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Let's hear it for the heart moms! Lyn and Janet and all the others that keep a special eye out for worried moms of kids with valve problems. And Hank and Ross and Bob and Mary and... Everybody!

There is alot of talk in "migraine circles" about a migraine diet that addresses food triggers as the most potent causes for migraine. Johns Hopkins headache expert, David Bucholtz explains it in his book, Heal Your Headache. I've had great results, and so has my BAV son.

Emma, you have my heartfelt thoughts and prayers.

While I do accept that the evidence shows that pre-dental antibiotics are ineffective and unecessary, I'm having trouble with the logic of why this is so. Seems like when you have your teeth cleaned you get an exceptionally large amount of bacteria loosed into your bloodstream all at once...

For sure, if you have regurgitation you have to keep your blood volume high--our cardio says 10 glasses of water a day. When your heart is trying to get the necessary amount of blood out to the body, it is much more efficient with what he calls a "full tank." Also anyone taking a blood...

Hi--I just wanted to mention that I am on and off here at this site due to a very busy schedule, and the zeal in Al's posts drew my attention to the On-X, giving me very valuable information about it. It's now definately on our short list of "fixes" for when the time comes to choose. Thanks...

Excellent news! I really wish every family with the BAV situation could have a doctor like yours--informed and up-to-date, ready and able to perform the necessary tests without a fight. As time goes by, I'm sure more drs will be in the know and more families getting the tests they need. In...

We are indebted to you once again, Arlys. The statement, "BAV and TAA are independent manifestations of a single gene defect," backed up by the experience of 13 out of 13 families, was an eye-opener. My family could be one of those thirteen. I wonder if the drs will be aware of this paper...

Because of my older son's issues, we had both younger son and husband have a screening echo. To our surprise, both came back with asc. aortas larger than normal (especially husband's) which require followup. I'm a believer that more knowledge is better than less in a case like this. This is...

Hi Mike-- Because normal measures vary according to how big the child is, even within general age groups like the ones you mentioned, they calculate what is normal for a given child based on his/her BSA or Body Surface Area. I'm not sure what the formula is. They will generally make it a...

I'm sending prayers to both of your sons and to you. Don't forget how vital guys this age are--they will recover much quicker than you or I would! All the best.

Thanks for the great news. Keep up the good work Andrew! Hope the next post is from HOME.

I've been looking for this post and am so relieved and happy to see it. Justin went home on my birthday, 7/7/07 (someone called it the luckiest day of the century). This news is a lovely gift!

Our personal experience with ACE Inhibitors (Lisinopril)... Aorta dimensions have remained the same, unaffected by the medication. BUT LV growth, which had been on the rise, seems to be stabilized by it--no increase in size over the last year. In that way at least, it seems to be a very...

Hi and welcome to this site. We just found out three years ago that our son has AV-related heart problems--see our signature below. We had the exact experience you had with our first cardiologist--I found out about the dilated aorta and the extent of the enlargement of the heart only after I...

I've been checking up to see the results of your surgery... I was worried and then happy for your great outcome (minus the 2nd surgery and chickenpox), and now... I'm so sorry for your tragedy. Sending positive thoughts your way. You sound like a great person, and I'm sure you will be a...

Happy Belated Birthday, Harry! Hope this year brings you health and happiness--you deserve it!

Still with you Lyn and Justin, visualizing a successful surgery, a great recovery and then back to feeling great and enjoying life. Godspeed.

Here is a good one to look into closer to you--Dr. Hillel Laks at UCLA.

I know where you are coming from. It's a difficult position to be in. Here is our experience for what it is worth... Older son has the BAV and dilated aorta, dilated LV, so after much discussion and on the recommendation from the geneticist, we had husband and younger son screened (I had...