Recent content by elirn

I would seriously suggest altering your training regimen. I was diagnosed with a BAV in my early twenties also and continued weightlifting and living a normal life. There is enormous strain on your aorta when lifting heavy at low reps. This pressure can lead to a rupture - I.e. Jon Pall...

@Paleogirl: I wouldn't have needed surgery if I hadn't injured my aorta. The tear in my aorta dilated to the point that my valve was no longer effective and I had a nice pericardial tamponade. I know exactly when the injury happened and I continued to play hockey for an hour. Then I stayed home...

I was just curious who else on the forum had emergency surgery for their BAV. I had my first surgery when I dissected my ascending aorta after being body checked playing hockey. As a result, I had a AVR and my ascending aorta replaced. It's disappointing because I was never sick or limited by...

I also experienced this phenomena after my first OHS. It was so bad that I couldn't even read my cell phone! It has passed now, but is disconcerting at the time. I spoke to a perfusionist that said this was fairly common. All the best

Thanks. I will need to reset my target at one year to be "normal" again. It's been tough because I stayed in shape to prevent OHS and was injured playing hockey. Suddenly stopping activity has been brutal on me and I agree some of my friends are jerks. I did begin cardiac rehab after the first...

Thanks everyone. I am 34 years old and was always playing sports or training. The injury I suffered to my aorta playing hockey was brutal and I was starting to feel better after 2 months post emergency surgery, but I developed a leak and needed another surgery. Now I am starting over again and...

Surgery for a carotid endarterectomy is very different from OHS. There is no relationship between your aortic valve replacement and the blocked carotid other than the fact that vascular disease is not an isolated process (your whole vascular system is effected everywhere). Anatomically the...

How long did it take you to move normally and feel ok after surgery? I had my initial emergency surgery in May and was feeling decent 2 months later, but needed another surgery (sternotomy) to repair a leak I had developed in my prosthetic aorta. Now I am back, starting all over again...

LoL, thanks Paleogirl. I stated the obvious about embryology didn't I. :rolleyes: So embarrassed, but my intent was to suggest that BAV may be an idiopathic error in some cases.

I would love to be able to donate again, but I received over 30 units of blood products during and after my emergency OHS (I was injured playing hockey). As other have said there are different ways to help. At my request, my employer and friends donated enough blood to more than replace what I...

There is a hereditary link to BAV. Which is especially true of those with connective tissue disorders. I am the only person in my family that had a BAV. Sometimes I think it is just bad luck or some sort of embryologic error. :p