Mechanical Valve

[Redone]

@Redone , just to offer a little real world perspective on Warfarin;

The INR value of 2 means you will take twice as long to clot ( INR ~ 1 in an uncoagulated person )

if a person cuts their hand and takes 15 seconds to stop bleeding you will take around 30 seconds,
you do not bleed to death, your clotting just takes longer that is all.

I'm mechanical, very active and competitively race mountain bikes, i have had numerous crashes
on rocks and jumps over the years and i have never bled to death .

Best of luck with the surgery

Just to add , my driver on mechanical was also ( like you ) to have just the one OHS, both for myself and my family

Thank you for your feedback! Your experience is encouraging. May I ask which mechanical valve you went with? I'm not going to worry about taking anticoagulants as I haven't heard much negative feedback from anyone. It appears most are happy with the choices they made. Thank you so much! I am looking forward to having the surgery behind me.

 

[Keithl]

I am not overly active, but I do thins that I get the occasional cut. I even nic myself shaving as I bailed on the "don't razor shave on warfarin) and never had an issue or concern. I have an On-X and aim for 2-3 INR with sweet sot 2.5-3. I have gotten my INR fairly stable that I keep getting lazy and often go 2 weeks between checking it. Like most things this is your choice and do your homework and do not have any regrets about your decision as both tissue and mechanical have a long history of proven success.

 

[user 16827]

@Redone I went with St Jude.

 

[BillDaThrill]

Have had my On-X for 5 months and am very pleased. Like Keithl, I maintain a 2-3 INR and it has been very stable. Since surgery, have done hundreds of miles of hiking, in addition to trail running, mountain biking, and beach volleyball. I just started weightlifting again. Wishing you the best!

 

[TomD]

Hello Everyone! Initially I had planned on going with a tissue valve to replace my Bicuspid Aortic Valve, but now I'm seriously leaning toward the Mechanic Valve at the advice of my surgeon. He said, as an athlete and someone hoping to NEVER repeat this surgery it would be the best option. I'm leaning toward the On-X. What is the incidence of failure on a Mechanic Valve? Would you mind sharing your experience? Would you recommend a Mechanic Valve for athletes over a tissue valve?

I have had my mechanical valve for almost 15 years now and I am so glad I got it and don’t ever have to worry about going in again for another operation. And the concerns about warfarin are completely overblown. You just get your own home tester so you can test at your leisure and you convince your cardiologist that you’re quite capable of adjusting the dosage as necessary. There’s absolutely no magic in what the Coumadin clinic will do to adjust your dosage. I have found that 4 mg per day is perfect for me and I never watch my diet or anything and I stay within 2.5 to 3.5 consistently.

 

[TomD]

Hello Everyone! Initially I had planned on going with a tissue valve to replace my Bicuspid Aortic Valve, but now I'm seriously leaning toward the Mechanic Valve at the advice of my surgeon. He said, as an athlete and someone hoping to NEVER repeat this surgery it would be the best option. I'm leaning toward the On-X. What is the incidence of failure on a Mechanic Valve? Would you mind sharing your experience? Would you recommend a Mechanic Valve for athletes over a tissue valve?

Plus I forgot to mention that I have a Saint Jude valve

 

[Redone]

I am not overly active, but I do thins that I get the occasional cut. I even nic myself shaving as I bailed on the "don't razor shave on warfarin) and never had an issue or concern. I have an On-X and aim for 2-3 INR with sweet sot 2.5-3. I have gotten my INR fairly stable that I keep getting lazy and often go 2 weeks between checking it. Like most things this is your choice and do your homework and do not have any regrets about your decision as both tissue and mechanical have a long history of proven success.

Thank you so much for your feedback. I am sure I'll be happy with my choice and if it prevents me from repeating OHS then it's a good thing! I will likely go with the On-X valve myself.

 

[ATHENS1964]

18 months since the replacement of the aortic valve with mechanical livanova I feel great, yesterday I had an appointment with my dentist for cleaning, he did a deep gingival cleansing to treat gingivitis. The ultrasonic scraper went very deep almost to the root of the teeth for scraping. When we finished, the dentist told me that if he did not know that I was taking anticoagulants, he would not understand. the bleeding was like a normal person doing such cleansing.
Αn hour before the medical operation I had taken 2 mg amoxil as recommended by my cardiologist, the good thing is that here in Greece, although there are instructions, dentists always contact the cardiologist for the antibiotic form and the reason is that many times the dentist can do not end up on a date and need more so the shape for protection changes.

