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Thanks for this. I also take a beta blocker with the days of the week on the blister pack so I can cross-check that way, to be sure I have taken my meds for that day, but that alone doesn't make sure I took the correct Warfarin dosage. The pill box is a good idea, I will get one. I always take...

I've been on Warfarin for going on 19 years. For many years my INR was pretty stable, but recently it has been a bit unpredictable. I was having tests every 4 weeks for ages, but over the past 6 months or so I've been having them more like every 1-2 weeks, which is a bit of a nuisance, but it...

Thanks for the link, I will check it out. It would certainly be nice to avoid a full sternotomy this time around. Edited to add: the findings of that study are very encouraging, I will definitely be bringing this up when I see a surgeon. Thanks again!

My current cardiologist certainly seemed to think so, although he did not quite come straight out and say it.

I'm in Australia. I was pressured to have a tissue (aortic) valve put in when I was 22yo (2000). I had to have it replaced (with a mechanical valve) when I was 27yo. During the second surgery there was damage to a pacing node and I ended up with heart block and needed a pacemaker. That was 18...

I have a Garmin Vivosmart 5 and it's great. I'm a bit of a luddite, but I find it easy to use and I use most of the available features, the notable exception being the pulse ox. The pulse ox is not very accurate and uses up a lot of battery. I find it great for monitoring stress levels over...

I'll try to give you the abridged version... I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, which was replaced with a tissue valve in 2000 and then a mech valve in 2005. After the second surgery I ended up with heart block, hence a pacemaker, and a few years later it was found that the pacemaker lead...

I had loads of them for years. I had my most recent AVR in 2005. I was sure they were stress/PTSD related, but I couldn't prove it and couldn't seem to get them under control. They would happen every 2nd or 4th beat, and sometimes I would get several in a row. I would lie in bed at night unable...

Hi Zara, I can't believe I missed your question as this is something I have experienced and have a LOT of thoughts about. I was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve at 19yo. I had my first OHS at 22yo, where after a lot of pressure from family members I had a tissue valve put in so that I...

Where I get my INR done if it comes up over 4.0 they have to do it again. I have had this done several times and it has always been the same or very close on the second test. I actually asked last time this happened if the second test is ever magically in range and the nurse said that sometimes...

Haha, just reading the blog post you linked and got to the bit about doing the task accurately and in the same manner every time 'just like you were making pottery mugs for sale', and it just so happens that I am a potter who makes and sells mugs, so that gave me a chuckle. Thank you for this...

I'm a warfarin lifer, been on it 18 years so far for an mechanical aortic valve. I looked into self testing years ago but the cost was prohibitive at the time and I assumed nothing had changed. The CoaguChek machine was about $1500 with no rebates available. But reading posts on here it seems...

I had covid in April and got prescribed antiviral meds. Due to contraindications for Paxlovid they gave me Lagevrio. I had my INR checked two weeks later and it was 4.7. Presumably it was much higher while I was on the antivirals and couldn't get an INR done because I was contagious with covid...

I've been on warfarin since I was 27yo... I'm now 46yo. When I was younger I used to go to music festivals with my friends, drink all weekend, then front up for an INR on Monday morning. It was always normal.

I've been on warfarin for 18 years for my artificial aortic valve, and in that time I have always taken a similar dosage to stay in range at 2.5-3.5. I would do a three day rotation of 4 4 3 or 4 3 3 (mg) and my INR has been pretty stable for years. Recently I was found to be deficient in iron...

Hi, yes, I am in Victoria, near Ballarat. Weather is revolting down here at the moment, Queensland sounds great! Interesting, I have posted here and on the pacemaker club forum about my situation in the past couple of days and everyone is horrified at what I have been through/am going through...

Hello lovely people, Jodie from Australia here after a long time away. I had two AVRs in 2000 and 2005, the second when my younger child was just three months old. He is now 18yo, finished high school, and driving himself around. My other son is 20yo, at university, and looking at joining the...

Hi everyone! Latest news on follow-up is that the PM lead looks to be sort of 'looped' and hence blocking the tricuspid valve. A TOE is definitely in my future and I am hoping that the problem can be resolved without anything too invasive. I will be due a new PM soon, so I would imagine they...

Hey there! Are you planning on having any babies? If you are then a tissue valve, even if it is temporary, could be a good idea. I had my two kids while I had my tissue valve and my pregnancies were straightforward. I was back on a horse six weeks after my first surgery ;-)

Yup. 5 years from my tissue valve. Ended up with complete heart block after my second surgery. And PTSD. And six months of my life that I can't remember. Not all beer and skittles. My tissue valve only lasted 5 years, but I was able to have two uneventful pregnancies in that time. I would not...