"but feel free to have the last word."
What I really don't understand is why you feel the to be so rude and condescending in many of your posts.
I do find it odd that a person would write
"Read this paper and see what you think then. It persuaded me, and I tried like the dickens to convince myself tissue was the way to go.
http://www.norcal928.org/files/risk_...bio_v_mech.pdf
THEN on the same thread writes THIS.
"My basic position is that most of us here are not in a position to evaluate the medical literature and draw our own conclusions. Even with my years of training and experience doing so, I am reluctant to suggest others do this. Those who suggest you can gather a bit of "information" here and direct your own care need to reconsider this"
And as Mary pointed out neither Bob or the paper " argues that therefore people should choose tissue valves" Like you twisted their words to say. I doubt you have a comprehension problem, but maybe you do. He did say this is the type of results that are the reason CCF and other major conters are giving tissue valves to younger people over the past few years, which is true.
Noone here suggests you "direct your own care". Over and over we say talk to your doctors, what do they recomend, they know you best. However there is a big difference between making sure you know about the different choices, Tissue or mechanical and how they will affect your life, so that when your surgeon talks to you about it, you can understand what they are talking about and ask important questions to make informed choices and trying to direct your entire hospital stay, telling the fellows and nurses how to do their jobs to the point you affect you own recovery, and need to be told to chill. There are no cut and dry answers on valve choice, what is important to one person, avoiding REDOS, isn't as important to another person who rather avoid coumadin and since it is something you will deal with the rest of your life and WHY most surgeons give you a choice, people want to be informed.. Most new members find VR by googling valve choices because they are the small percentage of people undergoing Valve surgery that want to learn as much as they can, so ask other people who have gone thru it why they chose what they did and it is WHY many people who had surgery stick around, on their own time to help.
I have read people suggest IF you want a specific valve to go to a surgeon that does them, but for the most part the vast majority say pick a surgeon/hospital you trust and discuss your options with them and are willing to share what they learned either by talking to surgeons and cardiologists or reading pubmed and their own personal experiences.
