Ross Procedure in Dallas

[robertr]

Hello, I am currently scheduled to have AVR on 6/12/06. I am 46 years old and the closest thing to surgery I have had is for a broken arm at age 18. Anyway, I have chosen Dr. William Ryan in hopes of having a Ross procedure done. I believe he is well-qualified in this procedure and I have seen some good testaments to his abilities on this forum while reading this evening.

Can anyone else provide some feedback to me on their experience with the Ross and/or with Dr. Ryan as a surgeon? Yes I am very apprehensive and I'm not sure why - just the unknowns I suppose...? So far I have been very comfortable with Dr. Ryan and my Cardiologists (Dr. John Harper) guidance. I think I have made the right choices in Dr.'s but this is not a tonsilectomy (sp?). Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance!

-Robert

 

[tommy]

We have at least one other member that had a Ross procedure by Dr Ryan. Another has a consult with him coming up. My surgeon, Dr Mack, is in the same group Great choice IMO.

My AVR was at age 46 - 5 1/2 years ago. I'm suffering from a broken arm right now. You'll do fine.

 

[Lynlw]

Welcome, I don't have advice on the doctor, but thought it might help to know, my 18 YO son is the heart patient, (had his 4th OHS last May) a couple years ago he broke his arm and had to have surgery to put rods in and then take them out. he says the arm hurt alot more than his heart surgeries did. I think everyone is alittle nervous before surgery bith the patient and the loved ones, I think for the patient the time leading up to it is actually the worst part, all the unknown and what ifs. good Luck I'll keep you in my prayers. Lyn www.caringbridge.org/nj/justinw

 

[Christine]

I had my surgery when I lived in Dallas 4 years ago.. I too had Dr. Mack at Medical City.. don't know Dr. Ryan - but they're all good down there.. what hospital are having it done at?

Chris

 

[Makro]

Ross Procedure in Dallas

Robert,
Dr. Ryan did my Ross in 1998 at age 33. I felt pretty good with him as my surgeon and the only other option I even halfway considered was going to Cleveland. He was very good in explaining what is being done and the folks at Presby were great. It seems so far away now that I write about it. I am in the Raleigh, NC area now and last year, I had to have my second OHS to repair an aortic aneurism. This may have more to do with me being a bicuspid aortic valve patient than with Dr. Ryans performance. Dr Neal Kon, who is a personal friend of Dr. Ryan's, was able to save my AV autograft last summer, which I am very thankful for.
I believe I was Dr. Ryan's # 40 something Ross procedure, he must be way up there by now. He will give your phone number out to patients of his, so you can talk to them and ask your questions. Tell him I'm doing great, I'm pretty sure he'll remember me and my wife Dana, the one that asked so many questions.

don't hesitate to e-mail me if you have any other questions.

You'll be just fine!

Martin

 

[Phyllis]

Hi Robert,
No experience with the Ross or your doctor, but I just wanted to welcome you to the forum and let you know that I put you on our calendar for June 12th. I hope you stick around and gather all the information you can between now and then.

 

[robertr]

Thanks!

Thanks!

You guys are all great! I even have 2 phone numbers to call and discuss my situation. This is a very helpful forum. Whoever maintains this is providing a very kind and powerful service for those of us struggling with VR surgery decisions.

Thanks to you all and keep the feedback coming...

-Robert

 

[ARossGuy]

Hi Robert,
Dr. Ryan did my Ross in November 2004. In fact, I just saw him today for what was supposed to be my one year folllow-up....Ok, so was a little late...Anyway, I am very pleased with the results so far and know Dr. Ryan has many Rosses under his belt (he's probably done close to 200 by now). I know of at least four others in the DFW area that have gotten Rosses from Dr. Ryan. Dallas Presby is where I got my surgery and was pretty happy with the care I received. Of course I didn't like being woken up in the middle of the night to do O2 sats, temp, BP, and blood sugar, but thats par for the course at any hospital. Good Luck!
Doug

 

[gijanet]

Just wanted to welcome a neighbor.........

Just wanted to welcome a neighbor.........

to the group. So sorry you have to be here, but this is a great group. We will all be here to cheer you on, so please keep us posted. Many hugs. J.

 

[adamsmom]

Medical City?

Medical City?

