Search results

An echo today showed my valve opening is down to 1.7 cm squared. It is barely 3.5 years old. Is this normal?

This is a difficult choice. I choose a tissue valve because of lifestyle issues and some experience with coumandin when I had some afib issues. A year ago, I was in a bad bicycle accident. The surgery to repair it was pretty messy and I was in a wheelchair for 8 weeks. I'm ok now, but it...

This is an interesting question. I think we get so many different opinions from different doctors because very few of them keep up on the latest developments in this field. I was 57 when I got my bovine valve, dacron hose and maze procedure. The surgeon seemed the most knowlegable. He told...

Interesting topic. If you aren't on Coumadin, is there any risk to heavy weight lifting? Not that I care to lift heavy weights, but the local (and not real well informed) cardiologists recommend against it. I have wondered what my BP does on my bike. Off the bike, at home, it is usually in...

Here's another vote for being as active as you can pre and post surgery! I was 57 at the time of surgery and bounced back quickly. My valve wasn't causing me any real symptoms, but they were worried about my aortic aneurism! The day before I reported for surgery, I rode my bike 16 miles...

Alex, welcome to the other side. My surgery was a bit over 2 years ago and I'll be 60 in about 6 weeks. I still play some basketball. The valve isn't an issue, but an old knee injury and an old back are! I ride a road bike now instead. 100+ miles a week isn't a problem. I don't notice...

Maybe never. It could be a new normal for you. My pre-surgery resting rate was in the mid 40's, and I was 57 years old and very healthy. A bit less than 2 years later, my resting HR is now in the high 50's. I am still very healthy and do things like ride my road bike more than 100 miles most...

Greg, I had the valve and aorta replaced, along with a maze. After 5 days in the hospital, I came home and had a "complication"--a fluid buildup around the heart akin to congestive heart failure. I was back in afib and they stuck me in the local hospital. It is a long story, but they gave me...

Stevo, the surgeon suggested to me that my heart's baselines might change after all they did to it. I ride a bike and no one has suggested that pushing my HR is an issue. Lifting heavy weights is bad, but apparently pushing your HR limits is okay. That valve just opens and closes on it's own...

Jeff, welcome back! I just turned 59, but I made the same decision you did. Coumadin was a problem for me. There are only 2 kinds of road bike riders: those who have crashed and those who are going to crash. I put in between 400 and 500 mile a month, pretty much year round here. Like you...

Jeff, sorry, I just saw this. I had a maze with AVR and aneurism repair, all in July, 2007. It went great for me, but I did have a bit of trouble finding a doc who had done all those procedures. John

This has been bugging me, too. My surgery was almost a year ago. My recovery has been great after a little bump in the road a week or so after surgery. I rode my road bike in a supported tour across the state of Geogia a couple of weeks ago. 442 miles in 7 days. The hills were tough on me...

Don't rush it, man. Before you know it, that surgery will be a distant memory. They told me to wait 8 weeks before getting bike on the bike. I waited exactly 8 weeks. Surgery was 11.5 months ago, so I got back on the bike about 9.5 months ago. Last week I did BRAG-The Bicycle Ride Across...

I had something similar happen the week I went home. Lots of fluid gain, couldn't breath laying down, and then I went into afib. My friendly family doc put me in the local hospital and they gave me something for the afib which caused my heart to stop for 3 or 4 seconds every half hour or so...

Your valve size is pretty good. I was doing 50+ mile bike rides when mine was down to 1.0cm. I think AHA reccomends aneurism repair at 5.0. The surgery isn't nearly as frightening as you might think. 10 months after surgery, I feel perfectly normal. Watch your BP, monitor the aneurism and...

I've been told 50 pounds by the local cardio. The surgeon said he wouldn't want to see me lifting over 85 or so on my upper body. I need to go read the other thread. I haven't been checking in here as much as I used to.

Debbi, you will be back in no time! They let me get on the bike at 8 weeks. At 6 months, I did a 65 mile ride. In a couple of weeks, less than a year after OHS, I'm riding across Georgia in an organized ride known as BRAG. Ride, log, repeat! John

They're all correct. Just get it done. Remember to keep exercising, if the docs allow it, as your recovery will be easier.

Fast Eddie lives! I haven't been around here either, for the same reasons as Eddie. My valve replacement, aneurism repair and maze procedure was on July 6, 2007. I'm doing a 150 mile MS ride in May, over 2 days, and then a week long ride across Georgia in June. It's funny, but I rarely think...

Doug, with the condition you are probably in, you'll be back quickly. I was 57 when I had surgery. The day before, I road my bike 14 or 15 miles. The day after surgery, I took a few tentative steps. At 6 weeks, I started some light gym work, just on my legs. At 8 weeks, I started riding...