New member intro! Aorta replacement scheduled for Oct 9

[carolinemc]

It was your statement that the heart is placed on the chest during the surgery. And your only support for it was your friend being emotionally impressed from watching the surgery video. I'm just saying that neither the statement, nor the supporting reasoning make any sense to me.

Please feel free to correct, but a blank statement "not a misinterpretation" is not going to convince me of anything.

Anybody can make a wrong statement, btw. My post wasn't meant to be personal, and I wish you did not take it this way.

There was a person who had their surgery filmed and it was surgeons who stated and share this fact of the heart is placed on the chest during aortic valve surgery. It does make sense due to the fact of where the aortic valve is located in the heart region, that they do this to replace the aortic valve with a tissue aortic valve or a mechanical valve. Ask your surgeon or cardiologist and they can explain why this is done. Not wrong statement, just sharing fact. Be nicer to people when they are sharing surgical facts.

 

[Superman]

Fun fact, and completely unrelated to anything that may or may not have been discussed in this thread or elsewhere on the boards. Did you all know that as many as 25 million American adults cannot read above a third grade level? Incredible.

Anyway, sorry to read about your surgical misadventures @slipkid. Glad you’re here to tell us about them .

 

[Superman]

Good morning, all!

54yo male here, living with my fiancee, three step-kids, and a menagerie of animals (geese, chickens, cats, a dog, guinea pig, and fish!) in Dayton, OH.

I was diagnosed about eight years ago with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease and an Aortic Aneurysm. We've been keeping an eye on its growth over the years, and things have remained stable. But during my last visit with my cardiac surgeon, he let me know that the guidelines had changed recently and, as a result, the diameter of the aneurysm (which remained below the threshold) was now just above the threshold where they recommend replacement.

Went in for my heart cath last Tuesday and, other than the bum aorta, everything else looked good. No issues with high blood pressure or cholesterol or anything like that. We've scheduled the actual surgery for October 9.

Hoping to find some useful info and post-surgery stories from others here. Thanks for letting me join! And good luck to those on the same path (which I suppose must be most of you, else, why would you be here?)

Welcome! If you don’t have one already, get yourself a nice comfortable recliner chair for the main living area of your house. One that has a lever to recline, or even a power recliner. Makes recovery less unpleasant. I slept in one for a couple weeks. It was easier than laying flat and much easier than getting out of bed.

 

[V__]

Open chest surgery is accurate for a bypass or other surgery that doesn’t involve actually performing surgery inside the heart where a surgeon is removing, replacing or repairing a heart valve.

Thanks for your comment. Logically I think you are correct.

I guess I'm already used to "minimally invasive" surgery term being used as an alternative to OHS. Which is a bit confusing. But it would seem much more clear to contrast "minimally invasive" and "open chest" (full sternotomy).

For example, along your line of thinking, the minimally invasive method for valve surgeries would actually still be "open-heart" but not "open-chest".

 

[V__]

There was a person who had their surgery filmed and it was surgeons who stated and share this fact of the heart is placed on the chest during aortic valve surgery.

Thanks for the explanation. They way it looks to me, it's a double hearsay, rather than a fact. Surgeon(s) telling the person who told you. Which is 2 opportunities for the misinterpretations.

It does make sense due to the fact of where the aortic valve is located in the heart region, that they do this to replace the aortic valve with a tissue aortic valve or a mechanical valve.

As I already said earlier, the chest is already open. So the surgeon(s) have a direct access to the heart. Why do you think they need to move it "on the chest"? And which part of the split chest do they need to move it on, left or right?

Not wrong statement, just sharing fact.

Perhaps we need "to agree to disagree".

 

[Superman]

Not wrong statement, just sharing fact. Be nicer to people when they are sharing surgical facts.

Sharing an anecdote as you understood it is not the same thing as sharing a “fact”. Even if you were told that, you’re assuming the person that told you is correct.



There. A video of surgery. Now nobody needs to guess.

 

[DJ-Rae09]

Good luck with your surgery and recovery!

I'm just over a year since my AVR surgery with a mechanical aortic valve. Honestly nothing has changed apart from being a Cyborg now

For me, the first 3 weeks post OHS were the hardest. But once I got into week 4-5 and beyond things started to improve and by week 6 I felt pretty much back to normal.

Be patient with recovery and let it happen. Celebrate the small wins and try not to get to down, it's all temporary!

 

[pellicle]

Be nicer to people when they are sharing surgical facts.

may I ask, how was this person not nice enough?

