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Hi, Catherine, welcome to VR. I hope you find us as supportive as I think we are. What Mary says is absolutely true in my experience. The more healthy you are the better. As you accumulate questions or if you ever need to rant, this is the place you can do so with people who understand...

False information from a malignant chain email False information from a malignant chain email It is completely untrue that the Affordable Care Act limits treatment based on age. This rumor comes from a malignant chain email. It even references several sections of the Act as though to prove...

Sammy, glad to hear things have gone well. Soon, you will be one of the old hands reaching out to the new guys. Larry

Its good to hear you are on the mend. I can tell you that getting back on my bike after months when I couldn't ride felt great. I look forward to hearing how you are doing as you get home and on your feet. Larry

Getting Back Getting Back Hi, Chris, it sounds as though you are doing very well over all. It has been my own experience that recovery continues for longer than most people imagine. For myself, this has certainly been true. I had a pretty incredible experience with surgery and the early...

Hi, Marc, I hope you have a wonderful anniversary. Also, thanks for taking the time to write. Our new members in the waiting room need to hear how it is to live after surgery and notes like your's can help give them a glimpse of their own new future. Larry

It seems a bit much, Larry, but then when I go Baskin Robins, I always order the same flavor. I hope you find our bovine community more to your tastes. Mooo! Larry in Tulsa

Meredith, "Don't Panic". This a big event in our individual lives and a wonderful one. How many people receive a diagnosis of a dire health problem and then are told it can be fixed? By now, you know that valve replacement surgery is among the safest and most beneficial. Take a deep breath...

Already available in Europe, the "Sorin Perceval S" valve has begun trials in the U.S. Its first use was announced on 15 January, 2014 at the Heart Hospital of Austin...

Hi, shortly after surgery, I felt my heart beating more strongly and sometimes I did have a headache. I would suggest you let your surgeon know. You also may want to speak with your GP and Cardiologist. Surgeons are really focused on the surgery. My own surgeon did a fine job for me but he...

Hi, Leah, listen to Dick. He has used Coumadin since before my heart surgeon was born. Also, as Chris says, your valve is seriously stenotic and will not improve. The problem with waiting is that the heart must compensate to force blood through that very small oriface. Consider that a normal...

Hi, Anne, I, too, got a little card with the description of my valve with its serial number. When I didn't get a more permanent card, I called Edwards and completed the registration over the telephone. A couple weeks later, I got a printed card. They wanted my name and address, surgeon's...

Hi, Pete, it is certainly normal to feel exhausted after a valve replacement. I found that walking as much as I could helped and then cardiac rehab helped rebuild my energy reserves. As well, the metoprolol that I took for the first five months sapped my energy level. Within two weeks after...

Hi, Sammy, that was my thought, too, Damn! Heart Surgery! Me! Now! For a decade it had remained a remote possibility for the future but suddenly it was now. Any way one looks at it, it is a significant juncture in one's life. The amazing thing is that it gives you a future again. Just keep...

Glad to hear my new "pillow" made you smile. I must admit that while driving I have had a number of people look at it and laugh, but that's Ok, they don't have to know that I actually need it. Larry and Bede.

Hurray! Hurray! Hi, Steve, its wonderful to hear that heart surgery is no longer in the front of your mind. Oh, our valves could be brothers. Mine is an Edwards Magna 3000TFX. Perhaps your newer model came with an expanded color selection. Larry

Greetings, for those of you who don't know me, my valve replacement took place 4 and a half years ago. Everything went wonderfully well and by the time I completed Cardiac Rehab, my life had pretty much returned to normal. The one persistent problem I had to deal with, however, was that I had...

Hi, Sheryl, my first word of advice is "Don't Panic". You've begun this journey the way many of us have and we certainly understand the consternation that it causes. I, too, live by myself - well, except for Den & Teti, my tonks, and Bede, my dog. Before surgery, I worried about everything...

Hi, Adam, it sounds as though your recovery is going well. You mentioned that your dosage of metoprolol was reduced. That by itself is enough to help one feel more energetic because loss of energy is a problem that many of us had with that durg. Our experiences do follow similar paths...

Cushion for Driving Cushion for Driving By the way, when I started to drive after the valve replacement, I found the shoulder harness was a problem. A friend made me a long narrow pillow which I've used for four and a half years. Unlike most people, I developed chronic costochondritis after...