Triathlon with a replacement heartvalve

I had my aortic valve replaced with a St. Jude mechanical valve in December 2000.  It took me about nine months to fully recover from the surgery. 

I did my first triathlon three years post-op in February 2004.  I've only done sprint races so far, but hope to do an Oly in the next year or so.  I did my first half marathon two years ago and am currently training to do another one in March 2012. 

I'm almost eleven years post-op and seldom think about my valve replacement anymore.  I feel my biggest limitation is my age (58) and the wear and tear on my joints.

Feel free to PM me if I can help with anything.

Mark 

Thanks guys for the info. Its my mitral valve that is giving trouble. I listen to it with the clinical tech lady and it sound like a 1940's Lister Diesel engine. Not good. At the moment I have no symptoms. Running at 5-5.30 a k doing a HIM in January.  National champs in March. However my doc believes in fixing the problem before it damages the heart. The valve repair looks like and interesting option. I would like to chat to him about it next time when  I see him

Paul;

I am not a VR guy, but after a heart attack, 5 stents, and a triple bypass, I DO have a little bit of experience in that direction.

When you get time, check out my folks at www.IronHeartRacing.com. A number of them have had valve replacements, and could likely address some of your concerns. I have joined this team for the IMAZ 2012 season ... which for me started 11/21.

on my way there right now

thanks

I have (had) a PFO: Patent Foramen Ovale or open atrial septum. It "burped" an embolism while running and caused me to have a stroke. I survived the stroke and made it to the hospital where they discovered the PFO.

Here is what it looked like:

A doctor from Baghdad, Iraq, Dr. Samir Dahbous of the Oakwood Health Center in Dearborn, Michigan installed a PFO closure made by AGA medical Corporation called the Amplatzer. It looks like this:

The thing has worked perfectly. I am faster now because my heart works better. The device has stayed in place even at prolonged high heart rates. I can maintain 165-178 BPM for well over an hour and I am not in particularly great condition now.

Bottom line: The new heart surgeries make your heart better than original. Plastic is tougher than the original tissue and plastic doesn't get sick, plastic can't get cancer.

The Amplatzer PFO closure is the bst piece of racing equipment I've ever owned. It keeps me safe from strokes and makes my heart work better. Installation was done through my femoral vein in a relatively quick procedure. I was in the hospital 2 days. No open heart surgery for installation. Better, cheaper, faster. The entire procedure was less than $30K.

I had to remain non-athletic for four weeks while the Amplatzer merged well with tissue inside my heart. Since then I haven't had any problems.

If you truly have a leaky valve instead of a PFO (which is quite common, many people in triathlons have them without realizing it) then the procedure to close a leaky valve may be similar depending on the severity and location of the leak. The bottom line is that non-invasive, intra-vascular procedures to fix cardiac problems are an incredible advancement.

Get a good caridologist and tell them what your goals are and what you want your quality of life to be. They can tell you if your goals are realistic.

When I told my doctor what I wanted to do he said it may be possible but took a cautionary tone. Being an Iraqi, a nationality I have always adored for their pragmatism, he told me, "You can do what you want, but if that thing ever comes out of there when you are running you'll never know it."

So far, so good.