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Hi, I had to have AVR during high school when I was a tennis player. I had surgery in September of 2000 and played that very next spring during my senior year. I went on to play two years in college until, coincidentally, an aneurysm of my aortic root sidelined me. I just got that fixed in...

Definitely agree with you on "what a wonderful world" geebee

Three that I can think of off the top of my head: 1. Kanye West's "Family Business" -- I listened to this song almost constantly for about a month during a rough time in my life. Whenever I hear it now I remember to endure and that I can overcome most anything. 2. Counting Crows' "Long...

Hi Cort, Just wanted to say I was happy you stuck Rob Morrow on there. Northern Exposure remains to this day my favorite show of all time. I own the first five seasons on DVD and have already ordered the sixth and final season for when it comes out in March! Morrow left midway through the sixth...

Hi Bill, Arlyss gave a good description of a 'pseduo' or 'false' aneurysm. As she stated they have a high tendency for dissection and are thus treated very agressively in most instances. I believe they are most often found in patients who have had an AVR with a homograft and also somehwhat...

Jared, Definitely don't go with the surgeon if you don't feel comfortable around him. Our instincts are usually correct. You need to be at ease at the time of your surgery. Good luck finding a more compatible surgeon. Brad

To me this raises an interesting question of what would be considered to be a serious bleeding event. I imagine it depends on the definitions given by those conducting the study...furthermore, do they only record serious bleeds directly related to coumadin usage? We must remember that the...

Interesting point Susan. Perhaps it is possible, but I bet the long term use of coumadin does not increase the likelihood of getting a stroke or a bleed. I don't think it is a process that occurs over time, I tend to think that it is an event that happens in a quick time. However, you make a...

I thought of another good example. In vegas, if the roulette ball falls on red quite a few times in a row (4 or more) you see people start throwing money at black. They mistakenly believe that the history of where the ball has landed effects where it will next fall. They think it more likely to...

That is exactly correct Susan. If the chance was 3% they would win the lottery the first year, regardless of whether they won the lottery or not it would be a 3% chance the next year. This is the case with discrete events that either occur or don't occur in a finite amount of time. If your...

Hi Stretch, Correct me if I am wrong but pulmonary valves have been replaced by catheter only on a trial basis and only in certain cases. Even if this does become commonplace in the future (of which there is no guarantee) I think the cause of the pulmonic valve failure would be a major factor...

Hi Jared, I cannot stress that when risk for ACT complications is given on a "per annum" basis it is not to be taken as cumulative. This is true of any statistic which is laid out as "the risk per patient year is X%". This is a quite basic principle in all biological sciences, especially...

Hi Lee and Jared, BAV, enlarged aortic root, and a primary diagnosis of regurgitation are all contraindications for the Ross Procedure from what I know. At this point, in my opinion it would be like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I stand by my belief that it would be an unwise...

Me too! Me too! Hi Jared, I can relate to your situation. I had a Ross Procedure to replace my regurgitating bicuspid aortic valve when I was 17 and then had a reoperation to replace the failed neo-aortic valve in December at the age of 23. Valve choice is always difficult, but in someone...

Hi, I had 2 open heart surgeries that were a little more than 6 years apart (first when I was 17, second when I was 23). Lyn is correct in her optimism. Due to vastly improved survivorship for CHD patients multiple surgeries are becoming fairly commonplace. Scar tissue can be an issue, but...

Hey, I think it all just depends on how well your body takes the surgery, some just seem to bound back quicker than others. I was doing some work from home by 2 1/2 weeks post-op and was back at work full time 4 1/2 weeks. 1 week is simply not possible. I'm two months and a day now and feel...

I know a lot of people on lipitor who have had no problems at all with it. Of course there are some who have had adverse reactions as is this case with any drug. On this site, it seems to have gotten a bad reputation because of side effects and over-prescription. Undoubtedly, both of these...

Dr. David is one of the better known valve surgeons in the world. I think he has a reputation for being very innovative and successful. You had the best man for the job Wayne.

Hi Carol, I had my surgery on a Thursday. I was discharged Tuesday morning and was on a plane back home Wednesday (6 days post-op). I decided to spend one night in the hotel just to get up some energy for the flight, but they said that I was ready for travel after they dismissed me. I think...

As you can see in my signature I also had my recent surgery done by Dr. Dearani at Mayo. There is no one who I would trust more to do a complex procedure like yours than Dearani. He really is the best. My old cardiologist in Tampa said he thought that Dearani was the best heart valve surgeon in...