Perhaps we will see you in June if you will be at the same hospital. My son, Adam, will have the Ross done on the 14th by Dr. Mendeloff. Your Dr. Ryan referred us to him as he does not do children. You did make an excellant choice with Dr. Ryan. I did my homework and he is one of the best qualified. Let me know if you will be @ Medical City and we'll look in on you.

 

[mmarshall]

dr. ryan is one of the best. he did my surgery about a year ago and i could not have found a better surgeon for my situation. the plan was to go in and have the ross done but due to my situation i ended up with his backup plan which is a tissue valve. i know there are several crazy things going through your head right now but now is the best time to just accept the surgery and know that everything will work out for the best (pre-surgery is the worst part of the whole ohs process). i was very pleased to know that dr. ryan did not try to force the ross once he got in there. he has enough experience to know what is best for his patient. i go see my cardio at medical city the first week of june and then will see dr. ryan the week after for my yearly follow up. shoot me an email or just let me know if you have any questions...which i am sure there are thousands of them...lol if you are still in the hospital when i go for my check up i can stop by if you need support or have questions.

adamsmom: dr. ryan usually works out of presby. of dallas but i know that the cardios at presby. of dallas also work out of medical city...which is what my cardio does...so i am sure that the surgeons do the the same thing as well. i actually had a couple of members here mention dr. ryan to me and then one of my cardio's techs mentioned dr. ryan as well. after seeing 3 surgeons, dr. ryan was the chosen one.

 

[robertr]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank You both (adamsmom & mmarshall) for the feedback. I will be at prsby 6/12. Please stop in and visit my wife if you are around - I am sure she will appreciate your visit as she found this forum for me and it has been an excellent resource and comfort to discuss OHS with others like yourselves - Thanks again!

-Robert

 

[barttr1]

How are you feeling Robert R?

How are you feeling Robert R?

Hello Robert,
I am a Ross patient of Dr. Ryan and just found your post today, July 3rd. I hope that the surgery went well and that you are recovering without incident. Probably you are quite surprised at how great you are feeling....

I'm a 40 year old healthy male. I had the procedure 6 months ago on January 10th. At this point, I hardly even think about the surgery and have resumed my life with hardly any considerations. I even went to Six Flags yesterday and rode every single coaster (although the Texas Giant I may have second thoughts about!!)

I thankfully have no plans to see Dr. Ryan until my 1-year follow up. He really did a fantastic job and put me at ease through the entire process. If I had seen your original post prior to your surgery, I would have given a glowing review of your choice of surgeon.

Please let me know how you are feeling.

-Bartt

 

[robertr]

Hello Bartt

Hello Bartt

I just now saw this post - 'Sorry I have not responded sooner... I am doing very well. I returned to work yesterday (only parttime) which was exactly 6 weeks post-op. I expect to return full-time on Monday 7/31. My experience has been very boring (in a good way ; ) ) so far, and hopefully that boredom will continue. I have been released by Dr. Ryan and my cardiologist and asked to come back in 1 year for a status check. Anyway, things are going very well and I am grateful to Dr. Ryan and my cardiologist for the boring experience. As far as "How am I feeling"? I really can't tell a huge difference as I was more or less asymptomatic before surgery. However, I have noticed improvements in my stamina while working out on an elyptical trainer since surgery. I hope this will become more obvious to me as my chest continues to heal and I can do more to test my stamina. Time will tell... The best thing is having it behind me now so I can focus on other more inspiring aspects of life rather than my medical woes.

Thanks!!

 

[StretchL]

No Ross for Rob?

No Ross for Rob?

RObert... .whahappened? You were going for the Ross and got a Medtronics... Do tell...

 

[robertr]

No Ross

No Ross

RObert... .whahappened? You were going for the Ross and got a Medtronics... Do tell...

1 week before my surgery we did a cardiac cath. The findings were that my Aortic Root was enlarged and my left ventrical walls were thickened. Based on that Dr. Ryan did not want to perform the Ross. He told me that the only times he had experienced issues with Ross patients were when conditions were not perfect. In my case they were not, thus the Medtronics. I respect him for doing the right thing for me and not forcing the issue based on my #1 choice. I had to settle for my #2 choice, but so far their have been zero complications. I am grateful for that...