I would be happy to answer any questions. I will say that since my<br>daughter, Amy, has had the mechanical valve replacement, she has had<br>trouble in regulating the Coumadin! She cannot switch to the other blood<br>thinner due to the type of valve used, On-x. I really wish she could.<br>Although, I do think she could do better with her diet but at the same<br>time, due to extensive testing, it has been discovered that her body does<br>not absorb Coumadin as it is intended.<br><br>

@hopeful33250- I had a single stent installed back in 5/14 as a result of a "widow-maker" heart attack (100% blockage of my LAD artery. I have much to be thankful for. Although I had no symptoms prior to this event and I was working out generally 3x a week for a number of years prior, it was very close and fortunately I reacted quickly to what I was feeling and had my wife drive me to the ER immediately. In retrospect I should have and would recommend to anyone else in this situation to call the ambulance. I am dealing with an EF of only 35%, but I continue to work in construction nearly full time and exercise regularly.
My stay in the hospital was 2 days and 3 weeks later started the cardiac rehab in the hospital that I was treated. Since then I have been doing very well. This sounds very different from what you need but I want to still encourage you as you gain insight into where you plan to have this procedure. God bless you.

@thankful I appreciate you sharing your story. I wish you well. You must be very motivated to exercise with an EF of 35%. Congratulations on your dedication to a healthy life style. I wish you well!

I have a friend who is to have aortic valve replacement tomorrow and he is looking for any kind of information about this procedure. I told him about "Mayo Connect" and he thought he would like to receive any information that others who have gone through this would have to offer. Thank you.

Hi @charlottemaxine,

Thank you for all the support and information you are offering. Please note that I removed your friend's personal email address from this public discussion. Posts to the discussion board are public, and we don't want him getting unwanted spam etc. We recommend sharing personal contact information by private message as it is a secure, private option.
Thank you so much for understanding.

Here's some information from Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/aortic-valve-repair-aortic-valve-replacement/about/pac-20385093
I'm tagging @ch246cf10 @cynthia2017 @showflash @shakuni11 @redhawk @eugeneo @lyndamm @judytru @crhp194 @morningglory @michellr as they've written about aortic valve repair and replacement, and I'm confident they will return with more insights for your friend.

If you wish, you can also read some of their posts in this discussion on Connect:
– Aortic Stenosis & Valve Replacement https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/aortic-valve-calcification/

Hello,
Don't know how old your friend is, I'm 52 and had the same procedure on January 31st, and I was out of the hospital in 5 days. This was my 3rd Heart Surgery! I was expecting another 3 week stay like the last. First two operations were from the side(following the curve of the ribs). That is the most invasive and longest recovery, painful, etc. The Front Chest Opening the replace a valve was a cake walk. No pain meds past the 5 days in the hospital. Not a lot of people above the grass have experienced bot type procedures, I have. I'm no tough guy when it comes to pain either. It is just a less invasive procedure that you think. Tell him to do the rehab after the surgery, and do all the classes for the entire term. Don't go to a few and stop going. There is a reason for what they have you do in rehab, and it works. The Inpatient Cardiac Rehab folks will start to circle around him as soon as he wakes up. After discharge, sign up for the continued rehab. I have 2-3 weeks remaining on mine and I'll probably have my wife bake them a cake or something.

All the best to you and your friend.

Bruce
Texas

PS. Did I mention DO THE REHAB!

@ch246cf10

I appreciate your sharing your experiences with open heart surgery. At Mayo Connect we all learn (and are encouraged) by the experiences of others.

Rehab is important for everyone after surgery, whether it is for orthopedic surgery or cardiac surgery. I appreciate your emphasizing that.

I look forward to hearing from you after you complete your rehab.

Teresa