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I want to grow up to be just like ****.

At the time I had my AVR, 1991, the blood supply was often tainted with HIV since it was all so new then and testing for it was chancy, so I was given the option of autologous blood donation. That is, drawing your own blood weeks in advance, and storing it for re-transfusing after surgery...

28 years ago today. I was 43 when I got this old St Jude's valve and it's still ticking up a storm.

1991, never an issue

Oh sure, use any and all the junk I've posted if it fits your theme. Read this book we wrote a few years ago with 17 individual stories (volume 2 to be out soon). https://www.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/1500159638 Here's another theme you might like. It is...

Take half your normal dosage for 2 days. It drops pretty fast.

I never connected the double vision/vertigo/brain fog stuff to the visual auras, but I guess they could be related. I tend to get them all occaisionally, but not simultaneously.

Here's what they say now. "The longest surviving artificial heart-valve transplant patient is Doris Clare (b. 20 Sep 1926, UK), who received an aortic valve replacement on 30 April 1969, in Woolwich, London, UK, and as of 15 July 2013 has had it for 44 years, 76 days. "

This article in Guinness records says the oldest surviving artificial valve is 44 yrs. Have they never heard of Dick0236 in Louisville??

I did have one episode at age 39, a minor one, but scary nonetheless. It was blamed on a leaky aortic valve, which had been there since I was 10. The cardiologist did regular ultrasounds and EKGs on it every 6 mos thereafter. Finally at age 43 he said it was getting worse and it was time for...

Sure, that's entirely doable if you got it so young. I got mine at 43, so 50 would put me in territory that no one in my family has ever reached.

Yeah, 20 is a key number. Since most of us do not receive these devices until well into the 50s, 20 brings you up to "normal" life expectancy. I got mine younger but still celebrated 20 with gusto.

Jan 12 swim meet results. I was first in age group 70-74 in both the 50 and 200 yard freestyle, also the only one. A big difference between running and swimming events is the participation rate. There are loads of people in every age group in running races, but often empty or single entries in...

Race #501 was Jan 1st. The Hudson Mohawk road runners holds a Hangover Half-Marathon every year on New Year's day. No, I can't do 13.1 miles anymore, but there's a shorter companion run/walk that I've done about 25 times. It's a great way to start the year because it sets the tone annually with...

Last Sunday was a major milestone in my running history. I ran race #500 for my logs. I had run 140 prior to valve replacement in 1991 and 360 since. That's a bit more than one a month on average over 27+ years. There have been years I did only 3 or 4 and some I did over 30, but never one where...

I had good health coverage at GE, so I got 6 weeks, plus there was a way to apply for an extension of another 6 weeks, giving me 3 whole months off. I began going out to walk a mile each day as soon as I got home. I stayed in hospital 7 days which was the norm back then 1991. And was up to...

I don't hear it because my brain tuned it out after many years. My wife used to hear it but she probably doesn't any more either. I can't say whether kids could hear it either since I don't know any quiet ones, 7 grandchildren and they're in constant motion. If I'm in a very quiet space...

BBs don't only slow the HR down. They also smooth it out. If you have lots of premature, skipped, or irregular beats, the BBs will suppress those as well. Mine never go away completely, with exertion they increase somewhat, but after resting 15 minutes they're rare. My resting HR has been about...

Next on my schedule was yesterday, Sep. 30, a 5K race nearby that I had done a few times before, but my plans called for more mileage than that. So I arrived at the park early and walked the course in advance. Then the race at a walk/run where I finished 2nd in the 70-74 age group. After the...

I don't mean to make light of it. This is major surgery and you'll be one sore puppy for the first couple weeks, but from one month onward for the next 30 years you're good for anything.