Glad to see some tissue valvers in the discussion! We can look a little unbalanced around these parts at times.
What I’ve gleaned from it is that those of us who actively manage our INR, for better or for worse, do have a daily reminder of our situation so therefore tend to stick around here on a more permanent basis. Many tissue valvers are here during crisis time. Then it’s out of sight, out of mind until it’s time to intervene again.
That’s not a bad thing or a good thing either way. Just an observation. There have been accusations of bias at times, but when we’re asked to share experience, we only know what we know.
@morellib brings up a very good point as well. A tissue valve doesn’t guarantee No anticoagulation therapy, but you do have more options if needed.
Also, a mechanical valve doesn’t guarantee no future surgery. In my case, 19 years after I received my mechanical valve, I had a second open heart due to an ascending aortic aneurysm. That was over 13 years ago now. I still stayed with mechanical, and being 50 as of this post, I sure hope it’s my last one.
Edit: regarding scar tissue - I was on the table for 8 hours for my second surgery. Much of that time was getting through scar tissue. They don’t get easier. But some of that could have been lacking surgical instruments made of kryptonite for easier cutting.