Recent content by Kristine55

Superbob - I'm not sure how rapidly my aneurysm grew. I just tried to access my older reports and I wasn't able to do that. I do know that between my most recent echos (I think about 18 months} there was a notable difference in the size of the aneurysm (which measured 5.3 before my surgery...

Hello Superbob! I'm a voice from your cardiac past. I've been part of the forum since 2006, when I had OHS (in May of that year when I was 43). I clearly remember you, as I had the same replacement, a Medtronic Freestyle, porcine. I had 12 fantastic years, living a great, very athletic life...

Hello from the other side! It's Kristine55 and I am thrilled to say, nearly three weeks after my second open heart surgery, that I am feeling so good and happily recuperating. Following surgery, I spent 3 days in the cardiac ICU and then 4 days in the step down unit (it probably would have...

Thanks to everyone for keeping my thread alive. I'm glad that my situation has generated good discussion and debate. It's been almost three months since my diagnosis and initial post. As many of you will remember, at my annual cardiology exam, a dilated aortic root (5.3mm) was observed in the...

rnff2 - I agree: each person needs to listen to his/her heart (pun partially intended) and make a good decision about a valve choice. As I decide between a mechanical and a tissue valve, I'll base my decision on the experience I've had for these twelve great years and what makes sense for the...

SuperBob, thanks for your good thoughts and recommendations. Like you, I wondered what symptoms I'd experience when my Freestyle valve began to fail. It turns out, in my experience, there were no outward symptoms (shortness of breath, decreased energy, etc). Nothing... my husband and I live a...

Well, I am back after good visits to my cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. Two weeks later -- and over that initial shock -- I feel informed and much, much more settled. It's amazing what information and a plan of action can do for you. Apparently, my major issue is not my valve. While I do...

First of all... thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the comments and recommendations that have been made here. I posted my response yesterday, but unfortunately, it didn't register here on the site. I'm amending that note slightly to hopefully post now. If my original post pops up...

Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful posts. It's been 48 hours since I learned about this and I'm already feeling great comfort and support from the VR community. Thank you! Kristine AVR May 2006, age 43 Medtronic Freestyle Aortic Root Heart Valve 29mm, Ascending Aorta Repair...

It looks like I'm posting as GUEST, not my user name, Kristine55 (and not KMS, which was my user name in '06). Hopefully this post will identify me correctly. Kristine AVR May 2006, age 43 Medtronic Freestyle Aortic Root Heart Valve 29mm, Ascending Aorta Repair Northwestern Memorial Hospital...