Adam's Guestbook

Hi Adam!  You were wise to choose the mechanical valve at your young age. 

I had a tissue valve at age 59, much older than you, but 10 years later it needed replacing again.  I chose mechanical ( I was not a candidate for TAVR). Otherwise, I may have needed a third open heart surgery. 

My advice is to not go over the required INR. I had bleeding issues so I keep it at the lowest possible number (hard to do but it gets easier)

The vitamin K foods are good for you… just be pretty consistent about how you eat them. I try to eat greens several times a week. 

I would check with your Dr about the bleeding. 
God bless you and may you continue to heal. 

Ann

Adam, I had my mitral replaced with a St. Jude mechanical valve 37 years ago, so I have been on coumadin that long.  I was 46  at the time and was advised to go with a mechanical valve because I was too young to go the route of a tissue valve for the same reason you were advised against a tissue valve.  I will be 83 in August.  Seven years ago my aortic valve was  replaced with a mechanical valve, an ATS AP one. 

I had rheumatic heart disease as a teenager, and my valves were compromised at that time.   I skied until 75, and now my husband and I ride our pedal assist bikes, and I fly fish with him.  We are hampered by age and move slowly, so getting down to streams on some hillsides can be slow and a stubborn  process.  (When he retired, he became a fly fishing guide for many years.   He liked his office !!)     Judy

Hi Adam ,
It is probably nothing to do with your warfarin , there are lots of other reasons that can cause those symptoms . 
You will need to get yourself checked out though . 
I would wait until Monday but you do what puts your mind at ease .
Have you been eating and drinking normally and regularly ? 
Have you had an infection or constipation ? 
Lots of beetroot ? 
Try not to worry , I know it ‘s easier said than done . 

Thanks Adam for the video link.  Jeff seems like a great guy, and pretty similar to both of our cases.  

Keep us posted and I'll be in touch on the site as well as things progress.

Morning Adam ,
I had a dodgy voice for quite a long time .
I had woken up in intensive care as the tube was being taken out , so I presumed it was due to that .
My voice is back to normal now . 
It ‘s still early days , other than your voice , I hope that you are feeling well . 

Adam, good luck with surgery next week. I had the same procedure done this past June at the Cleveland Clinic. I also had to choose between mechanical or tissue, I'll say this site made that decision much easier.