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Hey PGARG, you'll be in good hands with Dr. Gaudiani. I originally picked him when I had a false alarm five years ago. This time I went to see Dr. Castro first - they both work out of Sequoia Hospital. That seems like a good place too, even though I ended up going to Pennsylvania for my...

Hi Anne, I'm sorry you're frustrated with the pace of your recovery. I've read about your incredible weight-lifting feats (in my mind, anyway) and know you were very fit before surgery. This may not apply to you, but I'm wondering if you've been most focused on weight training during your...

Did you see any references to aortic valve testing? That has the highest pressure, so maybe they're trying those less likely to fail first. Another cool option would be if they can use the material to create a scaffold for growing a replacement cell from native tissue (stem cells).

Great news, Joel. I'm impressed you cared to post so soon! I didn't give a darn about anything for at least three days. :-)

My experience was like Paul - surprisingly aware. When I woke up, they had loose restraints around my wrists so I could only lift my hands about 4" off the bed. I was trying to gesture about the breathing tube but they couldn't understand me. Oh well - it was removed about 30 minutes later...

Congratulations, Dean. Good luck!

Here is some follow up info on TAVR procedures: http://www.dicardiology.com/article/tavr-80-percent-patients-samebetter-health-one-year-after-treatment The mortality rate looks rather high, but when they grouped patients with a similar risk profile together it was comparable with traditional...

It's great that you had a good experience. However, I don't think a sternotomy was that bad. The worst was having to sleep on my back for six weeks - aside from plenty of annoyances from the movement restrictions (one-handed hair washing, for one). Today is my 8-week "anniversary" and I can...

Joan, she had Hodgkin's so they probably need better access. How long did it take for your chest muscles to heal?

Just think of the stories you can make about being in a knife fight. ;-) I had three drainage tubes - two in middle and one under the right breast. That last one is keeping me from wearing "normal" bras and in soft sport bras. Mine didn't hurt when they came out, but the stitch holding each...

That sounds similar to: http://www.cormatrix.com/PatientInformation-26 I talked to a couple of surgeons about it - it looks like cool stuff. However, it isn't sturdy enough for leaflet repair - too much blood flow (movement) and pressure.

You're making all of the post-surgery patients jealous by walking around the floor with ease. :-) I remember getting wheeled up to the cardiac ward from CICU and this perfectly healthy-looking gentleman welcoming me. I saw him for a couple of days, wishing I could move that easily. It was...

I agree with the other guys; mention it to your doctor. However, when I was around 4 weeks post-op (just under 4 weeks ago) my heart would have a lot of palpitations whenever I would lay down. Sometimes it would go on for 20 minutes or more and it drove me nuts... or rather, scared me. I...

Hi Liz, I never had surgery before, but I think your prior one was probably more painful. I've seen people on here say knee surgery was more painful. My most sore spot lately is where the drainage tubes were, and I think that's because they pierced abdominal muscles to put them in. They don't...

I thought you'd find this interesting - it relates to clinical trials in the US. Frightening, but fortunately it affects only a small proportion of doctors. Even when you exclude the ones not fit to practice, I still find it problematic that a doctor doesn't have to be a specialist when...

Ah yes, the sneeze. For six weeks I would pinch my nose closed whenever I felt one coming on. I managed not to sneeze the whole time, thanks to the warnings I had seen here. You can't avoid coughing, so brace your sternum with your hand or pillow for that and it's not too bad.

Please take it easy until you're feeling better! No sense pushing hard training when you need your strength to fight off the pneumonia. :-)

What a nice story! Welcome back to a "normal life." That's how I've been referring to it since going back to work last week. In this case, normal is a relief.

It looks like we're the same age. Honestly, I think the waiting and worrying was worse than 95% of the recovery. The first week is tough - at least it was for me because I'd never been in a hospital before and it was kind of... unpleasant, I guess is how I would best describe it. The second...

This example is from a zebrafish, but this new method of "seeing" the heart is pretty cool. The article claims they can also see inside the beating heart -it's noninvasive. Click on the link to the press statement at the end if you want details...