Who has more than one valve replaced?

[dbowe]

hello all, im brand new here,,and sooooo glad i found this place!i am almost 49 year old male,, i had my aortic replaced in 1999 (when i was 42) and apparently now am getting very close to having the mitrol also replaced, after the last operation because of some problem with my hospital i ended up with internal bleeding, they refused to check my INR enough , i almost died , which doesnt happen with 99 percent of the people(so i hope im not scarying anyone) but what i want to know is if anyone has more than one artificial valve in their heart,,im needing to know what life is like with more than one, the recovering time, abilty to work, ect,,i would greatly appreciate any information,,id be glad to relay any also if i can help anyone,,since i did have trouble i have more knowledge now how to avoid trouble,,anxious to hear from you!

 

[gijanet]

Just wanted to welcome you to the group.......

Just wanted to welcome you to the group.......

I'm the official late night welcoming committee, so you are stuck with me for now. Fortunately, Katie has only had one valve replaced (well, unfortunately really, as I wish she hadn't had to have any replaced, if you know what I mean!), but we do have some members who have had more than one valve replaced. Nancy's Joe comes immediately to mind. He is one of our role models on here. I think, maybe, RCB has, too. I know he is the oldest surviving artificial valve recipient...........another one of our role models. Most should come along in the morning and welcome you and help you out in your quest. Many hugs. Janet

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Welcome to the site! I had 2 mechanicals (aortic and mitral) implanted in April, 2002. The mitral replacement was poo-pooed prior to surgery as a very remote possiblity, but whattaya know.

You don't mention if you're going to wind up with 2 mechanicals or some other combination. Re-operation considerations aside, I suspect that you won't find much difference between one valve or two as far as how it effects your life. What I read on here from others that have a single replacement don't really seem to be any different than what I experience.

The one concrete thing is if we're talking about you winding up with two mechanicals, you would probably have to manage your INR to a higher number- a lot depends on how your docs decide to go.

Best of luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Nancy]

My husband has two mechanicals, the aortic replaced in 1977, the mitral replaced in 1999. He then had a repair on the mitral for a small leak. So he's had three valve surgeries. The last one was done through the side using the HeartPort method.

As far as recpvery, the first one in 1977 had a much longer recovery time. The surgery wasn't done that much in those years, and things have improved vastly in recent years. His recoveries from the following two surgeries were within the normal range of expectations, with the HeartPort method one having a shorter immediate recovery time by probably one day or so.

This has been approximately his experience: the first recovery period of time just after surgery, 2 weeks needing lots of assistance, the following 4-8 weeks slow and steady recovery. The next 4 months to a year are what I would call the "clean-up" phase when the body does the final healing and fine tuning recovery.

He had no unusual experiences after any of these surgeries, nor did he after his two lung surgeries which are on par with the heart surgeries as far as recovery.

His surgeons were expert at what they did and they kept very careful watch on everything.

 

[Mb]

Hello:

You are not alone, as you will see from upcoming posts.

My husband Wayne also has two mechanical valves. Aortic and Mitral, St. Jude prosthesis. Implanted October 2001.

I believe, based on everything I have read here, and his echo numbers, that he was late having his surgery. By the time he had the surgery done, he could hardly walk without having to stop every 50 feet or so. mHe was 55 at the time. Rheumatic fever at age 19.

Recovery from the mitral valve surgery is more problematic that the aortic. They actually have to enter the heart. His surgeon repeatedly told him not to compare this surgery with by-pass. They are entirely different animals. I agree with Nancy regarding recovery time. It took a full year before he got to the stage he is in now. Wayne has chronic a-fib, a severely leaking tricuspid valve, and now his mitral has a moderate leak as well....probably from the tricuspid valve.

I wish you God speed on this journey. You will be surprised at the many friends you make on this climb up the mountain.

Stay in touch.

Marybeth

 

[901]

I had the AV and MV replaced last Summer along with the AAA replaced with a dacron tube. I feel like I have a lot more energy than before the surgery but I don't have an accurate way to measure before vs. after. I was already on Warfarin before surgery, so only the dose changed because my target range was increased after the surgery. I've gotten used to the clicking and don't really hear it unless I listen for it. My kids say it sounds like a loud watch.

 

[dbowe]

thank you so much!~

thank you so much!~

thanks to all of you for the replies,,i cannot tell you how much my wife and i appreciated that,,it is such a relief knowing we have all of you for support, it is such scarey new ground,,its great knowing all that hope is out there!,,you are all brave troopers,,and all the best to you all,,you havent heard the last from us!!

 

[Nancy]

"you havent heard the last from us!!"

We hope not, we expect you to help out after your surgery.

 

[sue943]

Another one here!

Another one here!

Put me down as having both a mitral and aortic valve replacements. Mine were both done on 30th June 2005, I have ATS valves. My problems were caused by endocarditis.

Within a few days I was climbing stairs unaided, prior to surgery I couldn't walk morer than about five yards without having to stop for a rest. Yes, I had more problems later but that was due to digoxin toxicity, the stuff just didn't suit me, nor my mother.

Thursday this week saw me at the gym cycling, treadmill, rowing and more cycling - I felt great.

Good luck.