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Chris, what a wonderful son you are to keep us all posted. My prayers go to your dad and his family for a speedy recovery and to give you all the strength to climb this mountain. Nita

Hi teach532 I was in the waiting room 13 years before my aortic valve surgery this year. When my condition was diagnosed as severe back in 2009, my cardio asked me if I fainted, had swollen ankles, dizziness, or chest pain and my answer was always "no". Before surgery, I was in zumba...

Hi Vegas Dad, Let me refine this...we were all valve patients.

Forgot to mention too in my last post, I am not overweight but I did find out (when anesthesiologist did pre op evaluation) that I have a small airway so maybe this is the reason why I have sleep apnea.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 5 yrs. ago and since then I have used my cpap machine every night since then. Where I go my cpap goes. When I had my AVR in July (this year), guess what? My machine was with me all during my hospital stay. I don't know if there is a correlation between having...

Hi Vegas Dad, I forgot to mention that my whole wing consisted of people like me who will undergo or had heart surgery. I met a couple of people who were referred here for second surgeries because their surgeons lacked the expertise. I also remembered talking to my surgeon who indicated there...

Hi Vegas Dad, I had an AVR done July 22, 2013 at Keck Hospital, LA. I posted previously about how an emergency forced me into surgery after 14 years of being in the waiting room. My cardio referred me to Keck because of their innovative approach to valve surgery. My surgeon Dr. Cunningham...

Hi pellicle, I had my surgery at Keck Medical Center of USC, Los Angeles and I was surprised at the number of people who were having reoperations. These people came from all over the world because their local surgeons or hospitals were not equipped or experienced to handle these cases. I...

Hi pellicle, Some of us on this site were fortunate enough to qualify for minimally invasive open heart surgery including me. In my case, all I needed was a simple aortic valve replacement, nothing more. My angiogram showed I had clean arteries, and I did not have any other health issues...

Agreed, we cannot predict the future, but I am an optimist. I am not a cardiologist but I believe minimally invasive open heart surgery was not an option perhaps 15 years ago, but it has evolved into an alternative surgical approach today provided the candidate meets the requirements -- I hope...

Hi mcsf Yes, TAVI will revolutionize OHS and I hope to see it in my lifetime. What type of surgery will you undergo? We will be happy to see you on the other side. Nita

Thanks Agian, Before I had my AVR in July 2013, I had an extensive interview with one of the surgeons heading up one of the TAVI trials in LA. I was hoping that maybe I could be a candidate but like Luana mentioned above, as of now, the surgery is reserved for high risk patients because of the...

Hi Everyone, I am almost 9 weeks post op and have posted a few threads in the past. Today was my 6th week in cardio rehab and at the conclusion of the session, I was told my ekg showed "some junctional rhythm" so tomorrow I will be fitted with a holter monitor. The nurses assured me this was...

I have to chime in and agree with ski girl. I was pretty calm for two days until the evening before my surgery - it hit me, I was going to have major surgery (1st time), and I cried and told my family I wanted to run away. These are the times it is important to have family, friends, spouses...

Hi Heather Anne, Don't worry about being handled like a piece of china. As one of my rehab nurses said, "Our job is to get you sweating and in better shape than before before your surgery." Another nurse admitted the HR is important but more important is to listen to your body. One fellow...

Hi Everyone, I believe starting cardio rehab, is a personal choice but here is my take on it. I considered myself pretty fit considering I started working out in the Jane Fonda era and continued until July 17, 2013 when I was admitted to ER and consequently had an AVR. During the first few...

True sky girl, I am going to do my hand weights after my walk. BTW, Heather Anne recommended the app "Nike Run" -- it works and monitors even while I am playing my own music. I never was a chest press/push up person so that's not an issue for me...thanks again.

Wow Steve, I am impressed with your numbers 4.2 mph with 10% incline! I think I am pretty safe at 3% incline, 3 mph at this stage of my recovery. I guess I have to look at it from this perspective, if I had gone beyond the safe zone, the alarm would have sounded. I don't know if I can reach...

Hi Pellicle, Actually when I am on the treadmill it is in cardio rehab so I am hooked up to their monitor -- they say I am doing great so I must be keeping my HR within the safe zone. Today was the first day I kicked it up to 3.0 incline and 3.0 pace but only for a few minutes and then toned...

Hi Sky Girl, I am so glad you replied. Sorry if I was not clear but the 3.0 represented the speed I was walking on the treadmill -- a number I could raise or lower depending on my stamina. Here is another question Sky Girl: I did hand weights (max 8 lbs ea) so my arms were pretty toned pre...