 

[Redone]

18 months since the replacement of the aortic valve with mechanical livanova I feel great, yesterday I had an appointment with my dentist for cleaning, he did a deep gingival cleansing to treat gingivitis. The ultrasonic scraper went very deep almost to the root of the teeth for scraping. When we finished, the dentist told me that if he did not know that I was taking anticoagulants, he would not understand. the bleeding was like a normal person doing such cleansing.
Αn hour before the medical operation I had taken 2 mg amoxil as recommended by my cardiologist, the good thing is that here in Greece, although there are instructions, dentists always contact the cardiologist for the antibiotic form and the reason is that many times the dentist can do not end up on a date and need more so the shape for protection changes.

This is very good to know! In the future I will need a lot of dental work (call it genetics), but I have 3 implants and a crown. I will also likely need two hip replacement surgeries and also require a breast revision surgery after healing from open heart surgery. Hopefully, with bridging and other methods it will work out just fine. Thank you for sharing your experience!

18 months since the replacement of the aortic valve with mechanical livanova I feel great, yesterday I had an appointment with my dentist for cleaning, he did a deep gingival cleansing to treat gingivitis. The ultrasonic scraper went very deep almost to the root of the teeth for scraping. When we finished, the dentist told me that if he did not know that I was taking anticoagulants, he would not understand. the bleeding was like a normal person doing such cleansing.
Αn hour before the medical operation I had taken 2 mg amoxil as recommended by my cardiologist, the good thing is that here in Greece, although there are instructions, dentists always contact the cardiologist for the antibiotic form and the reason is that many times the dentist can do not end up on a date and need more so the shape for protection changes.

Glad to hear you feel great! I will need a lot of dental work in the future (call it genetics) so I'm glad to hear you had no issues while getting your deep cleaning. I will require a few surgeries in the future and I've learned they can be handled with bridging Heparin or some other form of anticoagulants. Thank you for sharing your experience! I hope things continue to go very well for you!

 

[Redone]

I have had my mechanical valve for almost 15 years now and I am so glad I got it and don’t ever have to worry about going in again for another operation. And the concerns about warfarin are completely overblown. You just get your own home tester so you can test at your leisure and you convince your cardiologist that you’re quite capable of adjusting the dosage as necessary. There’s absolutely no magic in what the Coumadin clinic will do to adjust your dosage. I have found that 4 mg per day is perfect for me and I never watch my diet or anything and I stay within 2.5 to 3.5 consistently.

Good to know! I'm not concerned about taking anticoagulants if getting the mechanical valve prevents me from future OHS. I am grateful my surgeon recommended going with the mechanical valve. I'm so glad yo hear about your success and good choice! I definitely think mechanical is the way to go and originally I was all for the tissue valve, but I'm too fit to put my body through multiple surgeries if I can avoid it. Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[Redone]

Have had my On-X for 5 months and am very pleased. Like Keithl, I maintain a 2-3 INR and it has been very stable. Since surgery, have done hundreds of miles of hiking, in addition to trail running, mountain biking, and beach volleyball. I just started weightlifting again. Wishing you the best!

Thank you for sharing and congratulations on feeling great and getting back to the activities you love! I'm so glad you're happy with your choice! I'm definitely leaning towards the On-X and hope to have a similar outcome. Yesterday, I had a Coronary Arteriogram and things look great for surgery on 11/29. Praying for an easier recovery than I'm expecting.

 

[Redone]

I am not overly active, but I do thins that I get the occasional cut. I even nic myself shaving as I bailed on the "don't razor shave on warfarin) and never had an issue or concern. I have an On-X and aim for 2-3 INR with sweet sot 2.5-3. I have gotten my INR fairly stable that I keep getting lazy and often go 2 weeks between checking it. Like most things this is your choice and do your homework and do not have any regrets about your decision as both tissue and mechanical have a long history of proven success.

Yes, it is my choice and I am choosing mechanical in hopes of never having to do this surgery again. As I mentioned initially tissue was the choice, but my surgeon said, go mechanical and avoid this surgery in the future and it was all I needed to hear! It sounds like you have also made a great choice! Thank you for your feedback!

 

[sharky7]

I am not overly active, but I do thins that I get the occasional cut. I even nic myself shaving as I bailed on the "don't razor shave on warfarin) and never had an issue or concern. I have an On-X and aim for 2-3 INR with sweet sot 2.5-3. I have gotten my INR fairly stable that I keep getting lazy and often go 2 weeks between checking it. Like most things this is your choice and do your homework and do not have any regrets about your decision as both tissue and mechanical have a long history of proven success.

