Got my date: June 17th

[TitanEddie]

That is the day I get my nice shiny new aortic valve and start fighting my way back. Kinda a bit of a relief to actually have a date.

 

[pellicle]

Best wishes for a smooth ride

 

[cldlhd]

I felt the same way although once I got within a few days it became a lot less abstract to my primate mind, I don't think we humans are wired to think down the road.
Here's hoping for a smooth op and an uneventful recovery.

 

[DachsieMom]

Yes, now that you have a date you can plan. I found that much better (although there is never enough time). Best wishes.

 

[TitanEddie]

They told me to reach out as far as first cousins. So that is what I did. Feel pretty good about things now. I'm sure or will get more surreal as I get closer. For now I can plan.

 

[Dodger Fan]

Good luck TitanEddie! What did you mean by reaching out to first cousins?

 

[Paleowoman]

Great you now have a date Eddie ! Plan for when you get home so everything is in place. Hope you have a smooth ride and recovery - we're all here for when you get out !

 

[epstns]

Good! Now that you have the date, and have a plan, you can relax and just ride it out. You'll hopefully begin now to feel the sense of calm I felt once all the stressful decisions and planning were done. All I had to do was be there (and of course, do the work of recovery, but by then you're on the mend).

Wishing you the smoothest ride you've ever had. We'll all be here after, to help keep you sane, too.

 

[TitanEddie]

Good luck TitanEddie! What did you mean by reaching out to first cousins?

Since bicuspid valve tends to be hereditary they told me that my immediate family needs to be monitored for it and to let aunts, uncles and first cousins be aware of it as well. Seemed a bit much but that is what they said.

 

[Duffey]

Best wishes going forward.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

Since bicuspid valve tends to be hereditary they told me that my immediate family needs to be monitored for it and to let aunts, uncles and first cousins be aware of it as well. Seemed a bit much but that is what they said.

this was always a question in my mind and I would say without much doubt was one of my driving factors in doing my degree in biochemistry. Back then 99.99999% of medical people barely grasped genes. Luckilly its different now.

some reading for you during your waiting period:

I'll paste in segments, but the entire article makes an interesting read

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/106/8/900.full

[h=1]Clinical and Pathophysiological Implications of a Bicuspid Aortic Valve[/h]
You are contacted by a concerned 34-year-old airline pilot with a leaky bicuspid aortic valve recently diagnosed by an echocardiogram that had been requested by his new employer as part of a routine medical assessment. He claims that he is perfectly healthy but is at risk of losing his job over his condition. He is concerned that his disease is hereditary and that his children may also be at risk. The patient, his attorney, and his insurance company have requested a statement from you as to the cause, possible complications, and treatment options associated with a congenital malformation of the aortic valve.

Chan and associates[SUP]5[/SUP] determined the rate of familial occurrence of BAV with the use of echocardiography to screen family members of affected individuals. Of the 30 families screened, 11 families (36.7%) had >1 first-degree relative with BAV. The high incidence of familial clustering is compatible with autosomal dominant inheritance with reduced penetrance.[SUP]5,6[/SUP]⇓Interestingly, males are affected 4:1. Echocardiographic screening of first-degree relatives is therefore warranted.

also:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23684596

[h=1]Hereditary patterns of bicuspid aortic valve in a hundred families.[/h] BACKGROUND:
To study the following characteristics of bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs): 1) the recurrence rate in our population, 2) patterns of hereditary transmission in different BAV morphologies and 3) the aortic dimensions of BAVs in first-degree relatives (FDRs).

100 cases with a BAV (46.8±15 years, 66% male, type 67% A, 32% B and 1% C; 42% with aortic dilatation), 348 First Degree Relativess (44.8% male), and 105 healthy control subjects (50% male).
We detected 16 BAVs among 348 First Degree Relatives.
he recurrence rates were 15% for families, 4.6% for FDRs, 7.05% in men and 2.60% in women.

so Its prudent to check

 

[cldlhd]

I agree it's wise to have close family members check, why not it can't hurt? My son is 8 years old now and he had an echo back when he was 3. When I was diagnosed with BAV last year we had them go back and check it and they said his valve is normal. That was reassuring but I still want him to get checked again when he's older and I wonder if his likelihood of aneurysm is higher than the norm anyway.