Hey, welcome. =)
Sorry I don't have pulmonary artesia like yourself, however I do have a nice little CHD, (transposition of the great vessels) and last year I had my tricuspid valve replaced with an artificial valve after my heart quite literally tanked, nearly taking me with it.
I was like you, symptom free for most of my life before things started going south about 3 years or so ago. No complications whatsoever after my initial surgery as an infant.
My advice to you is this: Don't worry so much about long term prognosis and life expectancy. To be honest, there isn't a real good answer for it. everyone's different, valve choices are different, health conditions are different, follow up treatment, lifestyle, eating habits, genetic predispositions....
I have a mechanical St Jude's valve in my chest. It clicks happily away and I prefer to think believe (KNOW?) that it will for a very VERY long time as long as I take care of myself.
The valve hasn't been inexsistance for thirty years. They say it should last me a life time but how can they know that if it hasn't been in use for that long?
My valve will last as long as I need it to last, that's all that matters. =)
There's a lot of good reading here and a few people with CHD's that may be able to relate better to your condition than I. Plus someone else posted a good site for CHD information.
Hang in there. If you haven't had any trouble until now chances are your heart's pretty strong. Mine was and still is. That's a plus.
Learn what you can and try hard to keep a positive attitude. =)
