TIAs with aortic valve replacem
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I got my St. Jude aortic in 1991.
I had a TIA in 2011 because of dosing based on erroneous meter results.
I had a TIA last year - INR was fine - I'm not sure of the cause, but it completely resolved.
I had a TIA in 2011 because of dosing based on erroneous meter results.
I had a TIA last year - INR was fine - I'm not sure of the cause, but it completely resolved.
I also have a mechanical valve. I don't recall any TIA's but I was diagnosed with chronic a-fib about 10 years ago. My A-fib causes no issues and I am usually unaware of it. Since I was already on warfarin, no additional meds were added to guard against stroke.
I was diagnosed with afib a few years ago. I had an ablation which did not help at all. Most times I don’t notice it but sometimes it’s very noticeable.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Hi
I guess the key question is : what is your INR and how often are you checking
because "yes"
I guess the key question is : what is your INR and how often are you checking
because "yes"
Between 3-3.2
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
that's a good area, and I'm surprised that you're so consistently in such a narrow range.
It has been consistent for a few months.
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When you've had problems with TIAs and afib, was this within the 3.0 to 3.2 range?
Yes. The tias may be once every few years. The afib is pretty frequent. It lasted for 3 days this past week. I take stall to help.
My first valve was a tissue valve. I had two neurological events with that valve and one bleeding event.
The first neurogical event was me waking up with half of my face numb one day (Bells Palsy I think). They did an MRI and nothing came back - no sign of stroke. The second neurological event was I lost the feeling on top of the skin in my left hand for a long time. Bascially some sort of nerve issue. It is back to normal now.
I also had one gastrointestinal bleeding episode. Before someone says you cant bleed because I wasnt taken warfarin, the trials just show that the probability of bleeding with warfarin is higher. But it isnt zero with a tissue valve.
I never had these issues before.
So you can have issues with either valve type. I have a mechanical now for two years and keep touching wood no issues thus far.
The first neurogical event was me waking up with half of my face numb one day (Bells Palsy I think). They did an MRI and nothing came back - no sign of stroke. The second neurological event was I lost the feeling on top of the skin in my left hand for a long time. Bascially some sort of nerve issue. It is back to normal now.
I also had one gastrointestinal bleeding episode. Before someone says you cant bleed because I wasnt taken warfarin, the trials just show that the probability of bleeding with warfarin is higher. But it isnt zero with a tissue valve.
I never had these issues before.
So you can have issues with either valve type. I have a mechanical now for two years and keep touching wood no issues thus far.
ChuckM
Active member
As a relatively new aortic valve recipient as well as an aneurysm repair, I'm curious as to what are the symptoms that you feel that indicates you're in afib? Does the rhythm of your valve click change, do you feel a flutter in your chest, etc. I don't know if I have had it or not.
Chuck - My personal experience is:
- Some Afib I can feel as a racing heart beat;
- Some Afib I feel as a weakness while I'm exercising;
- and some Afib I do not feel at all.
When I took Sudafed cough medicine last January while recovering from a bad cold, I woke up feeling my heart racing. I could still do my normal morning activities, but my heart was racing. After a few hours the Sudafed wore off, the Afib went away, and I was fine.
While I was in cardiac Rehab last fall after my aortic mechanical On-X valve was installed, we wore a monitor during the classes. During 1 class I was feeling a bit weak, but I was still exercising at a reasonable pace. A few minutes later the nurse told me I was in Afib. Since I felt OK, they gave me the choice to either continue exercising at a slower pace than normal or stop. I kept exercising at a slower pace, and after a few minutes the Afib went away.
Once every few months my monitor says I am in Afib, but I feel normal. After a few minutes, the Afib goes away.
I have a Kardia Mobile 6L EKG device. It's about the size of a pack of gum and it is available from various vendors. I interface with it through a phone app, and it allows me to take an EKG in just 1 minute. I can easily check for Afib and other basic heart electrical anomalies.
I hope this helps!
My symptoms are my heart racing, fatigue, fluttering, shortness of breath.
