Doc gave me a recommendation I didn't expect

[pellicle]

Hi

This is my first post as I will be getting my bicuspid aortic valve replaced next month as soon as I'm done getting married and enjoying my honeymoon. I'm only 35 and asymptomatic but for whatever reason my regurgitation worsened affecting my heart so time to get it replaced a couple decades before I thought I'd have to consider it. I just met with the surgeon this morning and I'll be getting a mechanical valve due to my age and activity level. TitanEddie, your post was interesting to me .

I wasn't going to reply to Eddie (because he's made his choice), but to you I'll say I disagree with his view and have found personally that the availability of warfarin (good quality) is high and his fears are unfounded. Unless you intend to spend 4 months in a remote villiage in the highlands of Papua New Guinnea (when helicopter drops could deliver it anyway) you'll be fine. I've travelled a lot and have never had a problem in getting warfarin in Australia or Europe and from what I know of other drugs wouldn't anticipate any other toubles in India (where I've traveled for work twice for 3 months each time). When I went to Finland I took 2 months supplies just in case it took me time to get settled, but that was not needed as it turns out. 2 months supply is just a few little bottles weighing less than a few ounces.

Coaguchek XS Strips can be ordered in bundles of 24 or 48 and so that (48) would give you nearly a year of testing, and usually the use-by date on the container is 2 years. The unit is compact and fits into a pack easilly.

Actually I've been thinking next year when I go back to Finland I'll do a writeup on my life with warfarin when I go backpacking around the joint. I'm considering a 3 month on the road thing and I would love to post weekly shots of taking my INR in novel places ... bars, forests, castles ... whatnot.

When I was in Finland last year warfarin was about half the price of Australia and all I had to do was go to a hospital - see the Dr - get a script - go pay cash at the pharmacy ... job done.
England would be more or less the same.

No doctor is going to see your chest and have a listen and deny you a script ... simple as that

The other stuff about not being treated at hospitals in Nepal is bunk too as I know people who live in Nepal (I shared my house with one fellow doing his PhD while I was doing my Masters) and we've discussed exactly this. Unlike modern anitcoagulants warfarin is easily reversable.

The other stuff about being active, well the more active you are when you're younger the faster you'll calcify a tissue valve and the sooner you'll need a replacement.

Feel free to ask me any specific questions

 

[sharky7]

I started another post, but would ask here if anyone knows if there is a shelf life for the saint jude mitral valves? mine was manufactured on MAY-09-2011. just asking and i think have a need to know, as this MV was installed on june-05-2015 down here in miami fla. i am not very happy with the thought that the choice of which MV was used was not mine. not happy at all.

 

[epstns]

Sharky7 - see my response in your other thread about the valve choice.

I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding the time between date of manufacture and date of implant. I'm quite sure the valves are packed in such a way as to have a reasonably long shelf life before there would be any reason to worry. Also, I have been on this site a long time and have never heard of anyone having any issues around the time lag between manufacture and implant.