I had an aneurism repaired the end of september and will be having aortic valve replacement the beginning of november. Had anyone else had valve replacement and if so how long was your recovery? Im 39 and just want to be back in the saddle.
do you happen to have a connective tissue disorder (marfans, ehlers danlos, etc)? you are young to have thoracic aortic aneurysm! Did you have an open procedure or endovascular procedure? where will you have your valve replacement? there are minimally invasive procedures offered at certain hospitals - not sure you would be a candidate as i don’t know your medical history- but might be something worth looking in to! Recovery is significantly less in minimally invasive procedure in general, when compared to open procedures.
http://www.pennmedicine.org/encyclopedia/em_DisplayArticle.aspx?gcid=007407&ptid=1
good luck to you - regardless of the type of procedure, i hope you have a quick recovery and are back riding soon!
My DH had his Aortic valve replaced in 1994 (at the age of 52) at the Cleveland Clinic. He has a human (cadaver) valve which means he does not have to take blood thinners. Although this surgery occurred before I met him he tells me that he was back behind the wheel of his race car in 7 weeks.
Because of the cardiac history he must get his cardiologist clearance annually to maintain his competition license. The techs who do the Echo usually question that he has had a valve replaced as his is functioning so well and so naturally.
The Dr thinks my aneurysm was caused by an injury, as it is a hemorrhage between the layers. I had a bad fall off a horse years ago onto hard ground and it is a possibility that the concussive force was the cause. I didn’t even know I had it until a pre-op CT-A was done for the valve and it was discovered. I was tested for connective tissue disorders years ago for another reason and it was negative. The Dr says I don’t have markers for the tissue disorders but has recommended genetic screening for some type of aneurysm disorder that I can’t recall at the moment. I had the endograft procedure rather than open repair as I do not accept blood transfusions and it posed too much risk that way.
I will be having a mechanical valve put in as the life of it for someone my age is better. It is a new material that requires very low levels of blood thinners and possibly none after more testing is done. The hospital I am going to does minimally invasive surgery but unfortunately the location of the aortic valve does not allow for robotic surgery. Over60, that is hopeful news that I may be up and running faster than 3 months!
Mr Jeano had his mitral valve replaced age 55, open heart so stapled-together breastbone, cow valve so was able to go off warfarin after a few months. He had to have a maze procedure due to losing the AV node in the massive restructuring they did (his atria were larger than his ventricles due to years of mitral valve regurgitation.)
Except for a glitch shortly after he came home due to too much blood pressure medicine (he’s never been hypertensive, but try telling doctors that) his recovery was completely uneventful. Mind you, this wasn’t a planned and scheduled surgery–he had ignored his wonky valve for 14 YEARS after being told it needed to be monitored. It failed completely and he damn near died and was in ICU for weeks before the surgery could be done. He was back to work roughly three weeks after discharge from the hospital, and doing normal stuff around the farm (felling trees, splitting firewood) within a couple months.
I’m guessing you won’t be out of commission very long.
My son (age 25) had his aortic and mitral valves replaced in January of this year (along with a BKA amputation). both mechanical - a St. Jude’s bileaflet and aSt. Jude’s Tophat He’s doing just fine, was back in the saddle the day they let him out of rehab. He is on coumadin and you do have to be cognizant of the bleeding risks. He did have a fall recently that resulted in a sliced open cheek and a trip to the ER, I was surprised at how little he actually bleed (and yes he was at theraputic levels).
My mitral valve was replaced when I was 59 following a teen-age bout of rheumatic fever.
Prior to surgery I was not in good shape valve replacement in Canada being designated “elective surgery”. Blocked cardiac blood vessels being urgent took precedence.
Meanwhile I couldn’t be better. Valve is a St. Jude mechanical requiring anti- coagulant (Coumadin, warfarin therapy) and it’s not a big deal.
I will try and contact you privately about a group of valve replacement patients both tissue and mechanical.
OH
Tissue last 10-15 years, mechanicals last a lifetime. Hope this helps.
My mitral valve was replaced when I was 59 following a teen-age bout of rheumatic fever.
Prior to surgery I was not in good shape valve replacement in Canada being designated “elective surgery”. Blocked cardiac blood vessels being urgent took precedence.
Meanwhile I couldn’t be better. Valve is a St. Jude mechanical requiring anti- coagulant (Coumadin, warfarin therapy) and it’s not a big deal.
I will try and contact you privately about a group of valve replacement patients both tissue and mechanical.
