Would the on-X valve be for me?

[Hot Rod Harry]

I'll eventualy need to have a valve replacement on the mitral valve, after a repaired valve found to still be leaking.

I'm a 42 year old, active man.. I haul cars for a living, which means that in addition to driving a semi for many miles, I also load and unload my truck. That involves lots of walking, climbing up & down the truck, and securing the load..

I also like to walk, hike, and lift weights..

I'm wondering which valve would be the best for me & my lifestyle.. In adiition, who would you reccomend to perform this surgery, and the Cleveland clinic.. Thanks

 

[ctyguy]

Im 4 weeks post-op, also 42 years old and while Im a desk jockey for work Im very active in that I lift weights, run, hike, golf, ski, you name it. I had my procedure done at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr Gosta Pettersson. My replacement was the Aortic valve but I had an On-X put in, repair wasn't an option. I had a bicuspid valve with with severe stenosis. You can Google Dr P and see his body of work, his resume speaks for itself and there are others I've met on here that he also did procedures on.
At 4 weeks Im feeling pretty darn good, just some digestive issues still lingering. One good thing about Dr P is that when he can, he will do a minimally invasive procedure. I considered having the procedure done at the McConnell Heart Hospital here in Columbus but I was told it would be an 8 inch incision for sure. That didn't drive my decision but it did reinforce my decision to go to with C.C.

Hope that helps, good luck in your search. Fire away any other questions you may have that I can help with, will be happy to share what knowledge I have.

 

[Hot Rod Harry]

Thanks.. How long are you off work? The standard 3 months? The 3 months that I had off last time was not enough. I struggled when I went back to work.

What difference do you notice after 3 weeks? What where your symtoms before surgery?

I wonder if there is anyone here who has had this valve replaced in the mtral valve.. I dont know what the differences would be from what you had done, to my mitral valve. Thank you for the info. Harry

 

[ctyguy]

my disability was approved for 12 weeks but I am fully expecting to go back after 8 weeks. I see my cardiologist two weeks from tomorrow and Im hoping to get cleared for driving and for work. Again, Im a desk jockey so its not like I have alot of physical demands on me.

After 3 weeks I had a bout of pericardial effusion that set me back a few days. I had to ditch the pain pills and go on Advil for a few days till the inflammation went down. Once that was cleared I went to Tylenol only. That was about 4 days ago and while I still have some discomfort in my chest, its pretty minimal. Im walking 1/2 hr on the treadmill each day now and working up a bit of sweat even. Certainly after 3 weeks I wasn't ready to get back to work but I was at least moving around fairly well. However I couldn't sleep in my bed and still can't really, Im in a recliner at night. Im not a back sleeper and if I sleep on my back in bed I simply can't get comfortable, recliner is marginally better. Needless to say I haven't been sleeping all that much.

Before surgery I had an episode where I couldn't catch my breath and ultimately blacked out. That was my first symptom and fortunately for me it wasn't my last. Talking with the doc it very well could have been. I thought that was a panic attack, didn't know I even had an issue until 2 weeks prior to surgery. Once I knew what I needed done I got after it, sounded like I was at risk for sudden death. I would have issues sometimes at night, wake up short of breath, palpitations, night sweats. Again, I didn't connect the dots until I got frustrated when trying to run in the gym. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't sustain long runs, now I know why.

There are plenty of folks with Mitral valve replacements on here, Im sure you will get lots of additional feedback.

 

[Freddie]

Hi there Hot Rod,

I had a carbomedics mechanical valve put in the mitral valve.

If your that active, you may have to wait maybe 4 to 6 months - you really have to give the bone time to heal. I had no symptoms after surgery, but everyone is different when healing.

During recovery you will have to walk to improve your breathing and heart rate.

I went back to very light duty desk work after 4 weeks after surgery. After 5 months I was able to start the lawn mower

Its been one year since surgery, and I can tell you from my experience that its only been the last 4 months or so that I feel like my old self again.

Like I said, everyone is different in recovery, but if you other wise healthy and active, you might be able to do some of your jobs at work - but not all of them as you have mentioned.

 

[Karlynn]

I don't think any valve you get is going to keep your from doing your normal activities. The recovery time should be no different either if you are thinking in terms of which one is going to get you back to work more quickly. Valve replacement has a long recovery process and with the type of work you do, it's going to be a while before you are cleared by the doctor to do it, regardless of what type of valve you get St. Jude, On-X, Carbomedics, or a type of tissue.

All that being said - the On-X is looking like a promising valve - particularly for those of us that have the mitral valve replaced. The flow dynamics appear to allow less clot formation. I have had my St. Jude mitral valve for over 16 years. It's looking good now, but if I were to need it replaced I would seriously consider the On-X. Not because of the promise of low or no warfarin (Coumadin) but because of the flow dynamics.

 

[WayneGM]

Regardless of which valve you pick, OHS is OHS so the recovery will be the same. Eveyone is different and some bounce back sooner than others. I went back to work after 12 weeks (desk job) and I was exhausted for the first few weeks. It was a year before I could honestly say I felt "normal" again.

 

[South Sound Sailor]

Harry - I'm now at 8 weeks post surgery with an On-X valve that replaced my aortic. With my doctor's OK, I've been doing some light running mixed with walking for the past 10 days (all treadmill). Today we had a break in the weather and I went for a 2 mile run. Running outdoors and on small hills was a bigger test for me than running on a treadmill. It wasn't pretty but I made it! I went back to work last week and so far, no problems with the return to work (other than I am already missing the slower pace of the past 7 weeks!).

Best of luck with your decision and your recovery. Keep all of us here at vr.com advised on on how you're doing.

Steve C.

 

[Soilman]

Harry,

I am now a 44 year old guy with a similar life style as your. I had my aortic valve replaced with an On-X back in August of '07. I was back at work (light duty) at 4 weeks. My surgeon gave me clearance to go back, light duty, at 2 weeks, but I had plenty of sick leave and opted to stay out. I was running 3 miles at 3 months. My job and hobbies have me doing outside, physically demanding work. I walk across woodland, clear cuts, swamps, agriculture fields, etc. boreing holes to 5 ft deep with a manual soils auger. I hunt, fish, hike and wood work. I still get cut, scraped and bruised, but even on coumadin, the resulting injuries are all but ignorable (as before surgery).

Valve choice is a personal decision that you alone can make, but I think you would be well satisfied with the On-X. Sure, some small lifestyle changes might be necessary, but that will likely be the case with whatever valve you choose. From your post, the biggest change you may have to make is in our weight lifting. No more real heavy lifting. I've gone to lighter weights/higher reps myself.

And, with the On-X, besides the immediate benefits of improved blood flow dynamics/lower thrombosis incendients, we might just get away without coumadin some day. Good luck.