donaud
New member
Hi everyone,
I've been reading your posts for months but finally decided I should jump in and offer our deep appreciation. All of your educated words of wisdom and advice as well as your personal stories, both the trials and triumphs, have helped my husband and I better manage the madness surrounding his congenital heart disease. He's 37 years old with a BAV and aortic root measuring 5.1cm.
My hubby's story: In 1994, Don's BAV was discovered during his entry medical exam into the USMC. At the time, an echo confirmed the BAV with an enlarged aortic root measuring 4.5cm. Given the school of thought at the time showcasing 6.0cm as the surgical target, he was given full clearance...i.e. absolutely no cause for any alarm or concern. As we were expecting our 1st baby in 2005, we decided to look into this 'murmur' he remembered them discovering. His root measured 4.8 and we continued to track its growth every 6 months with a MRI or Echo. In December 2010, we visited the Cleveland Clinic for a full work-up with Svensson's team where his root measured 5.1cm. After originally planning surgery for last month at CC, we switched to John Hopkins after seeking a 2nd opinion with Dr. Duke Cameron. We felt confident that both Svensson and Cameron could perform the surgery successfully, but the proximity of Hopkins (we live in Alexandria, VA, and have three little kids (5, 4, & 2)) and our rapport with Dr. Cameron helped steer our decision locally.
Surgery is this Monday, March 14th. Hoping Don's valve looks functional enough to keep with the plan for 'Valve Sparing Aortic Root Replacement' surgery. He had another Echo at pre-op appointments this past Monday, so we are waiting to see if there is any more indication of how the valve looks and is functioning. We have already made the decision to go with a tissue valve if need be. Dr. Cameron recommends the bovine valve to be superior, so now I'm off to research this topic as well.
Thanks again to all of you for the informative posts and for helping to inspire our positivity throughout this challenging time.
Cheers,
Audra
I've been reading your posts for months but finally decided I should jump in and offer our deep appreciation. All of your educated words of wisdom and advice as well as your personal stories, both the trials and triumphs, have helped my husband and I better manage the madness surrounding his congenital heart disease. He's 37 years old with a BAV and aortic root measuring 5.1cm.
My hubby's story: In 1994, Don's BAV was discovered during his entry medical exam into the USMC. At the time, an echo confirmed the BAV with an enlarged aortic root measuring 4.5cm. Given the school of thought at the time showcasing 6.0cm as the surgical target, he was given full clearance...i.e. absolutely no cause for any alarm or concern. As we were expecting our 1st baby in 2005, we decided to look into this 'murmur' he remembered them discovering. His root measured 4.8 and we continued to track its growth every 6 months with a MRI or Echo. In December 2010, we visited the Cleveland Clinic for a full work-up with Svensson's team where his root measured 5.1cm. After originally planning surgery for last month at CC, we switched to John Hopkins after seeking a 2nd opinion with Dr. Duke Cameron. We felt confident that both Svensson and Cameron could perform the surgery successfully, but the proximity of Hopkins (we live in Alexandria, VA, and have three little kids (5, 4, & 2)) and our rapport with Dr. Cameron helped steer our decision locally.
Surgery is this Monday, March 14th. Hoping Don's valve looks functional enough to keep with the plan for 'Valve Sparing Aortic Root Replacement' surgery. He had another Echo at pre-op appointments this past Monday, so we are waiting to see if there is any more indication of how the valve looks and is functioning. We have already made the decision to go with a tissue valve if need be. Dr. Cameron recommends the bovine valve to be superior, so now I'm off to research this topic as well.
Thanks again to all of you for the informative posts and for helping to inspire our positivity throughout this challenging time.
Cheers,
Audra
