Recent content by johnnycake23

I hope you get many more than 17, but that's where the meter is currently on mine. About five years ago I shed 30 pounds, which allowed me to be taken off one of my cardiac meds. I did it through better diet, naturally, but exercise was also a major component to that. I can't imagine how a...

Triple 3, I ride my stationary bike five days a week for about 30 minutes, plus abs and stretching exercises, and some light use of weights. No longer play hockey, haven't done it since the surgery. Was a little skittish about strenuous activity after the surgery, and I never laced them up...

Brain, it was a Carpentier-Edwards bovine valve. That's about all I remember about it, but whatever they were using back in 2007. Glad to be a source of encouragement. Good luck and be safe on your bike hike. Sounds like a fun life.

I certainly hope so.

Hi Bee, giving other tissue valvers hope is exactly why I post my anniversaries. Thank you for the good wishes.

Hello everyone, I just want to share that today marks the 17th anniversary of my visit to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for my tissue aortic valve replacement. By coincidence I saw my electrophysiologist today and all sounded good to him. The latest echo earlier this year came back...

Thank you, Duffey. From your mouth....

@Duffey Very encouraging for us tissue-valvers to hear. Here's to you going well into that third decade with no issues.

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad it brought some encouragement to others. Hope all you stateside members had a happy and hearty Thanksgiving. Not sure I understand the automobile analogy, but as @tom in MO said, "People with tissue based valves get routine testing to verify the valve is...

My cow valve is now eligible to drive. Took a stress test last week and all checked out well ("passed with flying colors," said the electrophysiologist). So that was encouraging. I'm 57 years old, and I don't know how long this moo-moo will last, but for now there are blue skies ahead. Nice news...

Good news on the scar tissue, as I have a keloid mass almost the size of a golf ball at the bottom of my surgical cut. Using "texture" to describe the scar, well, that's one way to put it.

Yep, it's spooky when I think about it like that. And that scar I was so worried about back then? Now when I look in the mirror, it's so old hat that I don't even notice it.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since my first valve surgery. That one was for an aortic valve repair to address aortic insufficiency for a bicuspid valve. I was four days shy of my 27th birthday (right before I got wheeled in to the OR the crew sang Happy Birthday to me) and I remember when...

Joe DiMaggio had his 56-game hitting streak, and you have your 56-year valve streak. Not sure which is more impressive, but damn sure which is more inspirational. Congratulations.

Stories like this are inspiring to us tissue-valvers. Congratulations on #18. Keep it up.