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You are making the right choice. You have to get the aneurysm fixed and as young as you are and with several surgeries behind you the mechanical valve makes the most sense (to me). I still have my BAV but have read enough stories from those on this site with mechanical valves not to be worried...

When you would if you hadn't had surgery. Proper dental hygiene is the best way to reduce the risk of endocarditis. Although prophylactic antibiotics are no longer generally recommended for most, some take them anyways. You can always rinse with listerine prior to the appointment, to kill...

2nd opinions can be very helpful. After having my well functioning BAV spared during surgery for my aneurysm a couple years ago, my valve started leaking. The numbers on the echo changed pretty dramatically by the 2nd year and I was starting to think a 2nd surgery was around the corner. My...

No symptoms of pumphead for me though I also had some minor visual issues occasionally over the past (almost) 3 years. After OHS, generally you have to wait at least 6 weeks to be able to drive or lift over 5-10 lbs, 2-3 months to start working out and maybe 6 months to a year to get back to...

Glad to hear that you got good news.

Here's a good free site: http://www.healthgrades.com/ A good free site with info on hospitals: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings And a good low cost site that identifies top Dr's by specialty: http://www.castleconnolly.com/doctors/ While recommendations can be helpful, often...

2nd opinion is a good idea. No reason you can't go to a surgeon for a 2nd opinion. Before my surgery, I went to a surgeon 1st and only went to a Cardiologist after for a 2nd opinion. Now I'm under the care of a Cardiologist and I thought he was being conservative so I went to a surgeon for a...

Wow. You are very lucky. Hope the rest of your recovery is much less exciting.

I couldn't sleep flat for over a month. I used a recliner. Also, I found that the beta blocker (metoprolol) can cause insomnia - it caused me some restless nights. I learned to never take it shortly before trying to sleep.

Your Dr's can advise you better than we can, but you need to tell them about symptoms. Syncope can be a symptom of of severe AS, and so I assume presyncope may be as well. Symptoms are generally an indication for surgery. FWIW, I tried to figure out my numbers, and I felt that the Dr. was...

Before making, or accepting a decision affecting your career it would be good to understand your options clearly. I think it might be worthwhile to consult a lawyer either through the union or on your own, as long as you can find someone trust worthy and not looking to drag you into a fight for...

1. I think that the risk of exercise to those with an aneurysm is related not only to the intensity of the exercise but to the size of the aneurysm and whether there are any other factors (eg. marfans). I was lucky in that my aneurysm was not discovered until it already met the surgical...

Yes, thanks!

FYI, Just wanted to post a follow-up after meeting with a surgeon today. He said virtually the same thing as my Cardiologist: my heart is functioning better than the echo numbers imply. I'm not a candidate for surgery now and he even said that surgery is not inevitable. In the past I made a...

Typically, you can't drive for 6 weeks after surgery, and you can't carry anything but the lightest luggage, but you can ride as a passenger when you leave the hospital. Many people fly home just days after leaving the hospital. I think the typical scenario is to stay nearby for a few days after...

United health Care paid for my ohs. Doesn't make sense. Make sure your diagnosis is clearly documented and keep calling and escalating until they pay. They used to deny stuff for no reason but when we followed up they always paid.

Promising news for the potential to develop new antibiotics. Thanks for sharing.

I think my Mom came by the first couple days but my wife never took off from her part time job. I was getting around well when I came home but it is different for everyone and your health going into surgery is definitely a factor.

I agree with this completely. As I understand it, the intent of the guidelines is to recommend surgery only when the risk of surgery is less than the risk of dissection over 1 year. So then if the wait is more than one year the risk of dissection is greater, and after that there is still the...

FWIW, none of my immediate family (3 children, sister, parents) had it - they were all checked. No reports of it in my extended family (cousins, Aunt, Uncle) either. While it can be inherited genetically, it can also be spontaneous.