Recent content by Reddog

Aaron Boone (Baseball) and Ronny Turiaf (Basketball) both had David-Type Valve-Sparing Aorta Replacements by Dr. Craig Miller at Stanford. I agree that it's very cool that both were able to return to their sports after surgery. I had similar surgery by Dr. Miller this year. I should have...

Tbone - I like many in the VR.com community have shed tears for you tonight. Godspeed.

My aorta diameter was pretty stable over the course of 10 years or so - it's kind of rare, but it does happen. Whenever I had a measurement that was lower than the previous year's, I asked the cardiologist whether my condition was improving, and the answer was always that the variation was...

My 6 year old son didn't get to see me until 2 weeks post-surgery -- but that was because I had the procedure out of town while he stayed with local relatives. For us, 2 weeks worked pretty well... but assuming that your son will be local to you, I'd advise waiting 2-3 days -- definitely don't...

I think it's untrue that most people who have had OHS (even without bypass) feel that they have any level of medium to longer-term mental impairment. Yes, most people that post on forums about pumphead may have complaints about this, but it's likely another case of forum bias... those people...

Hmmm... a choice between having a surgeon whose mind is on his upcoming vacation, or one that is calm and rested after having a wonderful time in Bermuda (or wherever)... How to choose? Seriously, I don't think it matters that much. I wouldn't stress it either way, but I'd have a mild...

The narcotic pain killers (percocet, vicodin), and iron supplements will all make you constipated, so you should certainly be taking a stool softener (available over the counter if it wasn't prescribed) and drinking plenty of water. In the hospital they also gave me a Dulcolax suppository...

Wow... Dr. Cameron is a veritable speed demon! My valve-sparing aorta replacement was closer to 12 hours. They had to replace all the way up to the arch for me, and chose to fix a hole in my heart (PFO) that they found during surgery -- maybe that accounts for the difference. Or maybe Dr...

CD - Great to hear that everything went well, and that you got to keep your valve as you had hoped. I bet that in six weeks you'll be wondering what the big deal was, but for now, take it very very easy and congratulations!

I first read your statement as, "he said he would use velcro to reconnect my right aorta." You should be thankful that I'm not your surgeon (or anyone's for that matter). My specialty would be any surgical reconstruction requiring Lego.

Take it easy... you're in good hands Take it easy... you're in good hands Best of luck with the surgery, and take encouragement from the fact that you will be under the care of a world-class surgeon. From this point on, things are pretty much on automatic... just go with the flow and do your...

I concur with your 65+ year old friend that one of the biggest post-surgery issues is sleep difficulties. If needed, I highly recommend asking for Ambien at night while in the hospital, and a prescription for this with all your other take-home prescriptions. That was one of the most important...

Great progress Great progress Wow... 25 pounds of weights sounds like great progress... but didn't you have surgery just about 6 weeks ago? If so, I'm surprised that they are letting you lift that kind of weight before the sternum is totally healed. What did they tell you about this in...

I think it's very wise for you to choose to stay at the sub-acute care / nursing facility for a couple of weeks after surgery. My uncle did that, and it was a good choice for him as well. I really leaned on my spouse a lot following my own surgery, and would have had great difficulty if it...

Right, Dr. Miller did the surgery at Stanford, and he was the perfect surgeon for me. I hear Dr. Cameron is world-class as well, so you'll be in great hands. My physician prescribed 1mg of clonazepam - once before bed and once in the morning. I've found that the 1mg at night works great, but...