Dearest Karen,
I have been a cardiac patient since birth and it is really hard sometimes knowing what to do. I don't know if you've asked your doctor what it would be like if you didn't have the procedure done and what your life expectancy would look like. That might help you make your decision. It seems to me that the mind game is always one of the biggest problems when dealing with cardiac issues. I had a Saint Jude's valve since 1990 and I'm now 62 years old and have been on a blood thinner all that time I was the first woman to have a baby with an artificial heart valve in 92 that was unplanned. I was also a nurse who dealt in critical cardiac care so that has helped me along the way. Had a very stressful year and come to find out my tricuspid valve is starting to have moderate regurgitation. I have outgrown all my doctors in the state of Montana and I'm looking for someone and someplace to do a TTVR. What you were talking about but instead of the aortic valve the tricuspid valve. I also had a stroke when I was 19 years old.
It's my understanding they do a echo especially for you to see if you are a good candidate for what they're doing and they continue along until they find out whether or not it's a good fit for you. And you are right most the time things go pretty well And sometimes something doesn't go just right and you have to be prepared for that but you get all the information you can and get a good team behind you and a positive state of mind and you could feel way better than you have in a long time and live out your normal life! Be blessed and I hope you are able to come to a good decision!