New member to the site

[gijanet]

Hi, Jonesie!

Hi, Jonesie!

Just wanted to welcome you to the group! I know you must still be in a state of shock. (((hugs))) Believe me, I can relate! You do seem to be handling it well and are doing everything you need to, like researching your options and finding this group! I can't offer you much advice on valve choice as you will truly need to make that decision on your own, once you have thoroughly researched, but I do wish you peace with whatever choice you make. We will be here to support you, regardless!

Oh, and don't worry about that scar, for gosh sakes! It will be quite the conversation starter and you should wear it as a badge of honor. My daughter runs around topless all the time...........and bottomless, too, for that matter! 'course she is only five! But she is not the least bit ashamed of hers...........it's who she is, and I sure the Hell wouldn't trade her for any child with a flawless chest! They are so dull in comparison! Many hugs. Janet

 

[aussigal]

Hi KJ and WELCOME to our world...

At 24 you are quite young and will most likely find yourself amongst a few oldies everytime you go to one of your appointments regarding your new-found condition...It gets to be a novelty after a while! And being a youngster you get special treatment...

Its very hard to deal with all this at first but you soon get past that...we are all here to help you too. There is a ton of experience here for you to draw on.

I have recently had the same OP as you will be having and I had an extra one too ...My scar is quite obvious (its still new) I wear it as a badge of honour and courage...when I figure out "how" I will get a picture of it taken and posted. I am told it will fade with age.

 

[jonesie]

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. It is great to talk to people that have gone through similar experiences. I am so happy to have found this site! When I met with my surgeon, he told me that he will try to make the scar as small as possible. He has done my type of surgery for 25 years, so I am feeling pretty good about what to expect. Also, he said that my valve does not need to be replaced for a long time, so he will just repair it for now. Six more days...

On a good note - my sister was tested last week to see if she had a BAV and the echo results came back negative.

 

[BDMc]

Sounds Familiar

Sounds Familiar

KJ, I found out when going to doc because I thought I had Mono. He asked if I knew I had a murmur. I said I did but had been told it was probably nothing to be concerned about. He said I would need OHS at some point, and wanted me to see a cardiologist asap. I was in total shock. That was almost 22 years ago(7/?/84). Had the surgery that October. I'm still here, and in many ways life is better than ever! Hope you have my good fortune. Brian

 

[RandyL]

Wecome! Find a surgeon that specializes in minimal scars. I found one and my scar was only 3 1/2 inches long. I f they have a problem during surgery it can be lengthened but if al goes well it will be very small and hardly noticeable.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Welcome Jonesie !

It sounds like your doctors did all the right things and gave you EXCELLENT advice, i.e. take care of the problem before it gets worse.

You may want to look over the Valve Selection Forum and pick a Second Choice JUST IN CASE the repair can't be done or doesn't work.

My surgeon agreed to give me a Bovine Pericardial Tissue Valve BUT once he got in there, it became apparent that a mechanical valve was the better choice for ME.

With your youth, otherwise good health, and positive attitude, I'm sure you will do just fine. Feel free to ask any further questions that come to mind and to lean on us whenever you feel the need. As you've seen, you are NOT ALONE in this 'venture'.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[ClickTicker]

Hi all,

One final thing, very superficial I know, but what should I expect my scar to be like? Being a young female I am very apprehensive about it.

Thanks for listening!
KJ

I'm 16 years post op and just found this site yesterday. I was young (just shy of 18) when I had my valve replaced. My situation was different as I new about it my entire life and was threatened with surgery as early as 4 years old.

Being a male, the superficial concern over the scar isn't as great. I just brag about the knife fight and tell everyone they should see the other guy. One thing I can tell you is to watch out for weight gain. My scar's about a 1/4 inch wide. I'm not terribly heavy, but I was a teenage twig when I had the surgery done and have since grown into my height. Okay, so I could stand to drop another 20, but I'd still be 30 lbs heavier than the 6'4" and 170 I was when I checked out of the hospital.

 

[temp69]

Sweat not about scar

Sweat not about scar

I was nuts about a girl, took me months to even notice her scar, then I dug it. No worries.

 

[Karlynn]

The scar, from a distance, looks like cleavage!!!! Great for women, probably not preferable for men!

I always joked that I was going to get a long stemmed rose tattooed on my scar. I may have even done that if it was advisable w/ Coumadin and antibiotics. But since it's not a terrific idea, oh, well .

I've never worried about how my scar looked. It's my Purple Heart medal! It kind of says "You may think you're tough, but I'm tougher!"