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Had my first post-op checkup last week and the cardio/surgeon team were really happy with my porgression. All incisions are healing great, left ventricle ejection fraction is back to normal, and pulmonary valve isn't leaking much at all. Next check-up is in a year. I'm feeling better and will be...

Thanks for the support. I'm about 3.5 weeks post op now and already feeling much better than I did in the months preceding the operation. I'm slowly regaining the strength and fitness I previously had and generally just trying to best utilize the time I have off from work to focus on my physical...

I survived it and am doing well given the circumstances. Surgery ended up being pretty difficult due to scar tissue from previous surgeries and because my homograft was so calcified. And the calcified aortic valve was stuck to my pulmonary homograft from my ross procedure. Surgeon says it was...

John - sounds like we're going to be having the exact same surgery a little more than a month apart. Good luck! My doc told me the same thing about one of the novel oral anti-coags (NOAC) that has already been approved for afib going into a large clinical trial for mechanical heart valves. The...

Andrew - encouraging to hear that #3 was no harder than #2. I experienced the same thing in that my second was an easier recovery than my first - fingers crossed that trend continues. I've also managed to stay in shape so hope that helps me through recovery.

Hi All, The site tells me I haven't actually logged on in nearly a decade! Been fun reading and catching up with familiar names. Quick update on me: finished my PhD at Notre Dame and took a job as a professor and moved to Southern California in 2011. Was happy there, but was unexpectedly...

Hi Mk, I just wanted to say that I have had two OHSs and will undoubtedly have a third (unless I'm hit by a bus or something before then) and the second was easier than the first, believe it or not. The really good surgeons at Mayo or Cleveland Clinic are so skilled at reoperations these days...

Oh, I felt it... Oh, I felt it... I live in South Bend, IN. I have lived in the Florida or the Midwest my entire life and have never experienced an earthquake. I was asleep and awoke suddenly and was scared to death. I thought my heart was pounding so hard that it was making the bed shake...

Rachel is correct "bicuspid" valves cannot be acquired. You are either born with three, two, or one cusp. It is likely that the previous echoes missed the fact that you had a bicuspid whereas they are notoriously difficult to detect via echo. The only way I could possible imagine acquiring a...

There is strong evidence of a link between respiratory chlamydia infection and heart disease. However, scientific understanding of this link remains quite poor. The fact that there is a respiratory form of chlamydia was only discovered relatively recently (20 years or so) and while research is...

Hi, I had my second aortic valve surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I was in the hospital for five days and then in the hotel for one night. The next day I flew 'home' to Tampa. I put home in parentheses because it is not where I lived, but where my parents live. They took...

I was 17 years old when I had the Ross. Brad

In reply to Ross, I know of a lot of people in there 20s who have gotten a tissue valve. It happens. A lot of them don't post on here because everyone implies that they made the wrong decision and it isn't worth the hassle of having to "revisit" their decision every time they post. I've had...

Hey, Have been in a situation similar to yours twice (surgeries at 17 and 24). I completely understand your preference for a tissue valve. Have you looked into the Ross Procedure? It could be something you are interested in. It didn't work out for me, but it has worked out for 15+ years for...

I almost decided to go with him for my second surgery. He seems very intelligent and I think he takes on very complex cases. He reviewed my records within a couple of weeks after I sent them to him. I would have had my surgery with him but it was easier logistically for me to go to the Mayo Clinic.

Hi, I would recommend the Mayo Clinic. I had my reoperation there and am planning on going back there for my third surgery whenever that time comes. My surgeon was Dr. Dearani. I have nothing but good things to say about him. It is a world class institute with many excellent heart surgeons...

I got an aortic homograft 14 months ago at the Mayo Clinic. From what I understand they aren't used very frequently anymore. Most often when a tissue valve is used, an bovine/procine valve is preferred particularly in older patients where good durability has been demonstrated. However, my...

Hi, I have had quite a few TEEs. If I remember correctly, it stands for trans-esophageal echocardiogram. Basically, it is similar to the echo that you would normally get where they would look from the outside of your chest in at your heart valves, except that this time they are looking from...

If you do go ahead and start having scans regularly I would recommend MRIs. Exposing yourself to the amount of radiation given off by a CT scan once every couple years does not seem like a good idea. Best, Brad

I have had at least three heart caths that I can remember and i was put under general anesthesia for everyone of them. I don't remember even discussing any alternative with the doctors. This was just what they did. Maybe it was because I was a pediatric patient? Brad