Hello All

[q2bruiser]

I am James and I have a bad aortic valve. The doctors believe it is bicuspid and having been extensively tested for a murmur when I was a teenager (about to turn 54 now) it makes sense. The pressure across the valve is 90mm Hg but no aortic root dilation with minimal thickening. I am healthy otherwise with clear arteries, take no medications except the aspirin they told me to take at the beginning of all this.

I go in for aortic valve replacement Wed 08/10/2016 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver. My surgeon is Dr. Kevin Miller. My general cardiologist is Dr. Karen Thomas. I am blessed to have this team. The plan is for minimally invasive replacement but of course I won't know for sure until I wake up.

I choose a tissue valve. Edwards Magna Ease Bovine. I'm not a good candidate for managing Warafin, at least I do not think I am. Consistency has never been my thing. Dr. Miller agrees with my choice.

I've read and read and read and watched videos, etc until I am sufficiently freaked out. I vacillate between confidence and terror. I've got a ton of positives and a good team of friends behind me, but I am scared.

I very much appreciate all the information here and reading so much of your experiences. Thank you for being here for people like me. I very much hope to wake up Wed afternoon and someday be a source of hope and strength as you are to me right now.

Thank you for any good energy, vibes, prayer you can send my way. I've been sending it your way since coming on the site.

James

 

[dornole]

I wish you well next Weds - a great team and a strong outcome!

 

[pellicle]

Hey James

"welcome aboard"

...I've read and read and read and watched videos, etc until I am sufficiently freaked out. I vacillate between confidence and terror. I've got a ton of positives and a good team of friends behind me, but I am scared.

that's a fairly common reaction ... but don't worry ... it will go well I'm sure.

Best Wishes

 

[Catie]

A warm welcome! The waiting is nearly over for you. Glad to hear you have a great team and it sounds like you have prepared well. Best to you.

 

[AZ Don]

Welcome. Best wishes on your surgery and speedy recovery. For me it was a relief to have it over with and get on with the recovery, which was not as bad as I expected.

 

[almost_hectic]

Best of everything James in the days and months ahead. For me what helped get rid of my fear was just letting it go. In my mind I knew it was beyond my control so I just put 100% faith in fate.

 

[epstns]

Hi, James!

I hope you've enjoyed your short stay in The Waiting Room. It sounds like you should be entering the "zone of calm" where you have made all of your choices, prepared your plans and now just have to execute them step by step. The worst (waiting) is almost over.

At your age, your recovery should be textbook smooth - as long as you don't have any pre-existing complicating conditions (and you haven't mentioned any).

You should ask your surgeon what to expect after surgery - to find out about his/her specific post-op protocol. I would do this, just to avoid surprises. For example, my surgeon prescribes warfarin for all of his tissue valve patients for a 3-month period after surgery, just to help avoid any possible clot formation around the healing areas. They will also tell you about their views on post-op restrictions on activities, etc. I found that knowing in advance helped me to remain calm about what was to come.

You will do fine, I'm sure. Keep us posted. We will be here for you.

 

[q2bruiser]

Hi, James!

I hope you've enjoyed your short stay in The Waiting Room. It sounds like you should be entering the "zone of calm" where you have made all of your choices, prepared your plans and now just have to execute them step by step. The worst (waiting) is almost over.

At your age, your recovery should be textbook smooth - as long as you don't have any pre-existing complicating conditions (and you haven't mentioned any).

You should ask your surgeon what to expect after surgery - to find out about his/her specific post-op protocol. I would do this, just to avoid surprises. For example, my surgeon prescribes warfarin for all of his tissue valve patients for a 3-month period after surgery, just to help avoid any possible clot formation around the healing areas. They will also tell you about their views on post-op restrictions on activities, etc. I found that knowing in advance helped me to remain calm about what was to come.

You will do fine, I'm sure. Keep us posted. We will be here for you.

Thank you for the encouraging words. I have met and discussed the post op protocol and my surgeon does not prescribe warafin for tissue valves. He uses aspirin. 300mg or so I believe.

As it stands I do not have any other known complications. All organs are functioning well. Great BP, blood sugar, and cholesterol. My contrast test showed my heart arteries to be clear. My biggest problem is the anxiety I have felt and the occasional palpitations. I am an engineer and think about failure analysis and root cause analysis too much. The palpitations may be more from my own mind that my heart.

I am trying to let go and just be.

 

[q2bruiser]

Thank you all for the kind words and welcome. I will most definitely be posting after I am up and no longer drooling on myself.

 

[Mellyouttaphase]

Hi James! I am new around here too
Welcome and best wishes for your journey ahead!

 

[epstns]

Thank you all for the kind words and welcome. I will most definitely be posting after I am up and no longer drooling on myself.

I really doubt that you will drool -- most of us reported that our throats were so dry that even that damp sponge swab felt like a vintage wine on the lips and tongue. . .

 

[honeybunny]

Hi, James~

I'm not an engineer but I work with them exclusively so I get the analyzing thing. While doing so keep in mind that the valve can be fixed. It's not a design bust wishing you well during and post surgery.

P.S., I'm 325 aspirin for my tissue valve.

 

[Paleowoman]

Wishing you well James for your big day. I felt marvellous when I woke up in ICU, no dry throat, no pain, it was my best day post surgery as they make sure the pain meds are good, at least they did in ICU ! I don't remember the tube being taken out either. I was asymptomatic pre surgery. They had planned to do minimally invasive mini sternotomy with me but had to do a standard sternotomy in the event as the surgeon couldn't access my aortic valve with the mini, but I didn't mind as it's what's best and safest that's the most important thing. I got an Edwards Magna Ease bovine valve too - Edwards Lifesciences have great customer services, for want of a better expression - several times I have asked them about my valve and one of their cardiologists has telephoned me. You get a little card with your own serial number on I'm not on any medication for my heart valve. For the first eight weeks post surgery I was on a beta blocker, but after that nothing, not even an aspirin

 

[Agian]

This was the surprising bit for me too. When they took the tube out and told me everything went well, the very first thought I had was something along the lines of 'Was that it?'

 

[q2bruiser]

Wishing you well James for your big day. I felt marvellous when I woke up in ICU, no dry throat, no pain, it was my best day post surgery as they make sure the pain meds are good, at least they did in ICU ! I don't remember the tube being taken out either. I was asymptomatic pre surgery. They had planned to do minimally invasive mini sternotomy with me but had to do a standard sternotomy in the event as the surgeon couldn't access my aortic valve with the mini, but I didn't mind as it's what's best and safest that's the most important thing. I got an Edwards Magna Ease bovine valve too - Edwards Lifesciences have great customer services, for want of a better expression - several times I have asked them about my valve and one of their cardiologists has telephoned me. You get a little card with your own serial number on I'm not on any medication for my heart valve. For the first eight weeks post surgery I was on a beta blocker, but after that nothing, not even an aspirin

Thank you for this Anne! The plan for me is to do minimally invasive but I will not know until I wake up. And although I might want minimally invasive, it doesn't matter. Whatever gets me fixed and feeling better. Although I don't have symptoms per se, I am tired all the time. They tell me that will go away. Looking forward to that!

Thank you all again for the encouraging words. They bring me hope.

James