WELL THANK oh you so MUCH, let me tell you, for one. I also have been shaving now, and for years with a razor, and with no problems. fact is!!! STORY for all to know how it is, and how to handle it incase it happens to you, and with no worries. What happened is this. I was at work, over night shift as a Security Officer and I slipped and cut my finger with a real sharp knife I had in my hand, in the bathroom on my way back to work, well i grabbed a bunch of paper towels and sqeezed tight for what seemed to hours,. point being it was fine, i stopped the bleeding in a lot less time then I thought it would take, but the bleeding did stop, and I stopped it on my own and with no assistance, well it i would be the first to tell you all, it did scare me at first, i am alive. Thing is, be careful and dont walk with a sharp knife in your hand. [and admit i cheat a bit, and use those types of razors now, i included an image of the box for all to see....LOL]

Another thing, it makes my mind at ease now, I was told to not weight lift, and that it was bad for me, and I really felt that I needed to, NOW i will try and do it, slow at first of course, than go from there! THANK YOU to those that shared that about weight training!

 

[Chuck C]

Thing is, be careful and dont walk with a sharp knife in your hand. [and admit i cheat a bit, and use those types of razors now, i included an image of the box for all to see....LOL]

Thanks for the razor recommendation. As a bonus, perhaps shaving with the Venus can help us all get in touch with our feminine side

 

[WandaW]

Hello Everyone! Initially I had planned on going with a tissue valve to replace my Bicuspid Aortic Valve, but now I'm seriously leaning toward the Mechanic Valve at the advice of my surgeon. He said, as an athlete and someone hoping to NEVER repeat this surgery it would be the best option. I'm leaning toward the On-X. What is the incidence of failure on a Mechanic Valve? Would you mind sharing your experience? Would you recommend a Mechanic Valve for athletes over a tissue valve?

I have had a mechanical valve since 2011, my surgeon recommended it because I was only 52 and would have to do the surgery again with a tissue valve. I am on Coumadin and work full time as an Occupational Therapist, I shovel snow, dig in the garden and walk about 3 miles a day. I am grateful I have a
mechanical valve that my surgeon choose.

 

[charlottekaye]

I have had my mechanical valve for almost 15 years now and I am so glad I got it and don’t ever have to worry about going in again for another operation. And the concerns about warfarin are completely overblown. You just get your own home tester so you can test at your leisure and you convince your cardiologist that you’re quite capable of adjusting the dosage as necessary. There’s absolutely no magic in what the Coumadin clinic will do to adjust your dosage. I have found that 4 mg per day is perfect for me and I never watch my diet or anything and I stay within 2.5 to 3.5 consistently.

I've seen way too many tissue valves fail. In 1997, I got my mechanical. It's slowly failing, but I will keep it as long as possible.

 

[Redone]

I have had a mechanical valve since 2011, my surgeon recommended it because I was only 52 and would have to do the surgery again with a tissue valve. I am on Coumadin and work full time as an Occupational Therapist, I shovel snow, dig in the garden and walk about 3 miles a day. I am grateful I have a
mechanical valve that my surgeon choose.

Thank you for sharing your experience Wanda! I hope to have the same great results you have had

 

[Redone]

I've seen way too many tissue valves fail. In 1997, I got my mechanical. It's slowly failing, but I will keep it as long as possible.

I sure hope to have my mechanical valve for a lifetime, but it seems everything regarding this issue is a crapshoot, which is unfortunate. Do you have symptoms? Are you feeling your valve is failing and how long do you have until a decision is made to replace it? I'm so sorry you will have to replace it

 

[Redone]

Have had my On-X for 5 months and am very pleased. Like Keithl, I maintain a 2-3 INR and it has been very stable. Since surgery, have done hundreds of miles of hiking, in addition to trail running, mountain biking, and beach volleyball. I just started weightlifting again. Wishing you the best!

That's fantastic and congratulations on getting back to what you love! I look forward to being on the other side myself. Surgery is next Monday and I am looking forward to getting it behind me. The day I can hike again, strength train, and work with my clients like I'm used to will be a blessing!

 

[Chuck C]

Surgery is next Monday and I am looking forward to getting it behind me. The day I can hike again, strength train, and work with my clients like I'm used to will be a blessing!

That is the right attitude. Look forward to all of the little victories you will get to experience in recovery and how rewarding it will feel to gradually get back to your active life again! You will be back doing all the activities you love before you know it.