I've mentioned this before (but not on this forum).
A friend and I BOTH have a neurological reaction to Zyrtec: numbness, sometimes in the side of the face, temporary blindness in one eye, numbness in the fingers, and possibly in one arm near the hand. It's something they don't talk about, but it happens. If you were taking Zyrtec at the time you had these issues, maybe it's to blame. (I'm not even sure that many doctors know about this).
I had a TIA in 2013 - it may have been more of a stroke than an actual TIA because defects DO show up on an MRI - this is because I trusted my meter - it said 2.6 - a blood test in the hospital said 1.7. The FDA later ordered that this meter be removed. It's no longer available.
I had what might actually be a TIA last year - numbness in my mouth, the left cheek, the left side of my mouth, and, IIRC, a bit of numbness in my lower left leg. It all resolved completely in a few days. My INR was fine. I don't know what caused it. But, as I said, it all resolved.
I haven't had AFIB, but I DID have aortic fibrillation (my cardiologist didn't refer to it as AFIB). My heart rate quickly jumped to 130 and higher upon ANY exertion. I had this for a few days before my electocardiologist defibrillated me in his office. The episode didn't return. I had an ablation that destroyed the node that was responsible for the aortic fibrillation. I'm now pacemaker dependent - but, aside from rhythm problems that were probably there (and will probably always be there), things might be more or less okay. I have to work on endurance, but I may be about the same I was at my last appointment with the cardiologist.
As for my Aortic fibrillation - I felt it right after starting any activity - even walking a short distance. I wear an Apple watch, so I can easily get my heart rate. I don't think I've had other fibrillations (though I DID have tachycardia a few times in the past - no fun and kind of scary. They resolved a few times, but required a jumpstart (atropine, delivered in an ER), a few years ago.
I hope your issues quickly resolve and don't return. And, if you take Zyrtec, consider that this may be a cause of your neurological issues.
A friend and I BOTH have a neurological reaction to Zyrtec: numbness, sometimes in the side of the face, temporary blindness in one eye, numbness in the fingers, and possibly in one arm near the hand. It's something they don't talk about, but it happens. If you were taking Zyrtec at the time you had these issues, maybe it's to blame. (I'm not even sure that many doctors know about this).
I had a TIA in 2013 - it may have been more of a stroke than an actual TIA because defects DO show up on an MRI - this is because I trusted my meter - it said 2.6 - a blood test in the hospital said 1.7. The FDA later ordered that this meter be removed. It's no longer available.
I had what might actually be a TIA last year - numbness in my mouth, the left cheek, the left side of my mouth, and, IIRC, a bit of numbness in my lower left leg. It all resolved completely in a few days. My INR was fine. I don't know what caused it. But, as I said, it all resolved.
I haven't had AFIB, but I DID have aortic fibrillation (my cardiologist didn't refer to it as AFIB). My heart rate quickly jumped to 130 and higher upon ANY exertion. I had this for a few days before my electocardiologist defibrillated me in his office. The episode didn't return. I had an ablation that destroyed the node that was responsible for the aortic fibrillation. I'm now pacemaker dependent - but, aside from rhythm problems that were probably there (and will probably always be there), things might be more or less okay. I have to work on endurance, but I may be about the same I was at my last appointment with the cardiologist.
As for my Aortic fibrillation - I felt it right after starting any activity - even walking a short distance. I wear an Apple watch, so I can easily get my heart rate. I don't think I've had other fibrillations (though I DID have tachycardia a few times in the past - no fun and kind of scary. They resolved a few times, but required a jumpstart (atropine, delivered in an ER), a few years ago.
I hope your issues quickly resolve and don't return. And, if you take Zyrtec, consider that this may be a cause of your neurological issues.
Gail in Ca
Well-known member
I went into a-fib 3 yrs after my 3rd surgery. I heard and felt my heart beating irregularly, rarely fast. I had a cardio version and enjoyed normal rhythm for 2 yrs. Then, back to irregular beats which another cardio version didn’t change. I’ve been in chronic a-fib since 2014.
