Aortic Valve Replacement

Teresa,
You may wish to read about @lyndamm's story in this discussion "Open heart surgery, aortic valve replacement and 3 bypasses" http://mayocl.in/2daQc4z

@judytru @thankful @jimmorris900 do you have advice for @hopeful33250 as she prepares for an aortic valve replacement. I think @mimi68 will also be interested in joining this discussion as she too is preparing to have the same procedure.

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>

Thanks @judytru, how long ago did your daughter have her mechanical valve implanted? Did she have the option of a bio-synthetic valve or was the mechanical vale her only option?

@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.

My 90+ mother had heart valve replacement surgery about 4 years ago. The surgery was not open heart but a new procedure where the surgeon goes through the groin and up into the heart. She survived the surgery very well (her doctor says she is a "poster child" for the procedure). She also has a pacemaker. Her heart is doing very well however at her age she has other issues not related to the heart. Hope this has helped you and best wishes.

@wandering Thanks for your encouraging story! I'm glad that your mother's procedure went so well. Unfortunately, I'm not a candidate for the less invasive surgery. I wish I were! I appreciate your sharing her story. I wish you and your mom the best.

@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!

Can you say where your 90+ mother had her heart valve replacement procedure? I have a friend in his 80's who's cardiac surgeon told him that he might not survive open heart surgery for a valve replacement. Thank you.

Mother lives in Houston. Her cardiologist is Dr. Feng. I don't think he personally did the surgery but he is definitely in charge of her medical issues and I think he recommended her surgeon. His office is on Bellaire Blvd. -1-713-595-9000. When she had this done several years ago it was a pretty new procedure but obviously very successful at least in her case. Best wishes.

Thank you so much for sharing the information about your mother's treatment. I'll pass along the information to my friend as he may be interested in pursuing another course of action.