Newbie/Upcoming AVR and Cardiomyopathy

[Natanni]

Hi!

My Hubby is 34 and is having his first cardiac cath tomorrow. He has had a known heart murmur all his life, and diagnosed with AV regurtitaion (tricuspid valve) in 1998. Never had any symptoms and has always been very active. They have noticed that his left ventricle has been enlarging over the last couple of years and now there is a concern that his cardiomyopathy is not consistant with his AV. His father had a heart transplant 14 years ago due to cardiomyopathy.

The cardiac cath is going to give more info on the enlargement and degree of regurg and we will go from there. Have been researching valves and it sounds like the mechanical valve will probably be the way to go but we are nervous with his active lifestyle and coumadin use.

We have been reading through this site and found it so helpful to hear other stories like ours.

 

[Ross]

Hello and welcome to our home.

Do not let Coumadin be a scare. If your like everyone else that first comes here, you've been told all sorts of horror stories, wives tales, urban legends, and well, just a bunch of B.S.

To get the straight stuff on Coumadin/Warfarin, please visit www.warfarinfo.com One of our members, Al Lodwick runs the site. He is a certified Anticoagulation expert and monitors the Anticoagulation Forum should you have questions that we can't answer. This of course, is if your set on the Mechanical Valve choice.

Best thing to do is just start reading all the forums, which it appears you have done some reading, then go from there.

 

[hensylee]

Hey Nat. Welcome to ValveReplacement.com. This is the place you want to be for the information you want/need. Keep reading in here all you can. Please keep us in the know. Ask any questions that come to mind and members will always have an answer - if they don't, they will find out for you.

 

[gadgetman]

Welcome to "da family" .

We will send prayers and good thoughts for the both of you while you face this challenge. Good information is available here. Just ask.

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[mmarshall]

you have come to the right place for info and research....read some of my posts on what i went through before and after surgery...it sounds like your husbands situation is identical to mine. i had surgery on may 31...went in with the intention to have the ross procedure done but it could not be done....so my back up was the latest and greatest medtronic stentless tissue valve. if you have any questions feel free to email me and i can give you all of the info you need...and trust me....explore ALL of your options...i was given 3 different options from 3 different surgeons...one of them told me that my only option was a mechanical valve and that was it...with my lifestyle...i just did not want to deal with coumadin for the rest of my life....i had the same concerns and issues as your husband. i feel great right now and have no regrets with my choice....and the latest tissue valves are getting better and lasting longer...but email me and i can give you the info and insight if you need it.

 

[Sherry]

Welcome to our site, Natanni. I was about your husband's age (33) when I had my mitral valve replaced. I have been on coumadin for eight years now and have not had problems with it, and I do have a very active lifestyle. I even went snow skiing for the first time last winter.

The insight on this has always been the durability of the tissue valves vs. the mechanical ones, but as Mike pointed out, the tissue valves are getting better and better every year. This site will certainly empower you and your husband as he nears his surgery date. It's best to be informed and know your options. Again, welcome, and continue to update us on his progress.

 

[Natanni]

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much!

Well we made it through the first cardiac cath!!!

Thank you so much for your replies. We are now in the wait game for the final reports. The cardiac cath was kind of a production. They had to keep him wide awake so he could do stress tests during it, and they had a terrible time trying to find the vein. It appears, at least for now, that the cardiomyopathy is not as serious as they were thinking earlier.

This "tissue valve" vs "mechanical valve" vs "valve repair" is such a serious decision, and how overwhelming! I am trying to accumulate info for Nathan and so far like I mentioned, the only thing offered for him was the mechanical, and he is looking into repair next month. It is so helpful to read everyones stories. I start reading the pre-surgery threads and I get very anxious know this will be us someday soon, but then I think how beneficial it will be knowing what to expect. I work in surgery but it is a far different thing being on this side!

Thanks again, and Nathan has been reading everything, maybe posting soon!