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Just past my 10th anniversary with the CE bovine pericardial aortic valve. Have had no heart related issues during that time. I also have a homograft pulmonary valve that is coming up on 17 years in a couple of weeks. I was 43 when I received the homograft pulmonary valve (part of Ross...

Congrats on 10 years Steve! Your post just reminded me that I passed the 10 year mark (Feb 22). Here's hoping we both get another 10 years out of our bovines! 🍻

I've been enjoying the weather as well a bit north of you in central NC Bob. I believe it was the night before last we got down into the mid 40's. I didn't turn my central heat on but had my little portable tower set on 68* and I heard it kick on for a few minutes a couple times during the...

I'm the "fitness tracker black sheep" here it seems. Or maybe I'm just "frugal". Probably both. I use the MapMyWalk app on my phone for my walks. It tracks everything I want like distance, steps, duration and pace. I think it can also calculate calories burned but I haven't used that feature. It...

I was 50 when I had my 2nd surgery (1st was a Ross Procedure in 2004 but I developed an aneurysm which required my 2nd surgery in 2011). My surgeon was pretty neutral on the valve selection even though he was heading the clinical trials on TAVR at Duke at the time. He only gave me his...

What's the old real estate saying...location, location, location? I'm in central NC and the center of Isaias passed about 60mi to my east early Tuesday morning and I slept through the entire thing. Looking at the weather stats showed that the top sustained wind in my area was 15mph, the top gust...

I've had 2 valve surgeries (2004 & 2011), and ironically I had the same issues but in reverse. I had chronic issues with my sternum after my first surgery and my 2nd surgery was a breeze (relatively speaking). Like Warrick I finally had my wires removed about 8 months after my first surgery and...

I have one of those portable lithium batteries that can jump start a car (although I've never needed to use it for that). It also has a bright led light, usb port, and cigarette lighter adapter, so you could recharge the battery using your car in a pinch during a prolonged power outage. I've...

Glad to hear you are up and about already! After my first surgery I struggled with the ventilator but the drainage tubes were a breeze. After my second surgery the ventilator was a breeze but I struggled with the drainage tubes. I think the ventilator was more tolerable after my 2nd surgery...

Good point AZ Don. My first surgery was just the valve replacement and my second surgery was valve replacement plus aneurysm repair. My heart is definitely "louder" after the 2nd surgery than it was after the first and has persisted. After the first surgery it seemed to be more of a temporary...

I've started cooking more in the last few years since I started living alone. It's really come in handy during the pandemic as I've been able to really stretch out the times between grocery visits (thanks to a nice size freezer). I don't know if you watch YouTube much but there are tons of great...

It's perfectly normal to feel some anxiety beforehand, especially if you watch videos on it. :D Personally I was a basket case before my first surgery (not sure if my posts freaking out are still here on the site from 2004 when I first joined). I think a bit of apprehension is healthy, and...

The heart is enclosed in the pericardium (also known as the pericardial sac). one of its purposes is to limit the motion of the heart. When open heart valve surgery is performed the surgeon opens the pericardium to gain access to the heart. Some surgeons may stitch the pericardium back closed...

I'll 2nd what Protimenow suggested. Walk, walk, walk. I started off slow and just walked up and down my driveway at first so as not to stray too far from home. Then around the block, then twice around the block, and eventually around the neighborhood, adding a bit more distance as I felt...

Wow after making this post on Saturday I went back and read my posts from 2010 when I had the ablation. My memory of events was foggy to say the least. I was correct in what EVENTUALLY happened but completely forgot about what happened before that. I was initially admitted in May and they were...

I had atrial flutter in the summer of 2010. At the time my aortic root / ascending aorta was dilating at a pretty rapid clip and I had lifting restrictions that basically amounted to a no work order. I was constantly fatigued and my resting heart rate was in the 120 range all of the time so I...

I agree with the others that there is no need to choose your valve based on how active you plan on being. When I was 43 I wanted my cake and eat it too so to speak. I wanted a permanent (indefinite) fix without having to take anticoagulants so I chose a Ross Procedure. Unfortunately one of the...

Hi ShezaGirlie, I'm not from Austin (although I was born not too far from there) so I can't help with advice, just wanted to say hello from another old timer VR member and wish you well as you prepare for another OHS. Having had 2 myself I kind of know the feeling you must be going through...

But it involves getting stuck with a catheter, so it sounds legit to me. :)

Uh oh, I forgot about CT angiograms. Was a catheter involved? No catheter and not having to shave your groin may disqualify CT angiograms. :D Edit to add: Mentioning not having to shave your groin took me back to the cardiac cath I had when I was 11...they made the incision and inserted the...