconds to reach a heart rate of 172. Since my echo, I feel panic and anxiety with the idea that something went wrong. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself, but I'm figuring I only have a finite number of repairs. I need to kind of get off the ledge.
Thanks for your response.

 

[Ross]

Nothing wrong with thinking things through. I think it's wise to do so.

 

[Philip B]

Misconceptions v. Reality

Misconceptions v. Reality

Your cardiologist is 100% correct. Listen to him (or her).

There are a lot of misconceptions and lots of misinformation out there. It sounds like you have a cardiologist who understands that valve surgery is about fixing a problem and moving on with life.

-Philip

 

[harleysandguitars]

Heck, I shave my HEAD with a bladed razor, and have since the day I went on Coumadin. No big deal. Couple of nicks, but they stopped bleeding fairly quickly.

 

[yotphix]

Hmmm...This week I cycled twice, only about 25 miles total though, it was a beach cruiser. I ran about 8 miles, walked another 6, hit the weights twice, went motorcycle camping and did a little jetskiing. Didn't manage to find time for the roller blades but I did shave 5 times with a sharp new razor. I have several cuts, nicks, scrapes and bruises and nothing bled terribly long. All that and 9.5mg of coumadin/day besides. I am definitely in range, having tested last night, and I ate greens twice a day for all of the last seven days. Oh, and I bumped my head a number of times, not too hard but enough to get my attention. (I work on a boat and it is full of low hard things.) Coumadin certainly hasn't slowed me down. It allowed me to have a surgery that made me feel 10 years younger, without the likelihood of having another 15 or fewer years down the road. I like coumadin.

 

[Ross]

I have to laugh and throw in something that happened last night. My back was itching something fierce, so naturally I scratched it. Scratched it so hard it started to bleed. I didn't know I had some blood running down my back. Wife saw it and told me I was bleeding. I asked her out of silliness if we should head to the ER. She said, "No way, I hate that place. I'll just put a cork in you and call it a day."