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I do have an update, a CT scan shows that I might have Fibromuscular Dysplasia. Feels like out of the frying pan into the fire.

I know that now, one stroke later. My INR value is something my new cardiologist wants to talk to me about during my next visit. Thanks, I'll read your essay.

Sorry for the confusion. I started off with the bovine valve, it lasted 8 years. Then it was replaced the Onx. My PVCs were really bad before the stroke and afterwards they were gone. My valve sound went back to normal and I feel much better heart wise. Lingering numbness is no fun.. The...

My normal INR is 1.5 to 2.0 and I test once a week. My new cardiologist suggested that he would like to see me target a higher INR. A thrombosis on the leaflet actually makes sense. That would explain the increase valve noise and problems with PVCS during exercise. Thanks for the reply

My history is a Bovine aortic valve and aneurysm repair in 2005 and a Onx aortic valve and pacer in 2013. This past March I started to have a lot of PVCs whenever I began to exercise ( or even walk fast) and when I sleep. My heart valve sounds became much louder. I started having angina and...

Leaving the door opened is the worst case scenario, this room is sealed to make sure that all the air entering the room comes from the rest of the hospital. This means anything airborne passing in the hall outside the room will be sucked inside. Even with the door closed there should be a 1...

The room should be clean. I would not be worried about contamination from a previous occupant in a good hospital. The problem is that this room sucks in air from the hallway and other rooms in the hospital. Think of it as having a fan in the doorway of your room blowing into your room. This...

They are definite more dangerous if you keep the door opened all the tim. This is a known danger that many hospitals are not aware of or choose to ignore. As I said, your best defense, until you can get another room, is to keep the door closed. This is from Wikipedia " Negative room...

After I got out of the ICU I was moved to a private room in the hospital. My room was marked as an "isolation room". This is a room built for protecting the hospital from patients that have infectious diseases mainly TB. The problem with such a room is that it is kept at a lower pressure than...

I am 57 and going for my second AVR. My first was a bovine valve. This time it will be a mechanical ON-X valve, my surgeon and cardiologist were fairly adamant that I not try another biological valve. I have preop today and surgery tomorrow. I will follow up on the suggestion to have some...

I have heard about Dilaudid and I would really like to try it. The problem is, so I have been told by a doc, is that women my age with a bad valve are assumed to be drug abusers. It gets worse, if you say that you don't want morphine, then they think that you are "drug seeking". Evidently...

Thanks Sten ( or Mike?), Good thing to keep in mind, the 2% statistic. How are you doing now about 1 month out?

Met with my surgeon today and AVR is scheduled for a week from Thursday. My 8 year old Bovine valve is almost closed, .6 cm, surgeon says that for me 3 cm is normal. I am not allowed to do anything that would cause heart symptoms so that means I can either sit or walk slowly. I am usually...

Thanks for all the good information. Val

Thanks Debbie for the info. I want to go in Monday fully informed so I can discuss this with the Docs. Once you're in the recovery room it is too late. My surgeries are at a teaching hospital, they are great with techniques not so good with patient care.

Thanks Agian I don't know, I'm just meeting with the surgeon Monday, the same one that did my original valve. If they can go through the side that would be great. I also always try to avoid pain killers because of the side effects. I had a echo on Wednesday, my cardiologist set me up with an...

I am going to the surgeon on Monday to schedule my second aortic valve replacement. The part of the surgery that worries me the most is the morphine side effects. After my first surgery I woke up vomiting and with vertigo, not good with OHS. They gave me a stomach pump and medicine to help...