Valve choice

[Praline]

Hello,
I am scheduled for surgery January 18th. Besides being scared , very scared, I am doing fine. They will repair or replace the mitral valve, do a bypass to fix a blockage in the front wall, and do maze procedure for AFib. The surgeon said that there is a very good chance that he can fix that valve. But if he can't, I need to choose which valve to put in.
I am 64 years old and healthy except for these heart problems. I am on coumadin (warfarin) now and I do not see a big deal with it.They are having a hard time regulating it but it is because I have only been on it 2 months and it has been lower/stop/go with the dosage with all these tests.
Luckily I discovered this site as soon as I found out about the problem so I was able to learn a lot about this whole process. But even as I read a lot of the info about valve selection, I guess I am so scared about the surgery itself that I did not give a lot of thought to valve selection. When the surgeon discussed types of valve in case he cannot repair it, he did not seem to consider being on coumadin for the rest of my life that big of a deal. He said that if I were his sister or daughter, he would recommend a St. Jude mechanical valve. He considers 64 fairly young and a good possibility of out living a porcine or bovine valve.
I like to have a glass of wine with dinner but if I had to I could give it up.That seems like the way to go for me. What do you all think?

 

[tobagotwo]

Although tissue valves do not last as long in the mitral position as the aortic, I would personally disagree with your doctor's concerns.

However, you're already on Coumadin, and you're content with it, so I'm not sure why there is even an issue. In your place, I would go with the mechanical. The St. Jude valve is an excellent choice.

Best wishes,

 

[geebee]

Praline,

There is NOTHING you have to give up if you are on coumadin unless you have temper tantrums and bang your head against the wall during them

I drink wine, eat green vegies, have salads, eat sushi (nori is fairly high in Vit. K), love tofu, etc. I have not changed one little thing with being on coumadin. I do not think about it when I make decisions. It is simply a non-factor in my life unless I were facing some type of surgery or invasive tests.

You may get 12-15 years out of a tissue valve in the mitral position. That would put you in your late 70's for a redo. Not an impossible scenario but one that might be hard. Only you can make the final choice as to whether that seems like something you want to handle.

Like I have said in previous posts, I plan on being around well into my 90's so I am ticking away expecting no more OHS surgeries in this lifetime.

Good luck and, as Ross has said, "the best valve is the one that keeps you alive."