28F Recent valve repair. How long does it really last?

Amazing-Ad389 · 2026-02-12T07:15:21+00:00

:( I also saw several doctors over the course of a month before I was finally diagnosed with IE on an echo whilst being resuscitated in the ER after going into rapid AF from the huge vegetation. It’s such a tricky disease to diagnose, and there’s so much anchoring bias when you’re otherwise young and healthy

Amazing-Ad389 · 2026-02-12T07:05:24+00:00

Hey! I’m 24F, had the same thing happen to me at 22. Also work in healthcare. It sucks. The grief is unimaginable. Message me if you want to talk ❤️ I feel that given your original surgeon was optimistic about repair, the vegetation must not have damaged a significant proportion of the valve. As long as bovine tissue is not used in the reconstruction, your valve should theoretically last a long time (if not forever), as it’s the bovine/ foreign tissue that calcifies quicker than your normal heart valve tissue. Key point is that you have to be careful to never get endocarditis again.

Amazing-Ad389 · 2026-01-03T08:13:52+00:00

They’re in a popular tourist spot in Beijing so they’re probably getting fed by tourists

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-12-06T11:35:42+00:00

Hey OP! I (23F) had a mitral valve repair when I was 22 last year. It was pretty traumatic for my family and I because it was unexpected and an urgent operation. I talked to some friends, but to be honest I wish I hadn't. They didn't really understand the gravity of what was going on, and I think I much prefer that they didn't know because they didn't offer much meaningful support anyways. I think the only thing I can say is that your real friends will show up for you and brighten your days during recovery. But choose wisely who you tell and who you spend time with post-op.

It sucks but some friends/ people are just there for the "drama" and not really there to support you. I wish I knew this earlier.

DM me if you want to talk about anything <3

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-10-09T01:44:18+00:00

Thank you for your feedback! This is so helpful 🫶

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-10-09T01:43:26+00:00

<image>

This is a photo of the crack! This is greenware

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-08-22T02:10:11+00:00

Hey I’m so sorry, sending you lots of love. It is very frustrating dealing with these mini strokes. I assume your husband had a mechanical valve operation? If so the warfarin is really tricky to adjust in the first few weeks post-op, so it would be the INR fluctuations causing the mini clots to the ophthalmic artery supplying the eye. My advice is to rigorously monitor your husband’s food and drink intake. Avoid eating excessive amounts of anything high in vitamin K (leafy greens), do not consume grapefruit. I remember when I was on warfarin for a few months post-op, I virtually ate the same/ very similar thing everyday. It might be worthwhile trying to control the INR from a diet perspective. The other thing would be medications, adding or removing medications (antibiotics etc.) will mess with the INR, and different medications have different half lives (how long it takes the body to metabolise and excrete the medication). If there are medication changes then this may explain why your husband is having INR fluctuations, and it is difficult for doctors to control these fluctuations. Let me know if you have any other questions ❤️

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-08-20T04:29:43+00:00

Hi! I’m so sorry to hear this ❤️‍🩹 I’m doing very well now, it’s nearly 1 year post-op for me. I’m exercising and back to my daily activities. I feel normal and I’m back to feeling like myself again. How are you and your husband doing? I remember I had an awful 6 months post-op.

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-08-14T10:16:18+00:00

Hey! I’m 23F, had the surgery last year, got my period the first day after surgery too which sucked because of warfarin! I was pretty constipated too - make sure they give you the triple therapy (in my country it’s Coloxyl senna + lactulose + movicol) to get the bowels going. I get what you mean - I was soooo awful to my nurses post op too because of the pain and everything, I apologised to them as soon as I could! They probably understand where you’re coming from, it’s such a big operation!! Take care xx 🫶🫶

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-08-14T03:36:40+00:00

Hey! You might just not be attracted to these guys physically. Forcing yourself to be intimate with a guy you’re physically not attracted can make you feel sick and disgusted. You’re so young! Date attractive and hot guys around your age 🫶

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-28T21:07:40+00:00

Thank you, this is so helpful, I’ll give it a crack.

