Newbie to here

[VikiVix]

Hi
I found this site last night and am so thankful you all are here.
I had an aortic valve replacement in December 2006 and seem to be doing well but have a lot of questions and still have insecure feelings about this whole episode in my life. It's very reassuring to read posts from people who have gone through this and to see that there are others who have many questions and the same thoughts as me.

One of my main thoughts that constantly enters my mind is how will I know if I ever will need to replace the valve again and how long will the one I have last approximately. I know it's hard for anyone to determine how long my life has been extended by this but it would help me to hear from some of you as to how long it's been since their surgery.

I am 61 years old and had no symptoms. or so I thought, of heart problems.
I knew I had a heart murmur as a child. I would get "winded" when I would perform a task such as sweeping, was very tired, and thought I had asthma because I would wake up at night feeling like I had to sit up to breathe. My regular doctor sent me to a cardiologist where I had an echocardiogram and he proceeded to tell me that I would drop dead if I didn't have immediate open heart surgery because my aortic valve only had a pinhole opening for blood to pass through.
I am very thankful to be alive!

Viki

 

[Lynlw]

Hi Viki, Welcome
I didn't have surgery my son did. Do you know what kind of valve and what brand model? Everyone is different of course, but there are charts/graph with how long different valves last.
Lyn

 

[Karlynn]

Hi and welcome!

First of all, your chances of living a long, healthy life are vastly improved now that you had your valve replaced. Without it being replaced your prognosis would have been grim. I would get used to the idea of living a long healthy life!

I gather from your profile that you have a tissue valve replacement since you don't list Coumadin (warfarin) as one of your medications. It would be helpful to know what type of tissue valve you had implanted. Those who know about longevity studies and such can give you more information on your particular valve and what the time-span is on it. For someone your age, I'm taking a wild stab and ball parking it at ~20 years.

My best advice is to live your life the way you want and try not to guess at whether or not it will be cut short by your valve issues, for it's very highly likely that it will not.

 

[VikiVix]

valve type

valve type

My valve is "bovine" from a cow. That's all I know. I'm not well versed in medical terms.

Hi Viki, Welcome
I didn't have surgery my son did. Do you know what kind of valve and what brand model? Everyone is different of course, but there are charts/graph with how long different valves last.
Lyn

 

[Cooker]

Hi Viki,

Welcome to vr.com. You will find all the information and support you need right here. I have only been here a little over a year so there are many that know much more than I do. I will help where and when I can and there is a good chance I can give you a laugh when needed

Tom

 

[Granbonny]

Hi and Welcome to out site...I was also age 61..had no symptoms...Just got lucky..someone found I had a 5.0 aneurysm.Had surgery 3 days later..That was over 5 years ago..doing well with a mechanical valve..Just take that 1 pill a day..coumadin..No bleeding/bruising..and I have 4 young Grandchildren that hop on me everyday.. ..Life is good..I am glad I do not have to go thru this surgery again..Takes about a year to feel normal again....Bonnie

 

[Lynlw]

My valve is "bovine" from a cow. That's all I know. I'm not well versed in medical terms.

My son also has a bovine. He got a wallet card with the model and seriel number from the manufacturer.IF you haven't got one soon, you could call your cardiologist and asked which brand you got and contact the company.
The newer bovine valves have somewhere close to 90% still going fine at 18 years in your age group.
Justin has a different valve and a few heart problems, but they keep an eye on things w/echos and it is usually a progression, not a sudden failure. When Justin's pulmonary stenosis is getting worse, we can usually tell because he is more tired.
HTH Lyn

 

[VikiVix]

Thank you to all!

Thank you to all!

Wow!! What a great group you are! My mind is already feeling a little ease from my concerns.
I'm a single grandma who lives with her cat. I just moved from a studio apartment into a room rental which was less rent, and I was fearful about living alone since my surgery. I joined Mended Hearts but since I had to return to the working world, I haven't been able to attend meetings or do my volunteer visits yet.
I see my cardiologist on the 16th for a follow up so I'll find out about the "card" for my tissue valve. One benefit about the valve is that I don't have to take cumidin (spelling??). I just take low dose aspirin.
After the doctors said I could return to work, which was at a local grocery as checker, the store didn't give me any hours so I had to job hunt. I got a job in Big Basin State Park at the grocery/gift store there. Beautiful place to be!
Viki

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Welcome Viki,

I'm glad you found our 'family' of Heart Valve patients. You should find many "kindred hearts" here and a lot of support from others who have "Been There and Done That".