 

[pellicle]

Be patient with recovery and let it happen. Celebrate the small wins and try not to get to down, it's all temporary!

seconded

 

[carolinemc]

may I ask, how was this person not nice enough?

If you cannot get the statement, you will never get it. Just be nice.

 

[carolinemc]

Sharing an anecdote as you understood it is not the same thing as sharing a “fact”. Even if you were told that, you’re assuming the person that told you is correct.



There. A video of surgery. Now nobody needs to guess.

It goes a lot farther back and my surgery was filmed or recorded. I was told corrected due to the fact someone' OPEN HEART SUGERY WAS FILMED AND THE HEART WAS LAID ON THE CHEST TO REMOVE THE AORTIC VALVE SO IT COULD BE REPLACED WITH THE MECHANICAL ONE. No lie. Bye.

 

[carolinemc]

Thanks for the explanation. They way it looks to me, it's a double hearsay, rather than a fact. Surgeon(s) telling the person who told you. Which is 2 opportunities for the misinterpretations.


As I already said earlier, the chest is already open. So the surgeon(s) have a direct access to the heart. Why do you think they need to move it "on the chest"? And which part of the split chest do they need to move it on, left or right?


Perhaps we need "to agree to disagree".

You did not understand. They place the heart so they can reach the aortic valve. That way they can replace it. They do not have room to get to the aortic valve unless it is taken out and place on the chest . Hope you asked your surgeon on how this is done, for education is better from the source. For the aortic valve is in the center part of the 4 chambers, center if you will. Hope you get educated from your surgeon. Bye.

 

[V__]

You did not understand.

They do not have room to get to the aortic valve unless it is taken out and place on the chest .

For the aortic valve is in the center part of the 4 chambers, center if you will.

I disagree with the 3 statements quoted above. However, there are no signs on converging on anything, including the suggestion "to agree to disagree". Hence I do not wish to pursue this discussion any further.

 

[pellicle]

If you cannot get the statement, you will never get it. Just be nice.

I am being nice, often I'm being nice and you angry face something. How can I avoid making you angry if you don't explain what "be nice" means or even what it was that wasn't nice and why you saw it as not nice.

Remember, I'm a foreigner.

 

[Superman]

I am being nice, often I'm being nice and you angry face something. How can I avoid making you angry if you don't explain what "be nice" means or even what it was that wasn't nice and why you saw it as not nice.

Remember, I'm a foreigner.

Be nice means agree with everything I say or don’t respond to me at all.

 

[pellicle]

Be nice means

thanks, that's clear

I suspect I'm not going to be able to accommodate that.

 

[ckeogh]

There. A video of surgery. Now nobody needs to guess

Well I was having a lovely Sunday until I watched this .

It's crazy to see. The people who do these surgeries are unbelievable. It's hard to believe they do something like this and then just head home at the end of the day like the rest of us.

Amazing people

 

[V__]

Remember, I'm a foreigner.

And I cannot resist: .

 

[enkaynj]

Good morning, all!

54yo male here, living with my fiancee, three step-kids, and a menagerie of animals (geese, chickens, cats, a dog, guinea pig, and fish!) in Dayton, OH.

I was diagnosed about eight years ago with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease and an Aortic Aneurysm. We've been keeping an eye on its growth over the years, and things have remained stable. But during my last visit with my cardiac surgeon, he let me know that the guidelines had changed recently and, as a result, the diameter of the aneurysm (which remained below the threshold) was now just above the threshold where they recommend replacement.

Went in for my heart cath last Tuesday and, other than the bum aorta, everything else looked good. No issues with high blood pressure or cholesterol or anything like that. We've scheduled the actual surgery for October 9.

Hoping to find some useful info and post-surgery stories from others here. Thanks for letting me join! And good luck to those on the same path (which I suppose must be most of you, else, why would you be here?)

Good luck Tekmagika. When you are in recovery and coming out of sedation you may feel as if you got hit by a Mack truck. Be prepared for it if you do. They gave me a bunch of ice chips to chew on which seemed to help. Not sure if everyone goes through this experience. I was warned by my surgeon that I would experience this feeling and sure enough I did but was prepared for it.

 

[Gail in Ca]

Interesting. So many different experiences with the same surgery!
I never felt that Mach truck issue. I have awakened for 3 surgeries about the same.
I become aware that I’m awake, that it’s over and I survived. I feel very peaceful and then realize I have a nurse sitting with me. It’s kind of surreal waking up. I can’t get enough ice chips when I am fully awake and so thirsty! They cut me off because I want too many ice chips!