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Not everyone gets back to things 100%. I am an example of that. And it is not for lack of trying. It's been two years for me. On-X valve. Aotic root expansion to fit the Onyx 23mm. Prior to surgery with my severe stenosis I was still working out hard. 300 reps in the gym in like 20 minutes...

Exactly. This was similar to my experience too but I was out in exactly 4 days. Our healthcare system is silo’d here in the USA. Get you in. Get you out. “I did my part now it’s up to others”. Nobody really caring about you and your entire journey. I can’t say enough bad stuff about how it...

I highly recommend going to a place like WalMart and getting 5-7 white bath towels and a couple packages of oversized white shirts. I used one towel per shower. So, each towel only got used once and then dried and then into the hamper. All towels were washed with a little bleach to ensure they...

I wish I could say the same about my lab. Most of the time, the lab is 0.4 less than my CoaguChek. One time it was equal. Just once. AND - I have 3 meters. My usual protocol is test with one meter and a given batch of strips. Get blood test. When I get home, test with a different meter and...

Yup. I just ordered another batch of 48 strips from them this week. Given my twice a week testing (and sometimes more), I order 3 times a year. I like to always have an unopened box of 48 strips. Yes, I’m a planner. Yes, I make sure the expiration date will work for me :)

I’ll be a bit more up front about it. Schwarzenegger’s story is one of failure. pure and simple. The dude has had at least 3 open heart surgeries when he only needed one. If he would have just gotten a mechanical during his first surgery then he would have been done with it. But nope. He went...

You know you’re going to need to have surgery. It will happen. Thus, in my humble OPINION, it is much better to have surgery before symptoms start and your body is still healthy. Waiting 6 months or a year does what? Nothing except provide more risk (e.g. your heart muscle thickens...

I’m an odd one here. I test twice a week. That comes to another ~$240 per year for solely “peace of mind”. But, for me, it’s worth it right now given my financial ability to do it. Maybe one day I’ll go to once a week. But not anytime soon. With the above said, testing twice a week means...

I’m probably one of the rare people here that have tried just about everything. Disposable lances of various sizes. SoftClix lancets of various sizes. At one point I measured some of the options with my calipers (length and width). I actually had a hard time for the first year of my blood...

Hi @macdaddy I have a Mech valve - placed when I was 50. I am extremely happy with the choice I made and have never second guessed it. HOWEVER, if I was 70 years old, there is no question in my mind - NONE - that I would have went with a tissue valve; the Edwards Inspiris Resilia to be...

Sad but true. When it comes to getting back to my daily routine, I was pretty headstrong about it. I’m active. Running, working out, working on our house, working on our vehicles. I’m always busy. A few months after working out I was on ladders and under cars. My biggest target was to get back...

Just be careful. Truly. There are those of us that rush things too quickly and have major setbacks. Some people get back to things 100%. Some of us do not. If I could give one piece of advice it would be to take a year off and focus on recovery, walking, walking, walking, and light light...

It sounds like you have a good handle on things. Kudos to doing your research. I believe that the younger doctors aren’t as versed on Warfarin while also getting bombarded with marketing on the tissue valve side. Plus, let’s definitely not ignore the fact that the common thought by doctors...

This makes me happy; to see people getting back to the things they love and doing it without any real issues. Awesome brother. That’s rad.

Happy to see that you are finally moving forward. IMHO, this valve choice is the perfect choice for you when considering your previous posts. Go “Git er dun” and then enjoy your time extended. You got this.

My simpleton thought … If you’re severe, you KNOW you’re gonna need to have surgery. If you kick the can down the road you run the risk of having a bad outcome. You don’t know what tomorrow holds. Tomorrow could hold those symptoms that you don’t want. Again - you already know you need surgery...

If it helps ease your mind, I take 13mg a day. I also eat a lot of greens and take extra Vitamin K.

For the record, I now take 13mg a day :) I was at about 10mg prior to I taking larger amounts of Vitamin K each week. I eat two huge salads at least twice a week now. These salads will include lots of greens, Avocados, etc. Large serving of Broccoli at least once a week. And probably one of...

I’d like to second or third all of the recommendations about talking to more than one SURGEON. For the record, I only talked to my cardiologist and his recommended surgeon. That could have been disastrous. My cardiologist recommended a tissue valve for me. Why? I won’t even regurgitate it here...

My docs basically told me the same thing.