Ruben's Guestbook

Prayers for a safe and succesful surgery, I wasn't asked lol for my choice of swine or metel, and was given metal, to be honest I am ok with it and took no time in getting used to War/pills ,plus my little ones thin I am the croc from Peter Pan cause they can hear it ticking lol, Best wishes to you Ruben on a good surgery...

Hi Ruben... I am sorry you have to go through this again. I cannot say much about replacements because my mitral valve was repaired, and even though all went well, the surgery has left me with aflutter issues and although fixed through ablation, I am on Coumadin because of my risk factors. And I never had a replacement. Do what your gut tells you... go with that. You are a little older now so perhaps another pig valve would last longer...I don't know. But I do know that you have to do what's best for you... trust your gut.. it won't fail you. Best of luck for a smooth sail thru surgery and recovery. 💞🙏🏻

Hi Ruben, Regarding what type valves you should choose now (if you haven't already), my understanding is that there'll be a lot of minimally invasive surgery in the fairly near future. So if you did need yet another surgery in the next several years, they wouldn't have to cut you open again. For instance, there's the TAVR procedure (minimally invasive) already. My understanding is that they're only doing it for old folks and those who have other diseases, all of whom couldn't withstand regular surgery. And they're not doing it on others because they need more data on it to see if it's really effective for everyone. Of course there's no guarantees of what the future will bring, but if it were me, I'd still go for the tissue valves, even at your young age. BTW, my own open-heart surgery (mitral valve and aortic valve) was two years ago this August 18, and it went wonderfully. May the blessings of my August operation be yours for your August operation. My very best to you.

Thursday . August 10 Ruben, Do not be wary of coumadin. I had my mitral valve replaced when I was 46. The team recommended a mechanical valve because of my age, knowing the tissue values would fail in time. I was given a St. Jude's valve. A year ago I had to have my aortic valve replaced. Because I am already on coumadin, I was given another mechanical valve, an ATS AP one. I am now 76 . . . will have been on coumadin for 30 years this September. I do everything: ski (will give it up this next season) ride bikes, hike, fly fish with my husband. I don't worry a lot about my diet. I have a home monitoring device and test my INR level every two weeks. It is easy to travel with this device. We are giving up skiing because of a fear of being hit. It's dangerous on those slopes! If you have questions, email me. Both my surgeries were done at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. I had rheumatic fever at the age of 16. My heart valves were damaged at that time, but I did not need surgery until I was 46.

Thursday . August 3, 2017 Ruben, When I was 46, I needed my mitral valve replaced due to rheumatic heart disease at the age of 16. Fortunately my cardiologist and surgeon explained to me that a mechanical valve would be in my best interest at the age of 46. They knew I would be facing another surgery when the tissue valve failed. I am now 75. Last year I had to have my aortic valve replaced. Because I already have one mechanical valve, it was determined that another one would be okay. Mitral Valve: St. Jude's Aortic Valve: ATS AP I have now been on coumadin for 30 years. Neither the valves or the coumadin have been limiting. Yes, I cannot be competitive in sports, but I can participate in anything. My husband and I will give up skiing this next season. We are fearful of being hit. However, I still enjoy riding my bike, hiking, and I fly fish with Bruce. I pay little attention to what I eat. I have a little home monitoring kit to monitor my INR level. I use a small strip much like a diabetic does and check it every two weeks I live in Colorado and had both of my heart surgeries at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. If you have questions, please ask. Judy Spinney

Hi Ruben ~ I chose to have a mechanical valve replace my aortic valve. I've historically been a very active person and a medical person so the idea of being on Coumadin did not appeal to me at all. But, because I was in my 40's, the surgeon recommended a mechanical valve. He told me he'd prolly be opening me up again within 5yrs due to calcium deposition on the valve if I got a biovalve. My surgeon said that my INR is to be kept between 1.5 and 2.5. This is very low. When my cat scratches me, it stops bleeding. I'm an avid whitewater person and am looking forward to paddling again, once I'm strong enough to carry my kayak. With my INR so low, I don't have concerns for uncontrolled bleeding. So, even though it's a bummer that I'm on another medication, the Coumadin really isn't keeping me from doing the things I love, It's not as bad as I thought...

Ruben, if send me a note on my story, I can email you a link. I can't figure out how put the link on here. This article from college of cardiology has a lot of good information. It says there is no difference in the morbity rates between mechanical and tissue valves. It also many of the ups and downs of each valve in young people as well.