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I don't have much to add to the above, Jeff. I DID recently research the history of Johns Hopkin's first name, and it's his grandmother's maiden name, IIRC! I guess you know that the normal "rules of thumb" suggest mechanical valves for 32-year-olds, based on the short life expectancy of a...

Just got the "exit schedule" for my Cardio Rehab program. My class is graduating at the end of the month. For us Wednesday afternoon folks, that's Nov. 30, the day before my first "Valveversary"! I normally would have finished sooner, but I started a bit late, then I extended maybe a month or...

Dennis, your great photo reminded me that it's been a long time since I've seen a mule deer. I've made a few trips through the US West, but my western trips for the past few decades have mostly been ski trips, primarily to Whistler and secondarily to the Canadian Rockies around Banff. There are...

They told me all the extra shaving was for emergency access. I'm a big fan of blogs here, as you can tell from the long "Norm's progress" post (blog) around here somewhere. . . Suffering way more from minimally invasive surgery than from the big zipper job doesn't seem fair at all -- except...

They told me all the extra shaving was for emergency access. I'm a big fan of blogs here, as you can tell from the long "Norm's progress" post (blog) around here somewhere. . .

Thanks for the comments, all. Greg, I wish I could make all my v-ball opponents slow way down by running in slo-mo and making clicking noises like the $6m man did!

I've been updating "my blog" -- at http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?36952-Norm-s-Story-so-far-starting-with-recovery&p=505952&highlight=norm%27s#post505952 -- with news of my return to some pretty aggressive volleyball. So far, so good, and it feels great to be back! Thought...

Survived another session of beach volleyball (but no 2-on-2, just 4s), and an evening of court volleyball tonight (5-on-5). All good stuff, and great to be back! Here's a cardio report I recently posted at achillesblog.com: Last Tuesday, I went in for another stress cardiogram (at my cardio...

It seems like "Murphy was an optimist", since one of the more reliable symptoms of (the dreaded) Endocarditis is wide swings in temperature, like chills and fever -- not exactly what people are describing, but maybe close enough to be confusing. I'm just sayin'. . .

The PACs and the super-slow super-loud HR went away a month or so ago, after only maybe 3 weeks or so. Good riddance, I say! Played some volleyball (indoor beach) today, first time in 2 years! A hoot! The last game was 2-on-2 with three solid (20-something) players, and I wasn't voted off the...

Good Healing, Gary, and don't forget to steer AROUND the bumps!

I'd love to tell you that my whole outlook on life changed after my OHS.. . but no. I was hoping that the AVR would NOT affect my brain, my fave foods, etc., etc., and it didn't. I was back to work 2 or 3 days post-op, in the hospital, as soon as my BW brought me my laptop! (I'd been up 'til...

Offwego, I think there's a lot of positives to see here. Your denial-avoidance may not have even changed the date of your surgery, who knows? Either way, that's "bygones" and you'll get fixed soon. Either sternotomy/OHS or minimally invasive can be relatively painless and quick or a long...

Ya, what those folks said. I had itchiness -- ranging from "more than normal" to "holy cow" -- off and on for maybe 3-4 months post-op. Pretty long gone now at 10 months. AFAICT it just happened, and it just stopped happening, not associated with anything else or anything worrisome. My scar has...

Steve, the main issue about post-op vs. pre-op is the timing of when the lines cross. Going in with miserable symptoms (as you are NOT) has a disadvantage and an advantage. The disadvantage is that your end point may be worse. The advantage is that you'll feel better than pre-op sooner. For...

Not sure I've seen the "buyer's remorse" being very one-sided here, but maybe -- and we're hardly a random sample, since most of the happy customers fade away from the forum. . . I'd mostly say "+1" to the posts above, but I have a perspective that hasn't been mentioned yet: If either kind of...

I think there are probably a few things going on. Of course, the On-X is louder than your tissue AVR, or than either of your native valves. That may fade, and you'll also get more used to it. The other thing is that MANY of us have various forms of "heart beating out of my chest" post OHS/HVR...

Ya, come back, Al!

Mine stayed abnormally high for MONTHS -- not even counting an A-fib HR=150-ish ambulance ride back to the hospital a few weeks after discharge. My Cardio didn't find 100-ish RHR even worth mentioning in those first few months. I went off metoprolol (BB) at 3 months, which didn't seem to boost...

I think there are two different things going on, at least for me and probably most of us: #1, I think most of us, pre-op, have a bit of a bulge near the top of the sternum, not far from the top of the OHS/sternotomy incision. #2, Most cardio surgeons work to make the skin incision a bit shorter...