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Today is an ordinary day...thanks to the valve I received five years ago today! In that time I've moved to Florida (much warmer weather and grandchildren) and my new aortic valve has seen me safely through three unrelated surgeries (broken leg, ovarian cyst and gall bladder). My main health...

Today was the 2nd anniversary of my AVR and I can hardly believe how much my life has changed during this time. As of last Fall I am officially "retired" and just last week I was able to witness the birth of my first grandchild! OHS is surely a very large bump in the road, but it most often is...

I've been on Lipitor since my AVR five weeks ago and I'm now experiencing extreme muscle aches. My PT suggested that the muscle pain could well be a reaction to the Lipitor. Has anyone else had this experience? Before surgery I wasn't taking any statins, my total cholesterol was less than...

I'm currently 4 weeks post op and was told to make appointments with my GP, Surgeon and Cardiologist upon my release from rehab. When I called for these appointments, I was given dates that were respectfully 3, 4 and 6 weeks out from surgery. I've already met with my GP and had blood tests...

Hi Folks, I received another call today from Donna, Mike's wife, and it seems that things did not go as smoothly as she said yesterday. :( There was a problem with the first (bovine) valve that was used and the leak was so serious that it had to be replaced. The second valve also had problems...

I received a call from Mike's wife tonight to say that he is safely tucked in at Brigham and Womens CICU. There were no surprises and the doctors tell her that he is right on track. While I told her that she could expect a BIG improvment by tomorrow, I'm not sure that she truly believed...

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes--must have helped since I'm alive and kicking and finally found my way to a computer! After BAVR surgery on Tuesday, February 24, I spent 6 nights in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit and moved on to the step-down unit the following Monday. Two days later...

Has anyone heard from David or his wife?

It was shocking to see my date on the calendar this morning. I've got a million things to do today and yet I'm wondering if I'll be busy enough to keep my mind off what's happening tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'm not the first person to feel this anxious the day before and while I've been awake...

I decided to post my response to a previous post as a new thread so that it might reach even more of you great folks..... To my VR family, As a "people person," I'm overwhelmed by the good folks here at VR and so appreciative of all your good wishes. I'm working hard at facing next Tuesday...

Tuesday, February 24 is the date that has been set for my AVR and possible aorta replacement surgery. I met with my surgeon last Monday and had such a tough time communicating with him, that I haven't even been able to talk about it with anyone except closest friends and family. I'm attempting...

Is there anyone else here who has had a CT Angiogram (Computerized Axial Tomography Scan) INSTEAD of a cardiac catheterization? My cardiologist talked my surgeon into substituting this less invasive test and they were able to get very clear pictures from a procedure that took less than a half...

It's been a while since I posted and while I still don't have a certain date for surgery, I've begun to come to terms with the concept. My second opinions did not agree with the first, but my second echo in 2 months showed just about the same results--still showing severe stenosis (AV area 0.66...

Does anyone know why tissue valves last longer in older (65+) patients? Is it because of their physiology or because they are generally less active then younger folks?

I just received a different second opinion. My first cardiologist was all for moving ahead with surgery for my severe aortic stenosis (determined on first visit after being found by my internist) and now both the pulmonologist I was sent to by him and the second opinion cardiologist (I...

I have been diagnosed with BAV with severe stenosis (peak valve gradient of 71 mmHg and mean valve gradient of 43 mmHg), with mild regurgitation. This diagnosis was made two months ago without any previous history and I have up to this point been mostly asymptomatic. Now that I am focused on...

This is my first posting and I must admit that I feel like I'm walking onto an entirely new playing field. I was diagnosed with aortic stenosis on August 25, 2008 as the result of an echocardiogram that my internist ordered after he detected an abnormal heart rhythm during a regularly scheduled...