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Nancy, that's a scary thought. His office said Friday is a good day because the ICU is always fully staffed on the weekends. They didn't get back to me today after I told them July 6 was good. I may bring that up with them. Does anyone else have thoughts on that? Thanks.

Hey. Welcome back. It's 2:30 PM Tuesday and your surgery is over! Congrats and let us know how it went. John

I saw a demonstration of the Da Vinci system at a local hospital here. It is very impressive. However, I agree you want someone with a lot more experience.

The surgeon's lady, Diane, thinks going on the plane will be a non-issue. She said going to the lake would be a good thing for me and my wife--she says my wife will really need the break and it will help keep me from going stir crazy. I guess I could cancel the trip and let my wife and 16 year...

It is now looking like July 6. The date will be confirmed tomorrow! As apprehensive as I am, it is a relief to have something finalized. Pre-op will be on the 5th, so, if things go right, I'll have a nice little 20 to 30 mile bike ride the morning of the 5th, drive the 4 hours to Shands and...

Either July 9 or the week of July 23. I get to pick. Actually, my wife and I get to pick. Part of me says earlier and part of me says later. I'm 57. They recommend, and I agree, one of the 3d generation pig valves. I also have to get my ascending aorta replaced and they are going to do a...

Endurance athletes do have larger hearts. Could your weight gain be because you are subconsciously running less or not as hard as a result of your heart not working as effeciently as it used to? Are your training runs about the same length and time? If your times and distances haven't...

Excellent news. Hopefully, its all down hill now! As much as I dread the surgery, I really look forward to being able to have it behind me. Your Dad is blessed everything went so well.

5 to 5.5 is what I have read is the critical point. I'm at 5 and working on scheduling my surgery to replace the ascending aorta and my bicuspid aortic valve. My valve is down to 1 cm. I have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, I suspect you need the surgery now, not later. I would get a...

Coach, you have to decide. I'm 57 and extremely active. My valve is down to 1cm. My aorta was recently measured at 5 cm. The 5 cm aorta pretty much stopped me in my tracks. If I were sedentary, which I am not, I have about a 5% chance of dying from my aorta in the next year. You have...

Cathy, afib is nothing compared to what you've been through! I consider myself lucky to have had an afib problem because it resulted in them finding my bicuspid aortic valve and dilated ascending aorta! Without afib, I might have ended up being one of those relatively healthy not too old buys...

BM, I'm 57. The surgeon tells me there will be no restrictions on my activities except no "heavy, heavy" weights. Basketball, running, biking, are apparently all fine. They are doing my valve, root and ascending aorta. This is my first surgery, but it might not be my last, depending on how...

Niki, thank you for sharing that with us. It helped me tremendously because I feel that same way lately. You've had a lot more issues than have I. Right now, I'm 57, which I gather is considerably older than you, and I have a bicuspid aortic valve and a dilated ascending aorta and some...

BM, difficult issues indeed. I have a bicuspid AV and my ascending aorta is now 5.0 cm. We are working on scheduling surgery this summer. I stopped playing basketball immediately when I looked at the risk factor. Its something I've done all my life and I miss hanging out with the guys. But...

He'll get another prayer in a few minutes. Hang in there, it sounds like things are looking up!

See you on the other side, Eddie! Make sure somebody keeps your bike ready! Good luck, man, and by the time you see this, you'll be well on your way to recovery.

Jason, you might have to do some research on your own. Everyone's max HR varies tremendously. The meds you are taking probably lower yours. I'm a 57 year old road biker, used to run a lot and always played basketball. My AV is going to be replaced fairly soon, but is still working at 1cm...

I didn't ask about Alachua general yet, but will. It might not be on the insurance we have. Shands impressed my wife and I with it's efficiency. The surgeon was talking about "1, 1 and 1" as a guideline. 1 day in ICU, 1 week in the hospital and 1 month at home. We'll see. Eddie, good luck...

Great article! With an AAA at 5 cm, and a bicuspid aortic vavle at 1cm, it seems to me like the AAA is the more critical issue. I don't the mortality rate from "elective" AAA surgery (<5cm) is very high. Ross's blew at 4.8, so there are probably a lot of individual variations going on. A...

I've given up on the week long bike trip. It isn't worth it in the long or short run. And, I will take it easy on myself while they're getting the scheduling worked out. Lynn, they can't do minimallly invasive or at least prefer not to. The valve has to be replaced, the aorta has to be...