Aortic valve repair or replacement, early 2020

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I'm right behind you, John. Just had my latest MRI a week ago and the Sinus /Valsalvas has expanded to 4.9cm for 4.6cm/ascending aorta is 4.9cm (per the reports, not read by a surgeon) and my left ventricle has been borderline dilating. I'm also bicuspid, asymptomatic, exercise regularly 67 yo. Rethinking where I plan to have mine done. Had been focused on C-Clinic or Mayo, but since I'm in CA now considering Dr. Castro in RC. I'll see my cardiologist in a week to get his latest view on this. I keep thinking my increase in ocular migraines is a sign! I will be watching your progress!
Had my AVR with Dr Castro on 11/18/19. The surgery & hospital stay went very well. A lot of personal attention while in the hospital & no rush to push me out before I was ready to leave. Very little pain too, which I thought was amazing.
 
Hey John,

Ive lots of similarities with your condition. Thanks for describing the build-up in detail. Really helpful.

Best of luck on the 7th. Look forward to hearing about your recovery.

P...
 
Surgery went well. Got a St. Jude mechanical valve. Pain and anti-nausea drugs made me super drowsy this morning, but now I’m walking and eating clear fluids.
So glad to hear your surgery went well. Congrats! I'm sorry they weren't able to repair the valve, but your St. Jude valve should serve you quite well if the testimonies of other members are any indication! Keep it up, do your walks, use your spirometer, and have someone bring you real food if you can. Also, Mathias recommends staying away from any of the dairy based protein shakes they may offer...it can give you a wicked dairy cough that is not pleasant while healing a sternum. Best of luck! Hopefully from here out the time flies by and this while endeavor will be part of your past.
 
Surgery went well. Got a St. Jude mechanical valve. Pain and anti-nausea drugs made me super drowsy this morning, but now I’m walking and eating clear fluids.
Wonderful news! You got surgery over with & now you can relax & start healing!
 
In my own room now. Had some liquid food — beef broth and jello. Normally I’m vegan but whatevs
glad to hear you're out an healing ... hope its not too difficult

hint: avoid anything crumbly, because you just don't want to have a cough triggered by anything "going down the wrong way"

Best Wishes
 
If they don't hear your murmur, it could have changed. My murmur has been there since birth. My GP for 20-40 yo heard it and then told me one year he couldn't hear it, then it came back. I had a BAV, so maybe as the stenosis changed over time, the sound did as well. When I was at the end, before surgery in a teaching hospital, they had all the interns come in to listen to my heart murmur as part of their training.
My murmur was first heard by a medical student when I was an undergrad at UCLA. Before that, dozens of doctors or medical students listened to my heart, but none detected a murmur (so much for the ability of many doctors to hear murmurs) -- following the student hearing my murmur, other students and REAL cardiologists could hear it, because they were listening for it.
 
I’m still on a liquid diet for now. Not a lot of pain at the incision or chest tube, but my shoulder hurts. The current nurse says they might have put me in some acrobatic positions during surgery.

Only taking Acetaminophen now, because stronger painkillers give me nausea.
 
My shoulder hurt as well. I complained and was told it was normal. They told me that my left arm was tied down, straight out, to a board to immobilize it for all the lines, tubes, etc. they needed. Holding it straight out for 5 hours is what did the damage, but it healed.

I was given a really neat water heated pad/wrap in the hospital. It had a water resevoir and flowed warm water through the shoulder wrap. After the first day, a physical therapist was ordered and came to give me exercises to do. She came each day to check up on me and make sure I was doing them correctly. They worked, but it took a few months to be back to normal. I still do the exercises because they help my arthritis.
 

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