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Hi Windfinder, After 12 years on 52.5 milligrams of Warfarin per week, eating a consistent diet with few greens (maybe one salad per week), and being within my INR range of 2.5 to 3.5 about 95% of the time, I decided to become a vegan six months ago. I did this cold turkey and fully expected...

Earlier this year I began shifting to a vegetarian diet with the full knowledge that it would play havoc with my warfarin dose routine but I was up for the challenge. I had been taking 7.5 mg/day for 13 years with very consistent INR readings in range about 90% of the time. Once the vitamin K...

I know few will agree with me, but I would not submit to something as invasive as OHS for a valve replacement if I were not having symptoms. I say this for several reasons. A few months ago after my annual Echo my interventional cardiologist told me that my aortic valve regurgitation had...

And of course you can just say no to your PCP. That’s what I’ve been doing for over 10 years although she eventually gave up asking. I’m 65 now and I’m not going to bridge for an elective procedure. I don’t eat meat, however, and I’m very active with no family history of colon cancer.

Yes, I too would follow Chuck’s advice. I had a TEE last week and beforehand had a similar but opposite dilemma. My INR two days before was 3.5 but I wanted it under 3 because I suspected they would encounter some obstruction in my esophagus (which they did) and I was concerned about...

I work as a volunteer in a hospital’s Heart & Vascular Center and every week or two cartloads of catered food are brought in from various restaurants and are whisked through locked doors into the Cath Lab next to my work station. I always just assumed that the interventional cardiologists were...

And by the way, Timmay was being totally polite and respectful, unlike my last comment.

Wow, if Carolinemc is a pro then I sure would hate to see an amateur.

And by the way, the turbulence and jets that were seen on an echo of my mitral valve did not appear until the infection had taken hold and the valve had begun to deteriorate, not before.

VitDoc, if, as you say, an irregular heartbeat is not likely a risk factor for endocarditis, then there are an awful lot of dentists who should stop prescribing antibiotics for patients with an irregular heartbeat. I don’t know what kind of doctor you are but several cardiologists have told me...

Excellent wrap up, which at least in my case answers all the remaining questions.

Thanks Pellicle. So in layman’s terms it sounds like the irregular heartbeat causes turbulence which in turn causes the scarring which is what the bacteria is then able to grab hold to. Much like high blood pressure causing scarring of the interior lining of the arteries that allows plaque to...

Yes, I would like clarification too. VitDoc acknowledged that turbulence "may" be a risk factor for valvular infection, although assuming that an irregular heartbeat contributes to turbulence then I think this is pretty well established. During turbulence the blood pools up while swirling in a...

But VitDoc, doesn’t the seeding of a heart valve with bacteria still require a preexisting irregular heartbeat for this to occur? This as opposed to bacteria-laden blood just flowing harmlessly through the valves of a healthy heart beating along at a steady sinus rhythm?

My understanding is that the Staphylococcus bacteria, even when circulating in the bloodstream, which is very common, will not cause endocarditis unless there is a pre-existing irregular heartbeat, like a heart murmur, that will give the bacteria an opportunity to grab hold of the interior...

Those are good points, oo0My. I should not have implied that an HR in the 40's is nothing to be concerned about. It depends on what the reason is, or if there are comorbidities, and most importantly if when under load the heart can respond appropriately to provide the needed oxygen. In my...

To put this heart rate thing into perspective..... My HR drops to the high 20's every night and averages under 35 for the entire night except when I get up to go to the bathroom. It has been the way for the past 12 years since my OHS and is of no concern to me even though various cardiologists...

Thanks for your post, Gkeraney. I’ve always wondered about people here that say that they were getting a tissue valve because they wanted to stay active, as if avoiding warfarin was more important than their valve wearing out prematurely precisely because of that active lifestyle. Like others...

My story as a lifelong runner who received a mechanical mitral valve at 53 (12 years ago) is very similar to what I have been reading here. I am especially appreciative of Woodcutter's theories as a hydraulic engineer. His explanation in somewhat technical terms really fits the sensations I...

I agree with the previous poster about the TEE (transesophageal echocardiogram) being the gold standard, at least compared to a regular echocardiogram. When I developed endocarditis of the mitral valve it went undiagnosed for several weeks during which time I underwent multiple tests, including...