Many of us who had replacement before the days of internet were in the dark and went completely with what our surgeons said. I knew the story of Lewis Grizzard and how multiple replacements led to his early death, but didn't really know what options I had. I was 36 when I had mine replaced and my surgeon said he'd see if the valve could be repaired when he got in there, but if not, he would replace with a St. Jude's mechanical. In other words, there were no options if he was going to do the surgery, but fortunately, knowing what I know now, I would have gone the same way.
Figuring out Warfarin took a lot of trial and error. In the beginning I was often on a roller coaster because I followed the advice of the nurse at the doctor's office. Finding the original group that existed before this website was a God send, although it was a few years before anyone self-tested. Al Capshaw was "the man" back then and explained things in layman's terms without a lot of statistics. My first degree is in Chemistry/Math, but I still appreciate clear English when it comes to my healthcare.
BTW, we lived in Lafayette for a few years - 1989-1991 - when my husband first started working at PHI. Loved the city and had my first child there. They offered him a transfer to Galveston so we decided to take it and be closer to family.