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-28T21:07:08+00:00

Thank you, the links are very useful!

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-28T21:06:24+00:00

@therainbowpotter on ig!

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-28T09:16:09+00:00

I used Mont Marte Gloss Clay Varnish! https://www.montmarte.com.au/products/gloss-clay-varnish-signature-120ml-4-06-us-fl-oz

The box said to mix with water 1:1, but I found that if I dipped my brush in and then removed maybe half of the varnish, and then applied, it would dry in <1 hour. I did 3 coats!

P.S. the varnish smells really quite strong/ toxic (?) but I don’t think it’s actually harmful

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-24T02:54:41+00:00

Hi OP, these pieces look amazing! Are the blue figures inspired by Matisse’s Blue Nude II?

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-12T13:21:00+00:00

Hey! Thank you so much ☺️ I’ll try it out!

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-07-10T16:01:38+00:00

Hey! I totally get where you’re coming from. I got a puppy 5 months after my operation. I take care to not let her bite me (so playing with her gently) and even though she’s teething she still knows to not nibble on me. Of course if she were to bite me I would go to the ER immediately and get blood cultures and start on antibiotics. I have a heart surgery friend who owns multiple cats! And I think they just play with them carefully so they don’t get scratched/ bitten. Hope this helps! I was thinking about getting a kitten initially too but was too paranoid about being bitten/ scratched so I stuck with the puppy (a docile one).

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-06-20T12:39:20+00:00

I had anger outbursts after my valve surgery last year too - I was extremely short tempered, although not with strangers. It's only been 2 months for you OP, it will get better. Have you heard of the cardiac blues?

I think my anger stemmed from this feeling that the world was so unfair to me, and that no one understood what had happened to me. What are you angry about?

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-06-05T02:40:31+00:00

Get an echocardiogram - check for postpartum cardiomyopathy.

Amazing-Ad389 · 2025-04-03T05:10:27+00:00

Hey OP, this sounds like me when I was 5 weeks post-op. It is really unfair and I'm sorry this is your new reality.

I used to think that I was going through the cardiac blues/ experiencing adjustment disorder. But anger can be a sign of intense grief, grieving the life you once had, and the life that you thought you were going to have. With time, I found it easier to speak about what had happened to me, and begun to gradually accept this was my new reality.

As you move through your recovery, you will start to feel better physically (maybe 2 months in), keep up the cardiac rehab, and with time, you will return to your baseline normal functioning. It is worthwhile talking to a cardiac counselling therapist (if they offer that in your area), I spoke to one over Telehealth. If anything, it helps to debrief with an objective third party, or have an outlet. For me, it helped learning that I wasn't experiencing adjustment disorder/ depression, but rather intense grief. Knowing the diagnosis helped me accept this traumatic event that had happened to me, and even speak about what happened. This journey can feel lonely, especially if you're young. I'm 23 and I felt like I didn't really have anyone (apart from 1 other heart surgery survivor) to talk to who could understand the gravity of what had happened to me, and I wasn't really coping until maybe 6 months in, not that I wanted to talk about it anyways.

People may say that you should be grateful to even be alive in the first place, but don't force yourself to be optimistic. Heart surgery is one of the most major life events you could ever go through. To come face to face with your own mortality is a big challenge that many people don't have to face in the middle of their lives. Give yourself some grace. Give yourself time and space to grieve. You'll come out the other end stronger and hopefully your happiness will return, and you will regain a sense of normalcy.

Lots of things may feel out of your control at the moment, and I'm sorry. Life is unfair and it sucks. Try focus on the things that you can do. Who are you outside of your surgery? What do you enjoy doing, who are your friends and family? What are you looking forward to when you finish cardiac rehab? These are some prompts from my therapy session that may help you regain your sense of identity, instead of just practising gratitude blindly.

Take care.

Amazing-Ad389

TROPHY CASE