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"If you cannot say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

I have a mechanical AVR. I go yearly to the cardio and my primary care doctor. Since I go to a cardio, my primary care doctor doesn't do anything regarding my heart. I get an ekg from the cardio and a cholesterol test. I got an echo within a year of surgery and a few years later. I was told...

Good luck!

I realize that Rob. It's just one cannot predict the future. When the time comes for replacement, noninvasive surgery may not be a certainty. We've had some members who wanted it but couldn't get it for one reason or another (e.g. scarification, valve size.)

I have a St. Jude in the aortic position as well. In my experience, I did what they said but didn't monitor to make sure I hit a target. Right before the procedure the nurse took my INR to make sure it was where it needed to be for surgery. It was a little over 1. They will tell you when to...

Congratulations!

Pick a hospital not a surgeon. OHS of this type requires a surgical team not just a surgeon.

It's not the best exercise for long term health. Try swimming :)

Your correct INR and the risks of going out of range is dependent upon your physiology, your valve type, placement and manufacturer. I've stopped warfarin for 3 procedures and each case my cardiologist, the warfarin prescriber, gave me instructions on when to stop before the procedure. The...

At age 55 I went mechanical since I've had several operations already and don't welcome any operation if they can be avoided. For you, with two valves needing replacement, you are looking at twice the risk. There is no guarantee that a minimally invasive replacement can be done, it works for...

Congratulations. May you have many more anniversaries.

I had the same condition but was asymptomatic. When the echo showed me as severe, I was told not to wait for symptoms and get the surgery ASAP. When asked what that met my cardio said 2 months. He said "You don't want to suffer the condition known as sudden death." A week later I had my...

Sorry about your accident. No head trauma is a blessing. Hope you have effective pain control. Did they arrest the driver? Some jackasses with trailers need to be given a strong wakeup call.

I hope it works out for the best. I will include him, you and his family in my prayers.

AFAIK alcohol doesn't change my INR. The warfarin/INR training I received in the hospital indicated the biggest risk to your INR when drinking with warfarin was getting drunk and throwing up your daily dose. That will change your INR.

There's a lot of solutions for afib. They'll find one that works for you. It could just be some new medications. That's what worked for my sister. I have sleep apnea and resisted the CPAP. However my cardiac rehab nurse convinced me to do something about it. I now love my CPAP and I have a...

Don't bet your wife's life on advice from the internet. She should talk to the person prescribing her warfarin. In my case, it's the cardiologist. On 3 occasions I've had to drop my INR for a procedure. The doctor's performing the procedure wouldn't do it until I consulted with my...

Beg to differ. I used a clinic for many years until they started charging and I found I didn't need them. My clinic did a fine job. What I learned from the clinic nurses taught me how to manage my own dosing. My cardio looks at my INR and dosing paperwork at my yearly checkup and has no...

Well being a former CEO in private industry where decisiveness and applied experience made for better outcomes, I'd guess you like to be corrected when wrong. The correct INR for a valve depends upon valve material, valve model, placement and how that valve is operating within the individual...

Actually Gail's doctor is telling the truth; The source of an infection can be very difficult or impossible to determine after the fact. Seems to me she should stay with the doctor who states when the truth is not fully known. We get told that teeth cleanings are a source of infection but the...