Recent content by dlangton

Thank you. This is very good information and is much appreciated. Another OHS seems unlikely as the numbers are good and no regurgitation is occurring. My investigation begins with the question of what might be the significance of the cloudiness of the imaging. The echo results were reviewed by...

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Nothing I like better than another flareup of the tissue-vs-metal wars! Someone said that we've seen lots of folks on here who felt they'd been sold a valve that didn't live up to promises, but I've never seen that here, not even once. In my experience on this forum, everyone who goes through...

I can't remember the exact percentage of blood volume successfully pumped into the aorta from the left chamber (the percentage that is not regurgitated back into the atrium) that is the threshold indicator for valve surgery. I think it is 55%, but maybe someone can correct me. I had "severe...

From one David L to another, you can just enter "Medtronic Freestyle" in the Search doohickey upstairs here and you'll get three pages of hits. I am a big believer in Medtronic valves since I have the stented Mosaic porky-pig version myself, and it works real well and my cardiologist predicts...

Board Certification. maybe? I *think* that a "board-certified" doctor is one who is certified to have done everything designated by the "board" (whatever that is) to keep his knowledge up-to-date with new developments in his area of specialization.

pigs and cows 'n' stuff pigs and cows 'n' stuff I certainly understand your hesitation to get another tissue valve but nobody else is sticking up for them here so I'll just mention something that I'm sure you know already, which is that there has been a lot of development over the last decade...

Pessimism is Good Pessimism is Good Pessimism is a crucial strategy, without which human beings would probably not even exist. Dwelling on potential bad consequences helps to avoid experiencing them, and prepares one for dealing with them if they occur. Concerning open heart surgery, I...

Oink Oink I vote for porcine tissue. Pigs are friendlier.

Depression and, like, Mortality! Depression and, like, Mortality! Like I was telling my second wife, facing one's mortality, as one does tends to do with OHS, can be, like, metaphysical, with significant psycho-spiritual and philosphical aftereffects. I think it inevitably alters one's...

Concerning Diet Concerning Diet I don't know Carbs from Carburetors, but the Mediterranean Diet seems to be the most heart-healthy, with possible exception of far-eastern diet as advocated in "The China Study" (book). The latest research advocates the Mediterranean Diet. The article is...

choices... choices... At the age of 56 I went with porcine (pig) tissue, but only after a lot of research and also finding a surgeon who said that's what he'd do. Other doctors gave me the old standard advice to get a mechanical valve because tissue lasts only 5 years, but that is outdated...

BAV in NYC BAV in NYC I know nothing of the Ross Procedure except that Stretch had his done at Beth Israel and is likely to recommend his guy there. I did not consider the Ross option for my BAV because of the greater potential for things to go wrong during or after surgery simply due to the...

Bon courage Bon courage I had similar news delivered to me two years ago in September, also during followup for an emergency room visit for (in my case) having been bitten by a Lyme-bearing tick. They heard the loud rumor, gave me the tests and the diagnosis of bicupsid aortic valve with...

"me too" "me too" I have the same valve, implanted when I was exactly your age. My cardiologist thinks it will last 25 years, but as has been pointed out above there isn't a sound basis of supporting data yet. The operation was successful for me and even cleared up some lifelong issues that...