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My surgeon told me that I could pretty much do whatever I wanted after 4 weeks. He recommended I take 3 months off work. He said at 8 weeks I'll be exhausted. If I want to go back sooner, I can. I am having AVR on 1/11/16 so I haven't had the experience yet, just relaying what he told me.

I'm sold on Dr. Tyner. I am 99.9% sure I am going with a mechanical valve. I got to hold a St. Jude valve today. I had only seen pictures before. He advocated home INR testing which made me like him even more. They are working on getting the CT scan approved and discussing whether or not to do...

Looks like your date was today. I'm sure it went great. Give us an update when you feel up to it.

The hospital is about 100 miles from our hometown. Kind of a small world. Southern California is crowded but I still run into old friends.

On a lighter note... I know that a friend of mine (kindergarten through high school/ we're 38 now) is a respiratory therapist at the hospital where my surgery is happening. I learned this from Facebook. I took a chance and asked if she knew the surgeon. She not only knows him but had nothing but...

I was feeling pretty optimistic. Now I feel stressed out. I'm sure it will come and go. Something life changing is about to happen. Will I make the right valve choice? I know it's better than the alternative but human brains let weird thoughts in.

I'm meeting Dr. John Tyner in La Jolla, CA (San Diego) on Wednesday to discuss my AVR. My cardiologist wanted me to have a CT scan. They called today to tell me the insurance company denied it. He told me it was to check for blockages in my arteries. I am assuming they check so they can clear...

You could always wear a heart rate monitor and take a break if you get near 160 bpm.

I had my echo yesterday. I don't know the numbers but my cardio scheduled a CT scan and recommended that I meet a surgeon. They are going to mail me the report from the echo. I am waiting for approval from the insurance for the CT scan. I expect to have the scan and meet the surgeon within the...

Defective Heart Girl is Summer Ash, the same girl in the radiolab podcast. It was a good listen.

Which two drugs are you referring to? You are already required to take anti-coagulation drugs when you have a mechanical valve. You need to take warfarin (brand name Coumadin) with a mechanical valve.

I have a fitbit hr and a garmin forerunner 310xt. This is my second forerunner. The first was a 305 and I wore it out. Some sync issues with both.I've logged nearly 2,000 miles on garmin connect. I had to replace the strap on my 310xt (not the actual monitor) with a polar strap. The garmin strap...

Dornole, i'm not that strong. LOL. Doctors cut my distance due to my AVA hitting 1.1 cm on my last echo on 4/30. The max normal weight on the old BMI chart is 195. Which I have hit twice since 2006. Somehow I always convince myself I'm one of those people who can eat what they want with no...

I weighed in at WW on Saturday at 238.4 (down 2.4 from the previous Saturday). I'm 6'2" for reference. I ran my 10th half marathon on Sunday at Disneyland Resort. Doctor said to no faster than an 11:30 pace. I one upped him and ran at 12:33. I was on pace until 11.7 miles in when I had weird...

I had echos every 2 years from 1998-2014. In 2014 they said, "Come back next year". In April 2015 they said, "Come back in 6 months". It looks like Mrs. Bray came back for 2 echos 6 months apart before it was time. Anyone have more than two 6 month echos before it was time? I am a law...

I tried to post screenshots from my Fitbit and Forerunner but the site says I am not authorized. Old-fashioned kickbutt mode is good too.

I use a Garmin Forerunner for running and a Fitbit Charge HR for every day movement/sleep tracking. When I run, I am wearing both. I use my Fitbit with my Galaxy S5.

I have a fitbit. Message me if you want another fitbit friend.

EPSTNS - when you met with 3 different surgeons, did you have to pay out of pocket or did your insurance pay some for each?

Scripps La Jolla is 55 miles from my house. It is ranked 19 nationally for cardiology and heart surgery according to US News and World Report. Cedars-Sinai is 100 miles away and is ranked 10 nationally. L.A. traffic really stretches that 100 miles. What would you do? I had my gall bladder...