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Even tho it has been decades since my surgery, I can remember feeling what you feel. Back then I was 30 years old, a senior in college (I was a late bloomer), had a wife and two little boys (6&8 years old), no job, and little money......and doctors who were telling me that I had a one in four...

Doctors have told me for decades that it is unlikely that "mechanical valve failure" will be the reason I die. In a little over a week I will turn 88 years old on a 56+ year old mechanical valve. I guess you could say my old mech valve has extended my life expectancy by a LOT.......with only...

Hi Buckwheat! This Forum has a lot to offer younger men and women who need OHS (Open Heart Surgery). Hopefully, it will take much of the mystery away. I have been on the Forum for 17 years and I can honestly say that I have learned more in those years than in the 40 years before I joined the...

Welcome Nesphito. Valve surgery has been around long enough that you can be assured all states have good, competent surgeons to handle simple valve replacements. My surgeon was still in "Residency", in Kentucky, when he did mine........and it has worked out very well:)........for over 56...

It's not that bad. Warfarin becomes "just another daily routine", like brushing your teeth😉, and with a little luck, you will never need another OHS.

Hi Deidra, welcome to the forum. Dr. Starr, along with Lowell Edwards (electrical engineer) designed and built the first commercially successful mechanical heart valve in 1960. It was implanted into a young woman (33) who died 10 hours post-surgery from surgical complications. The second...

Welcome Kevin. If you have been followed by cardio and surgeon for 7 years and they now say "It's time"......it's time. It is far better to have the surgery a little too soon rather than a little too late. If you trust your "team" a second opinion might only confuse the issue. Believe it or...

Welcome to the forum Sandra. Why not switch to a mechanical valve for your upcoming surgery and eliminate the need for future surgeries?

Don't sell yourself short! I made that mistake long ago after I had OHS and I thought I needed a "safe" job. You are now "fixed" and should be able to do, pretty much, whatever you wish. After your discharge and being age 19 go for what you want. Complete your education or increase your...

Welcome to the Forum Wendel. There are many posts on this Forum about the noise or lack of noise with a mechanical valve. There is a current thread being circulated, "Mechanical valves....but what the ticking?", that you should read. If you are looking for durability and perhaps having a "one...

All we can do is practice good personal habits, medicate against dental or other infections......and be lucky. "Knock on wood", I have never had endocarditis which I attribute mostly to luck. It was 20-25 years after my surgery when dentists began prescribing antibiotics for dental services...

After decades on only warfarin, my cardiologist put me on 81mg Aspirin along with the warfarin a few years ago.....and I began experiencing significant nosebleeds. About 18 months ago, after having a nosebleed that required a visit to the ER, I asked him to stop the Aspirin. He reluctantly...

I've been on warfarin for over 56 years and have never noticed any side effects.......but maybe I've been on it so long that any side effects have become my "new" normal.

I have never had any real issues with the valve and it continues to function properly. I had a stroke when I was 38 due to my, and my doctors, ignorance of ACT. Several "heart" related issues have begun to "turn up" in my 80's that I am currently dealing with......none of those issues are...

I think you will equal, or exceed, your pre-surgery performance......that's why we go to all the trouble getting the problem fixed LOL.

I have a cpap machine (got it following my "meeting the crap out of my deductible following open heart surgery") but I can't sleep worth a lick with it on my face. It feels like Alien! I have a similar problem (Pulmonary Hypertension) that requires oxygen therapy 24 hours per day. I tried...

I'd look for another reason for the hair loss. Personally, I have been on warfarin for a very long time and still have a full head at age 88.......I still have to go to my barber monthly.

Welcome to the Forum. We hope you can read something to help ease your concerns about a surgery that has been done successfully for decades.

I do not normally respond to the "ticking concerns" since my valve is the old "ball-in-cage" design. After my surgery, it sounded like someone hitting a table tennis ball with a paddle for a while but after a few months, I didn't hear it at all. Last summer, at my annual check-up with my...