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I went into A-flutter about 4 weeks after my surgery. It was discovered on my first day of rehab. I was put on Amiodarone for about a month to see if it would go back in rhythm. It did not and I went in for a TEE and cardioversion. The cardio thought there was a possible clot from the TEE...

Bovine valve in July 09. Office visits to cardiologist every 6 months and echos every 2 years. Just went on Friday and she said all looked well and EKG was fine. No echo.

Hi Jeff, I am 43 and Dr. Cameron did my AVR at Hopkins in July of 2009. Cannot say enough about him and he is obviously one of the best out there. I was very pleased with my stay at hopkins. I was in for 5 days and had no issues or real complaints (the food is not the best, but then again...

My heart was in really bad shape, so things moved relatively quickly. Called the surgeon the last week of May, setup an initial consultaion on 6/14. At the consultation, set a surgery date for 7/24, which later got moved to 7/27. Not lightning quick, but had my surgery at Johns Hopkins with...

Coaching my 10 year old's soccer practice and then maybe grilling some burgers.....

but it has been 1 year today since my surgery. Loving the cow valve and feel better than ever. For those waiting, it only gets better. For those on the other side, hope it only gets better.....

Judy, to echo what many have said already, I had very little pain or discomfort with any of the tube and wire removals. I was also very worried about this prior to my surgery, but it turned out to be a non-issue. With each removal, they gave me a heads up they would be doing it before hand...

Julie - I was kind of the same way with the Xanax. I had never taken anything like that before and was worried it would make me feel all loopy. But it didn't. As you said, it just takes the edge off and you don't find yourself stressing over everything.

I know it is hard, but as the time came closer for my surgery, I felt my tension easing and just looking forward to getting the surgery over with. I had 2 months from my diagnosis to surgery. Actually, my initial diagnosis was that my heart and valve were too damaged and that I would most...

My first memory after surgery was 2 nurses helping me sit up in bed. He said they were going to take my breathing tube out. It was about 5 hrs after surgery. He said I am going to count to 3 and then I want you to cough. I did and they pulled the tube out and I went right back to sleep. I...

My biggest fear coming out of surgery was sneezing - I tend to have a rather violent sneeze. Considering my incredibly lucky and painless recovery, this made me very nervous. I was able to go almost 6 1/2 weeks without sneezing. I remember my first sneeze was after I had gone back to work and...

Played softball for the first time since my surgery, which was las July. I have thrown quite a bit, but had not swung a bat for real since my surgery. I was really surprised, everything hurt but my chest. It actually felt good - when I was out there on the field, I forgot about my surgery and...

I am seeing Dr. Barbara Bean, who is out of the Annapolis office of Cardiology Associates and she is the Chief of Cardiology for Anne Arundel Medical Center. Not sure if that is too far for you. She has seen both myself and my mother through valve replacements. She has a fantastic personality...

Thanks Bina. I checked with her and she said it was OK to stop all three immediately. She has me scheduled to come back in 3 months, which is how long she said the Amiodarone would stay in my system, so she can make sure the a-flutter has not re-surfaced.

About 6 months out now and went to the Cardio on Friday. She said the heart sounded great and EKG showed a normal rhythm (had a cardioversion in October for A-flutter). Best thing was, she took me off three meds - Coumadin (I opted for a tissue valve), Amiodarone, and Ramipril. Given that one...

Hey BBB, I had my aortic valve replaced by Dr. Cameron @ Hopkins at the end of July. We decided a tissue valve would be best in my situation, but everyone is different and a lot of factors are involved. As far as Dr. Cameron and my treatment at Hopkins, it could not get much better. Dr...

Best of luck - I have no doubt you will do great. Waiting is the worst part. You and I are close in age and I found that my expectations were far worse that the experience. Recovery was no problem and I saw it as a chance to catch on movies/books. Let us know how you are doing as soon as you...

Jeanie, I have had two TEEs - one after my initial diagnosis and one after surgery for a-flutter. It really is not bad, except for the numbing. For the first one, they used the spray, which they told be was banana flavored. I have eaten a lot of bananas and never had one taste like that...

Sounds normal to me. First few weeks after surgery, my body thermostat was all over the place. I would be sweating one minute, then reaching for the blanket next. Just about froze my wife out of the house. And the nurses could not believe how cold I kept the hospital room. Much better now......

Tori, Welcome to the forum and feel free to ask away. Valve selection is a very personal decision and for every opinion you find on here, there will be an argument againt it. It comes down to what you are most comfortable with. While I cannot tell you how to decide, I can only give you my...