Recent content by PJ206

I would not even consider a mechanical valve in your situation. Given the bicuspid valve and the ascending aorta aneurysm, it is likely you have a connective tissue disorder which puts you "at high risk for aneurysms all over your body, including your brain" (in my surgeon's words). A mechanical...

The only thing I could eat was melon - cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, etc. My throat was so dry I couldn't swallow anything for two weeks.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am on colchicine - it acts as an anti-inflamatory and has been useful in preventing and treating pleural effusions associated with heart surgery. The pleural friction rub is due to inflammation, not infection. In the past three months, I've seen two...

I'm six months out from surgery and am still much more short of breath on exertion than I was before surgery. My cardiologist says there's lots of inflammation in the left lung and a pleural friction rub all the way up into my left shoulder. I've been on colchicine for 6 weeks with no...

A friend of mine was given a Heart Hugger sternal support brace after bypass surgery and felt it was a great help. You squeeze front handles when coughing or getting up and the brace supports you all the way around and not just in the front like a pillow. Has anyone else used a Heart Hugger or...