surgery in a week!

Going into Cleveland Clinic on the 4th for surgery. Bicuspid aortic valve will be replaced either doing a Ozaki or Ross procedure (due to my comorbidities, those are my two top options). 52M. (some details are in my new members section)

I found out some months ago, and I was freaking out like most people, it was a surprise. If it helps you as someone in the same situation, after lots of research, talking to docs, second opinions I'm now feeling pretty good about it. Frankly looking forward to it - not the surgery, but thinking by next spring/summer I can actually go on a good bike ride or hike with my kids. I'm not afraid of the surgery now, just dreading the recovery. That's the unknown for me, how bad will it be? I've had many surgeries, been in the hospital several times, and they suck, but at varying levels. Also, if you've not been, the first time can be pretty overwhelming.

It was told to me, and it took me a few weeks to take it to heart, but getting your head around it and getting your attitude around it is a good thing. I'll try to keep an update on how it goes, the Ozaki is pretty rare, and I'm going to have another conversation with my surgeon about the details, positives negatives, of which one to do; they'll have both ready so apparently I can choose right up to when they hit me with the head mallet!

I hope everything goes smoothly with your surgery and recovery!

Interesting............
During the 3 to 4 hour procedure, your surgeon:

• Makes a large cut in your chest and separates the breastbone.
• Removes a piece of tissue from the sac around your heart and uses a chemical called glutaraldehyde to strengthen it.
• Constructs a new aortic valve, removes the diseased valve, and replaces it with the newly built valve from your own tissue.

That's the basics. It also depends on what he sees when they open me up. If the pulmonary valve has issues, I gave him the option to switch it to a Ross procedure. If both look like bad choices, bovine, then mechanical.
I may switch the preference to Ross first choice, as I have some more questions to my surgeon, but they will have both of those ready to go, (other two as backups). His nurse tells me I can change my mind right up until they send me under.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your upcoming procedure. Please keep us updated on your adventure, if you feel up to it

We'll see you on the other side!

hostapasta said:

… just dreading the recovery. That's the unknown for me, how bad will it be? I've had many surgeries, been in the hospital several times, and they suck, but at varying levels. Also, if you've not been, the first time can be pretty overwhelming.

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No need to worry about the recovery. Just follow the discharge instructions from the hospital and lean on your family for support. In my case, I needed help opening medicine bottles! My husband and sister helped me with putting on compression socks and cooked for me while I enjoyed short naps, after which I woke up very refreshed (unlike before).
Before I knew it, I was up, happy, and feeling healthy again, enjoying going up and down the stairs without shortness of breath. With each new day, you’ll feel like a newer, healthier you.
Best of wishes.

Thank you Eva, I can picture that! One goal so I can see how I'm doing, stairs and breath

Best wishes for a successful surgery and a rapid and complete recovery.

Brief update, I'm back home from Cleveland Clinic. Surgery was Sept 4th. It was awful and it was great. More pain than I expected but all the professional people have been impressed with my recovery and home I'm doing. I walked 12 minutes this morning, will walk another this evening, could go further but I'm trying to pace myself.

I didn't end up getting the Ozaki procedure. I like that Dr. Unai does 4 types of valves, so he's not set on one. Dr. Unai got better scans of my bicuspid and it was a type zero I believe, type one being optimal for Ozaki, so no. He also had concerns about the area of the root. So Ross procedure was the first for review once he got in there, then bio, then mechanical.
When he did get in there the Ross did not look optimal, the root wall was thin and the shape andsome other things he said I'm fuzzy on.
He did a bentall procedure and replaced a large part of the root.

I did have a little fun with it, my friends came to the hospital dressed as cows.
I wore a shirt home I got saying "and....I'm back" with a flat line then heart beat signal

hostapasta said:

Brief update, I'm back home from Cleveland Clinic. Surgery was Sept 4th. It was awful and it was great. More pain than I expected but all the professional people have been impressed with my recovery and home I'm doing. I walked 12 minutes this morning, will walk another this evening, could go further but I'm trying to pace myself.

I didn't end up getting the Ozaki procedure. I like that Dr. Unai does 4 types of valves, so he's not set on one. Dr. Unai got better scans of my bicuspid and it was a type zero I believe, type one being optimal for Ozaki, so no. He also had concerns about the area of the root. So Ross procedure was the first for review once he got in there, then bio, then mechanical.
When he did get in there the Ross did not look optimal, the root wall was thin and the shape andsome other things he said I'm fuzzy on.
He did a bentall procedure and replaced a large part of the root.

I did have a little fun with it, my friends came to the hospital dressed as cows.
I wore a shirt home I got saying "and....I'm back" with a flat line then heart beat signal

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Welcome to the other side!

Please keep us posted on how your recovery comes along.

hostapasta said:

I wore a shirt home I got saying "and....I'm back" with a flat line then heart beat signal

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I got one of those also. It has a lot of meaning for me, but it also is a Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trigger for me. When I think about that flat line, I must take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, slowly release the air, and then I can continue on. Not much else triggers me, but that flat line does!

3mm said:

I got one of those also. It has a lot of meaning for me, but it also is a Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trigger for me. When I think about that flat line, I must take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, slowly release the air, and then I can continue on. Not much else triggers me, but that flat line does!

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That sounds like a really useful coping technique.

3mm said:

I got one of those also. It has a lot of meaning for me, but it also is a Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trigger for me. When I think about that flat line, I must take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, slowly release the air, and then I can continue on. Not much else triggers me, but that flat line does!

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that's very interesting - do you feel the shirt has helped you deal with it or is the trigger worse than not?

A friend sent me an article on Arnold S. and having his bi-cuspid replaced the same as mine. I smiled and said "hey, Arnold and I have the same pillow now!". He's gone through a few more surgeries, one of them didn't go well and he went back in quickly. I think that was at Mt. Sinai.
After this surgery his first words were "I'm back".
this article showed for me the first time, now it says I have to register, but here it is.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/celebritydiagnosis/89475

I must say, I didn't really believe the hype, but today 12 days after surgery I'll have walked 30+ minutes (2x a day). Only have to stop 1x each walk to catch my breathe. I'll be up to my pre-surgery walks of 45 minutes not too far away I think, probably the same cardio level. Should be up from there. So that was my mental 'do the surgery' reasoning. Pre-surgery I was already in a basically 'work out recovery' program, but getting worse, so after surgery I'm coming up on the same level, but should only get better.
How I mentally justified it which helped a lot.

hostapasta said:

do you feel the shirt has helped you deal with it or is the trigger worse than not?

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The shirt helps me train appropriate skills for handling this type of stress.

I'm glad to hear that. You're going the right way, not an easy journey...which is easy for other people to say, but we've all been on the road here or about to enter the ramp.