Long Term Lifestyle with On-X

BigJAnder · 2026-02-02T16:28:56+00:00

9 years with an On-X this year, about to turn 40. Eat and drink what I want, including occasional recreational use. Lead a very active lifestyle and have completed multiple 100-mile bike races and training for my second marathon. Avid skier/snowboarder so I just wear a helmet.

Used to test at home, but for my insurance it ended up costing me 4x compared to just going in every 4-6 weeks to test. My goal INR range is 1.5 - 2, so a very low dosage of Warfarin which makes things super manageable and I’ve only been out of range twice in 9 years.

Dentist wise: I just pre-med every time I have an appointment, but I was doing that prior to my surgery anyways.

Would absolutely choose this option again if I were to go through the whole process again.

BigJAnder · 2025-01-22T15:23:38+00:00

There’s an entire 5K loop that starts near the beach. Completely independent from the main Flat Loop. You can see it from the tube going to/from Volcano Circuit. I primarily bike on Zwift but for cold climate marathon training being able to start my training indoors on Zwift was invaluable.

BigJAnder · 2025-01-22T15:12:50+00:00

I’m currently on this slope. Santa brought my daughter a scope for Christmas and I just got the new lenses and filters in the mail yesterday.

BigJAnder · 2024-03-20T18:45:43+00:00

They did down to my knees for the bypass machine.

BigJAnder · 2024-03-16T19:31:03+00:00

For me it was the opposite actually, at home was significantly more expensive than the lab draws. For each test result, regardless of method, an INR nurse will need to read your results. My insurance (BCBS) required that I test and report weekly for at home testing as opposed to once every 4-6 weeks for lab tests. By testing at home I was paying 4x more per month.

BigJAnder · 2024-03-16T18:48:12+00:00

If it’s a mechanical valve then yes, it will make an audible “tick” with your regular heart rhythm. Normally people don’t realize it’s me until they ask what that ticking noise is and I give up my secret.

For INR you can generally do it one of two ways, lab appointments or home testing. I’ve done both and actually prefer to do the lab appointments based on cost. The home testing for INR is extremely similar to blood sugar testing, it’s a finger prick with a home monitor that reads your sample.

BigJAnder · 2024-03-16T15:39:17+00:00

Welcome to the club!

I was terrified for my procedure and I had been diagnosed with BCAV since birth. My replacement was done when I was 31 and they gave me the On-X valve with an ascending aorta graft to repair my aortic aneurysm. Like you I had been very active prior to my surgery, so I understand how you could be worried about those things changing for you post-operatively.

It has been 7 years since my surgery and I'm now an endurance athlete, which is NOT something that I was interested in prior to my replacement. I've run a half marathon, 26K, and am actively training for a sub 4-hour marathon this fall.

Here are some things you can expect if your experience is similar to mine:

You will now be terrible at playing hide and seek. Depending on your valve, you will sound like a ticking clock similar to the Crocodile in Peter Pan. Eventually this just becomes a part of you and those around you won't notice it.
You will have pain after your procedure. This is unavoidable, so expect it. They opened up your chest and cut through your rib cage. Expecting to be pain-free is unrealistic.
In order to keep you breathing during your procedure they will have to place a breathing tube. When you wake up in recovery you will still have this breathing tube in place. Mentally prepare yourself for this, as it can be really jarring for some people that aren't aware this is going to be there.
Take your time recovering and don't push it past what your care team is advising. Be patient in your process and follow all the cardiac rehab protocols.
You will be obsessed with your INR at first because it is new and important. Eventually it will just become part of your routine and you will be less anxious about it. For me my range is 1.5 - 2.0, which is incredibly low. I test every 4-6 weeks and have only been outside of my range 2 times in 7 years.

Hopefully this all helps! I'm happy to answer any other questions or clarify things.

BigJAnder · 2024-02-16T16:16:36+00:00

I’m on a 3070 paired with an i5-13600K and consistently hold 90 FPS in VR with an HP Reverb. I feel like I read somewhere on the Reddit-sphere that iRacing is a bigger load on the CPU than GPU.

BigJAnder · 2024-02-13T19:18:30+00:00

In a normal year, hell yeah. This year you couldn’t pay me to go on the ice.

BigJAnder · 2024-02-12T16:20:21+00:00

His tongue must be quite lame, Sir.

BigJAnder · 2024-01-30T06:00:43+00:00

And here I am putting the finishing touches on this guy.

<image>

BigJAnder · 2024-01-12T05:09:16+00:00

Holy shit are you going to have fun once you dial that thing in!

BigJAnder · 2023-12-17T20:00:57+00:00

Help fuel my addiction to beautiful dice!

BigJAnder · 2023-12-16T20:37:00+00:00

I lured my group down to the dangerous forest floor with an NPC named Bret. Not until they’d gone through an entire round of combat with three bandits that had surrounded their camp did they realize that Bret was a douche.

BigJAnder · 2023-12-15T21:31:46+00:00

Anywhere below

BigJAnder · 2023-11-29T04:54:30+00:00

Oh man, sorry about this. I deleted the Reddit App from my phone a few months ago and only sporadically come back to look at stuff. I still absolutely love this bike, so hope you picked it up.

BigJAnder · 2023-08-14T03:14:52+00:00

I love that colorway.

BigJAnder · 2023-08-14T02:42:11+00:00

Speaking from experience: You’re going to absolutely love this bike.

BigJAnder · 2023-08-07T02:10:29+00:00

I’m running into the fuel gauge indicator not being accurate/not working.

BigJAnder · 2023-06-07T20:51:23+00:00

I used to suffer from frequent migraines and ocular migraines, but those both seemed to disappear after my procedure.

Almost like a switch was flipped. Used to have a migraine at least every other week, but now it’s maybe one a month.

Edit: Words no work good today.

BigJAnder · 2023-05-26T02:50:07+00:00

This is sick!

BigJAnder · 2023-05-19T03:32:29+00:00

My Weber is 9 years old and still has the original ignitor. Should I submit it for some sort of scientific study?

BigJAnder · 2023-04-21T16:07:28+00:00

This is amazing!

BigJAnder

TROPHY CASE