First time poster, had surgery March 28th, 2013

[Kevin Austin]

All:

Just wanted to say hi. I read this forum a bit before my aortic valve replacement surgery on March 28th (just over a week ago!) at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philly (our countries first hospital!), at the hands of Dr. Robert Farivar. Overall, I'm amazed at how good I feel so far - recovery is going well. I walked for about 20 minutes outside yesterday in two 10 minute periods.

Some more details, in case anyone is interested:
-I'm a 45 year old male, very healthy (although admittedly about 15lbs or so overweight pre-surgery - I'll fix that here in the next 6 months!) other than my bicuspid aortic valve and celiac disease.
-I had my valve cleaned out in 1981 at the age of 13 at Buffalo Children's Hospital in Buffalo, NY by Dr. Subramanian (sp?). At the time I was told it would be between 5 and 20 years before I had to have my valve replaced. Since it turned out to be 32 years, I can't complain at all about that time period.
-I chose a tissue valve - the idea and complexities of being on coumadin the rest of my life was really unappealing to me. Given how well recovery has gone in the last week, I'm confident I made the right decision for me in my circumstances, but as they say, your mileage may vary. I'm not looking forward to surgery again in another 10 years, but I'm sure I'll recover from it fine next time, too.
-I'm very, very fortunate to have a great support system. My wife has been a godsend over the last week, and I couldn't have asked anything more from her. My 15 and 12 year old daughters handled it as best as anyone could expect. My healthy 70 year old parents just left the house after helping out for more than a week. My brother and sister (both live out of state) were here for the surgery and the day after, which was great for both their help and support. One of the most important things for me was a long-time (high school) friend had this exact same surgery just last November, so I peppered him with lots of questions pre-surgery. Thanks, Paul, you helped a ton!

I definitely found this forum helpful before surgery, and would like to offer any help I can to anyone in a similar situation in the future. So, if you have any questions, please let me know! In the mean time, I'll continue my recovery, and lurk around here occasionally if I run into any unexpected problems in the future.

Best of luck to everyone reading this. Modern medicine is an amazing thing, and I'm living proof of that!

 

[Heart Of The Sunrise]

Walking is the secret. I am 18 days post-op. Pre-surgery I was walking 2 miles per day at the gym in 32 minutes.
I am now up to 2 miles a day already. I take 4 (20 minute) .5 mile walks per day. Now to slowing increase my pace.
Best of luck Kevin on a speedy recovery. You are so correct that modern medicine is amazing. I had nine hours of OHS. I not only had
an AVR but, had my entire ascending aorta arch reconstructed and I almost went home 4 days post op! Truly amazing.:angel:

 

[Duffey]

Hi, Kevin, and congratulations on a successful AVR! Your recovery seems to be going well, and your experience serves as a positive example to those still in the waiting room. Thanks for posting and please continue to drop in and update as you can.
Mary

 

[Rachel]

Kevin,

Great to hear about your successful surgery and smooth recovery! I was also 45 when I had my surgery and also went with the tissue value. I'm also happy with my decision knowing, like you said that "mileage will vary" - I'm a pretty happy girl.

Keep up the great work, and I hope you post here often!

Rachel

 

[escargome]

Hi Kevin,
While in my mid 50's I chose a bovine valve with the full knowledge that as you say "mileage will vary". At this point almost 5 years later I am still a happy camper and only have mild moments of wanting to stop when I pass a newly mown field.

 

[pem]

All:

Just wanted to say hi. I read this forum a bit before my aortic valve replacement surgery on March 28th (just over a week ago!) at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philly (our countries first hospital!), at the hands of Dr. Robert Farivar. Overall, I'm amazed at how good I feel so far - recovery is going well. I walked for about 20 minutes outside yesterday in two 10 minute periods.

Best of luck to everyone reading this. Modern medicine is an amazing thing, and I'm living proof of that!

Fantastic! So glad for the great outcome. Your tissue valve could last considerably longer than 10 years. Apparently they just keep getting better and better.

It is kind of exhilarating in a strange sort of way to simultaneously be recovering from the trauma of surgery to having an instantaneous improvement to your oxygen transport system!

I agree about the tremendous benefits of walking but also believe that moderation is key. For me, it was easy to get ahead of myself and at one point I think I overdid with the walking and set myself back a week or two. But consistency seems also to be key. So - walk everyday, even a few times a day as indicated by your physician, but don't overdo on speed or distance. Just my two cents on that.

Congrats and best wishes,
pem

 

[Jason]

Great to hear, Kevin, and hope your path on the road to recovery continues to be very uneventful.

 

[Superbob]

Welcome, Kevin, great to hear your story, and wishing you a continued smooth recovery.

 

[njean]

Hello Kevin and welcome to the forum. So glad to know that you are doing so well after your surgery and I wish you continued good health.

Yes cardiac surgery has come a very long way since old timers like myself had our first OHS.

Take care!

 

[Lucky]

Hi Kevin,
Really pleased to hear that your surgery and early recovery has been going so well.
Keep up the walking but also remember your body needs to rest as well.
As they say moderation in everything!

 

[iheart]

Kevin,

Many thanks for your post! So glad you had an uneventful surgery! It helps so much to hear stories like yours. My own surgery is scheduled for Thursday of next week and I'm going krazy with the wait. Keep up the walking & the positive attitude!

Ron

 

[Heather Anne]

Very inspiring story! I am new to the waiting room; surgery sometime in the next month. I'm happy to hear stories of quick recoveries because I want one for myself!!!!

 

[kimcdougc]

Kevin, Thanks for posting. You give us all positive hope! Hope your recovery keeps going smooth! Take care of yourself. Surgery for me on May 23rd. Waiting is the pitts!

 

[clumsydancer]

Hi Kevin,

Welcome. You had your surgery before I had mine. I'm 38 and had a hole in a leaflet in my tricuspid that made them think I was bicuspid. Eith way, they believe its a tissue disorder. Welcome aboard. I look forward to sharing stories sometime.

Nate

 

[BarbATS]

Hello, Kevin!

So happy for you that your recovery is humming along! I love your totally positive attitude; that will really carry you through whatever
life brings your way. With your nurturing family and friends as well as your resilience, you have a great network. Using this forum as
yet another piece of the puzzle is an intelligent decision. And isn't it great to give back in this way as you continue on your own journey!

All the best. Look forward to hearing from you along the way.

As a 67-year-old woman who had mitral valve repair at 41 and replacment with a mechanical valve at 55, I am happily living my life
with my ATS valve and, of course, on life-long warfarin sodium (generic Coumadin).
I started home monitoring about a year ago, no problems. I am happy for you, Kevin, that you made a choice that was a good fit for you.
When we are motivated and dedicated to keeping ourselves as healthy as possible, that it the best way to go forward after being
given that next chapter in our lives!

 

[Kevin Austin]

Thanks for all of the comments and support. I truly believe what BarbATS above says - positive attitude means so much in life, but especially when it comes to medical issues and recovery.

I'm still feeling great, at almost 4 weeks post-surgery. I slept in my own bed for a full night last night for the first time, which felt great. The next big milestone for me will be next week's one-month follow up with my surgeon, starting cardiac rehab the week after that, and hopefully being able to start driving soon! One thing about being the parents of a 15 year old and 12 year old - there's never a shortage of activities that we have to run them to! I'm sure my wife is eager to get back to splitting up that responsibility.