Since age 6 I have been diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis, a condition that causes narrowing of the aortic valve and means the heart has to work harder than usual to shift blood. I always knew I'd need the operation eventually. I've been largely symptom free, but after age 30 I started to occasionally notice that I was out of breath after doing only a small thing. I was also suffering with regular visual migraines, but wasn't sure if this was related or not at the time.
In March 2011 during an regular checkup, the cardiologist announced that it was about time to have the operation.... this was quite a shock! He said "No rush, you can do it any time in the next couple of months". Sounds like a rush to me! This somewhat destabilised me and caused me to write my will!
In this time I was lucky enough to be put in touch with a girl who had a very similar operation a couple of years ago. I had many long emails with her discussing everything from the surgery, recovery and the warfarin. Amongst other things, she helped me to initially develop a watchful mistrust for "believing everything you read" about Warfarin. She also helped me form my own strategy for dealing with the drug long term.
2 Months later, I had an OnX mechanical AVR (Aortic Valve Replacement) and Dacron Aortic Graft. The operation was a complete success. This means I'm on anticoagulants for the rest of my life. Until something better comes along this means Warfarin (Or Coumadin Brand in many countries).
This blog charts my experience on the drug, and attempts to expose the nonsense that exists amongst medical professionals. As I write this I firmly believe that the whole system is wrong, professionals are trained incorrectly, patients are given bad advice, and generally the drug is misunderstood. This leads to problems ranging from seriously inconvenient through to life threatening.
To tell you the truth, I'm actually writing this in January 2012 after I have already gained lots of experience and feel I have something to share.... I am writing this in Diary form in this blog.
In March 2011 during an regular checkup, the cardiologist announced that it was about time to have the operation.... this was quite a shock! He said "No rush, you can do it any time in the next couple of months". Sounds like a rush to me! This somewhat destabilised me and caused me to write my will!
In this time I was lucky enough to be put in touch with a girl who had a very similar operation a couple of years ago. I had many long emails with her discussing everything from the surgery, recovery and the warfarin. Amongst other things, she helped me to initially develop a watchful mistrust for "believing everything you read" about Warfarin. She also helped me form my own strategy for dealing with the drug long term.
2 Months later, I had an OnX mechanical AVR (Aortic Valve Replacement) and Dacron Aortic Graft. The operation was a complete success. This means I'm on anticoagulants for the rest of my life. Until something better comes along this means Warfarin (Or Coumadin Brand in many countries).
This blog charts my experience on the drug, and attempts to expose the nonsense that exists amongst medical professionals. As I write this I firmly believe that the whole system is wrong, professionals are trained incorrectly, patients are given bad advice, and generally the drug is misunderstood. This leads to problems ranging from seriously inconvenient through to life threatening.
To tell you the truth, I'm actually writing this in January 2012 after I have already gained lots of experience and feel I have something to share.... I am writing this in Diary form in this blog.
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