The Carpentier-Edwards Bovine Pericardial Tissue Valve (made from the pericardium of a Cow's Heart) is approaching 20 years durability when implanted in patients over age 60. The "improved" version has an anti-calcification coating they hope will extend that durability to 25 years (or more). Ask your Surgeon which one you received and be sure to get a "Valve Card" identifying exactly which valve you have by Model and Serial numbers.

You sound well and I hope that we have helped you to 'breathe a little easier' in your recovery.

Please stick around. You are 'family' now and could just be a light of inspiration to another newcomer.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi Viki -

Welcome to the site; glad you found it. One of the things that my cardiologist told me that I could do to help my heart and replaced valve is to take really good care of my teeth and gums and keep them in a healthy state.

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to the VR community, Viki. Glad you found us. I can't help you with your question on valve longevity as I had a repair not a replacement, but wanted to extend greetings to you. Glad to hear you are doing well since your surgery in December. Best wishes.

 

[hensylee]

Hi, Vicki, welcome to the neighborhood heart school. You will soon know terms. As to knowing if you have troubles, aren't you scheduled to visit your cardio regularly? That should keep her/him abreast of what is going on so in case of trouble there will be an ongoing history. I had quad bypass 7 yrs ago and I see my dr every six months without fail.

We had another member who lived alone and came home from hospital to be alone. She did just fine. I stayed with nurse cousin for a month, then came home to an empty house and was fine.

Then I aged and daughter came to live with me - not because of the age, tho. It's nice to have her here - she works so I have all day every day alone and love it.

 

[catwoman]

Viki:

If you stay on top of your health with regular cardio visits (usually annually, but some cardios want to see patients more frequently the first year or two) and echoes, you will be able to catch any problems while they're still "mole hills."

My father-in-law did not. He got a porcine mitral valve in 1979. After a couple of years of being told he was doing fine, he quit making the 130-mile round trip to his cardio in Fort Worth. Then he went into congestive heart failure. Exam & tests showed the valve had failed. He also needed AVR + aorto rebuilt + tricuspid repair + 4 CABG. He was very ill, and the surgery was 8-9 hours long, as was his recovery.

That impressed upon me the need to be a good girl and see my cardio every year.

 

[Bina]

Hi viki,
Welcome....this is a group of absolutely brilliant people

 

[readsforfun]

Hi!

I, too, had the aortic valve replaced due to stenosis only mine is a St. Jude Porcine. Had my surgery March 3rd, this year, and am feeling wonderful. You questionned the longevity and how you would know when (if) it started to fail. I was told that I would start to experience the same type of symptoms as I felt previously, which truth be told, was only some shortness of breath whenever I did anything strenuous. The time frame given to me was 10-15 years and growing longer. I'm pulling for longer!!

In any event, this site was an absolute life saver for me and while I don't write hardly at all any more, I do check out the posts every couple of nights. Any questions you might have will definitely find answers here. Again, welcome.

Jan

 

[ruth]

Welcome Viki!!

Glad you found this site. Go ahead, ask away and ease your mind. I was fortunate enough to find this site before my surgery and it's been a real help.

Best wishes to you & your cat,
Ruth

 

[sue943]

Welcome.

I also live alone, I am almost sixty. All my family live hundreds of miles from me, I live on a small island. As I no longer work and most days I don't see or speak to anyone even on the telephone, I have a 'watching system'. A friend who lives the other side of the world has telephone numbers of neighbours and my daughter in the UK and if I have not logged onto my computer in the morning she will telephone my neighbour who has a key. That puts my mind at rest, I used to worry about falling ill, having a stroke or heart attack, and no one finding me. If you haven't done so, try to set up something similar. It does mean having to tell people your plans if you have to go out but the peace of mind makes it worthwhile.

 

[dlangton]

I had aortic valve replacement the same month as you last year, on December 12th, and I was in a very similar situation. The cardiologist told me the same things yours did, though it was a bicuspid valve in my case. I had a lifelong sleep disorder (apnea or dispnea or something) that turns out to have been related to the valve problem, and that is now completely cleared up. I also had a related breathing problem that I thought must be some type of asthma, and that too is completely gone 8 months after surgery. I am alive and feeling great, and I feel very, very lucky that I got diagnosed in time and had this problem taken care of, and I am completely and utterly amazed at the improvements of the aforementioned conditions that had never been properly understood or diagnosed. I hope you have experienced similar improvements.

 

[surfsparky]

Welcome Viki!
Great to 'meet' you!

Yolanda