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As a fellow 3 mg/day user, I'll offer/second a couple comments. I was started on warfarin about 20 years ago after throwing some blood clots. The hematologist told me to expect to be on warfarin for life and prescribed me a meter. I subsequently had some AFIB and then 8 years ago received...

Regarding Flying: My path to anti-coagulation was a bit different because I was on warfarin long before my mechanical valve. It was first for blood clots (one went to my lungs) and later on it was for AFIB. But until I retired a couple years ago, I was regularly flying 100k miles/year. If...

A little bit of a challenge to answer how I "feel" because I was asymptomatic. So a couple of thoughts: - As a lifetime runner, I could tell that my race performance was deteriorating. Trouble is, I was almost 50 . . . times had been deteriorating for 20 years! I believe running was...

Been thinking about sharing on this as I too was asymptomatic at 49 when my cardiologist (and subsequently also the surgeon recommended repair of my mitral valve (for regurgitation). But looking back and 'what iff'ing' . . . . I still always come back to confirming that proceeding was the...

The warfarin "issue" is my understanding as well. A recent (11/20) from Marey & Said (U of Minnesota) concluded "Ross Procedure After Previous Aortic Valve Repair in an Adult" with this sentence : "Finally, the Ross procedure remains the best procedure for young patients with active...

I'll add that cardioversion (electrical restarting of the heart) is a very common initial treatment. Might be done before trying various drugs, after drugs, or in concert with a new drug. If I recall correctly, I had a total of eleven of them in 3 or 4 sessions when I came down with AFIB...

Protimenow: I have had this and concur with vitdoc's summary. I had an ablation for afib years before I received mechanical mitral valve. It was trans-septal because, as explained afib is in the left atrium and that is how you get there. I had another ablation last year (well after the...

For those interested, a relatively recent ( a year ago) investigation of the hydraulics of SJM vs. On-X was published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Vol 159 #1 by Hatoum, Maureira, and Dasi. "A turbulence in vitro assessment of On-X and St Jude Medical prostheses"...

By training, I am an engineer specializing in hydraulics, so when my mitral valve repair worsened my situation; I went at the problem from a hydraulics standpoint. I went in to a different cardiologist with the pressure/flow curve of a mitral valve and said this is what is going on. This...

I can share a couple of my experiences as I had a mitral repair done between the ribs followed by a replacement 6 months later with the full opening. I was 50 at the time ( 8 years ago). Relatively fit . . an avid runner. Firstly I'll share that if your picture is your friend, my wife has...

I rather liked this picture . . .. found it attention getting! Don't know what specific valve it is but it shows the fundamental turbulent flow issue with bileaflet valves that plenty of researchers and engineers continue to work to minimize . . .ideally eliminate. This was in a...

I do not have any opinion on On-X vs SJM. (My mitral valve is an SJM.) My technical experience is with fluid mechanics/hydraulics and as with most engineers have dealt with a myriad of materials. I have no concern with the silica content and do not believe it an appreciable factor in...

Not sure how common or unique my experience is so I shall share. My issue was with the mitral valve and over a relatively brief period of time I actually had both. I had a regurgitant valve that worsened to the point where action was recommended. I was asymptomatic; however, regular tests did...

Interesting topic (for me) hence my first post to a site I've browsed for years. I have a mechanical mitral valve that took 2 attempts before success. Firstly a repair that unfortunately made things worse enough that a few months later the valve was replaced. This was 7 years ago at age 50...