OH
Tissue last 10-15 years, mechanicals last a lifetime. Hope this helps.
My brother had a valve replaced at age 18 after a bout with endocarditis. His was a Ross procedure - where they used one of his own pulmonary valves to replace the aortic valve. He also had some vascular damage to his leg that had to be repaired.*
He’s 37 now and has been very healthy - he’s been a heavy metal drummer for most of his life, which in case you didn’t know, is a fantastic cardiac workout. 
Whether or not the valve will have to be replaced is unknown, but they thought it would give him the most longevity at the time. He does not take any medication and has never had any issues from it.
*If your kid is ever diagnosed as having a heart murmur, be sure to let your dentist know! My brother was gravely sick for a long time due to negligence on the part of his pediatrician and dentist.
Well I survived my valve replacement! My surgery was moved twice and I didn’t find out until the afternoon before each time. That really makes it fun when juggling 2 youngish kids.
Surgery was scheduled for 3-4hrs and ended up taking 6 due to some complications the surgeon found and brought some of his colleagues in for consult. I was in the hospital friday-wednesday and was really glad they didn’t send me home that monday as it was my worst day pain wise.
I am one month post surgery and I am still very muscle sore. My incision is completely healed but my sternum and collarbone still clicks, pops and clunks as I move. It amazed me how much it hurt to drive when I was cleared 3 weeks post. They have asked me to not ride until 3 months post and I will respect that as I can’t even hook up the trailer yet to haul in for lessons.
Thank you for all the info in advance!
Glad you are done with that…whew and back among us.
Please take your 3 months. Sternal dehiscence is no fun and will put things often even farther.
Continued healing jingles coming your way.
Susan
That’s good news! I’m a cardiac sonographer and was going to say about 3 months. The above poster is right, sternal dehiscence isn’t fun.
Just an FYI for others that might read this thread, some hospitals do TAVI procedures. It’s minimally invasive, ultrasound guided, no major surgery. They insert a catheter into the left side of the heart, and deploy a bioprosthetic valve into the aortic position, they don’t remove the native valve, no sutures, just a snug fit. This only works if the native valve is tri-leaflet, there must be some calcification, but not too much. Obviously, not everyone is a candidate, but it’s becoming much more common. They do a few every week here at the heart institute in Edmonton.
Goodtimes - that is interesting about the TAVI procedure. They told me they only use it for the very infirm, those who would not endure OHS well. The inserted valve does not have a very long life, or at least for someone who is under 40 it was not an option. Has that been what you have seen as well as far as age/health status?
I have an echo next week, roughly 6 weeks post surgery and I’m not too excited for the pressure of the probe on my ribs!
I had AVR Jan 2010. I completely understood the need for giving the sternum time to reattach. Do not over do, and do not try to rush that part. Cardiac rehab, if offered, is worth the time and gradual return to fitness.
I was very lucky to have been given a carbon-based open pivot device. The surgeon told me ‘that valve will outlast you’, and I believe him.
Glad to hear you are doing well, and I will echo everyone else’s thoughts about sternal precautions.
My dad had this procedure done in March of 2014, but he opted for a pig valve (he was 58). That said, he is very active and works with heavy machinery. He was pretty much back to normal work within a month, but he’s also crazy. I would agree that 3 months sounds more realistic. My dad complained of chest pain, but you could not talk any sense into him to get him to just sit the expletive down! He chose to just push through it, and wanted to be back to normal sooner rather than later.
[QUOTE=Jazzy’s mom;8452973]
Goodtimes - that is interesting about the TAVI procedure. They told me they only use it for the very infirm, those who would not endure OHS well. The inserted valve does not have a very long life, or at least for someone who is under 40 it was not an option. Has that been what you have seen as well as far as age/health status?
I have an echo next week, roughly 6 weeks post surgery and I’m not too excited for the pressure of the probe on my ribs![/QUOTE]
It has a similar life expectancy compared to any other tissue valve, so about 10-15 years. Here they typically do them in anyone over the age of 60 who has an aortic root and valve that fits the insertion criteria. Health status doesn’t have as big a factor. Anyone in the 50-60 range is usually given the choice between a mechanical or bioprosthetic, each have thier pros and cons. They typically suggest to anyone under 50 that they get a mechanical valve.
Sometimes I’m just astounded by what we can do in medicine. Replacing a defective valve with a new one that functions so well that you can go back to normal activity? That’s amazing!
So glad to hear that your procedure went well, OP, and I hope that you continue to have a steady and good recovery!
