New to forum

[nickd]

Well met with Dr. Stelzer yesterday, what a great guy, he talked with my wife and I for about an hour and a half. Of course i'm even more confused now. He said I would be a great candidate for the Ross, which contradicts what Dr. Girardi and my cardiologist thinks. Dr. Stelzer was saying that alot of the problems with earlier Ross Procedures have been taken care of by reinforcing areas of concern. We got alot of thinking to do, and hopefully we'll make the right decision.

Nick

 

[Mary]

Well met with Dr. Stelzer yesterday, what a great guy, he talked with my wife and I for about an hour and a half. Of course i'm even more confused now. He said I would be a great candidate for the Ross, which contradicts what Dr. Girardi and my cardiologist thinks. Dr. Stelzer was saying that alot of the problems with earlier Ross Procedures have been taken care of by reinforcing areas of concern. We got alot of thinking to do, and hopefully we'll make the right decision.

Nick

Nick,
I'm biased, but I would believe any and everything that Dr. Stelzer says. I think he is a great man and a terrific surgeon.
Best wishes with your decision.

 

[surfsparky]

Hi Nick,

Glad to hear that you had a positive visit with Dr. Stelzer. He sounds like quite a man if he spent 1 1/2 hours with you and your wife. I echo Mary's sentiments...especially as they now address the earlier probs of the ross with the aortic root dilation.

All the best in deciding what's bestand feels right for you. What a blessing to have been able to see such capable and wonderful surgeons.

Yolanda

 

[vprnet]

Welcome

Welcome

Hello Nick,

Welcome to one of the greatest support groups on the WWW.

I just returned home from BAVR performed by the wonderful Dr. L. Girardi. He put in the ON-X AV for me as I requested. The care at Weill Cornell was also exceptional and compassionate. I have only good things to say about the treatment, care, and entire experience.

Your steps are very familiar and I would be happy to share mine with you anytime.

Best wishes.... Vincent

BAVR ON-X December 19, 2008

PS. I am not a medical professional or a doctor. My comments in this forum are my own opinion and are not intended to be given as medical or professional advise or a recommendation of any valve choice. Decisions that affect your health and wellbeing are ultimately yours and your doctors. vprnet

 

[nickd]

Vincent glad to hear that everything went well for you. One of the big problems that I am having in deciding is which procedure to go with. I liked both Dr. Girardi and Dr. Stelzer alot, and when they both contradicted each other on the Ross, it made me nervous. I will say that I am leaning toward the Ross because it is the only procedure that gives the possibility for long term without re-op, while not being on coumadin. I know there is no guarantee that it will last, but there is no guarantee with any procedure.

Quick question for UIHCCHI, how long ago did you have the Ross, and were you bicuspid?

Nick

 

[Jane E]

New too

New too

Hi-
I just found you all today. I have had dx for years 4,5, 6? I haven't tracked anything other than my fluctuating dread of recovery without a designated support person. On Christmas Eve my SO of only 6 months had bypass fairly suddenly and it really freaked me out.

I am going to be reading a lot now that I have found you all. I still don't know when I will have replacement but I am very focused on the organic versus non organic valve question. I am 51 but really don't like the sound of the anti clotting meds. Otherwise I just want to learn from you all about your physical and emotional learning with our diagnosis. Glad to you are here. Happy New Year!
Jane

 

[ctyguy]

Nick,

Welcome to the forum ! I had a BAV replaced with an On-X mechanical last Feb. At the time I was 42 and other than the valve, I was pretty fit. Now 10 months removed you wouldn't know I had anything done unless you saw the scar on my chest. Im on Coumadin but its really not a big deal. I've had a few cuts (none major) and honestly I can't tell if there is much of a difference in how quickly I clot. I do hear a ticking sound every so often but its gotta be dead quiet.

I gave a long look at the Ross Procedure and once I found the surgeon I wanted I asked his opinion and he said the problem with the Ross is that you go from a one valve patient to a two valve patient, plain and simple. He wasn't happy with the re-op rates which he put at about 20% within 10 - 15 years. I can't qualify that with age brackets, and honestly I didn't ask. The two valve reference is what got me to rethink it. I don't know if you have another appt scheduled or if you can get back with Dr Stelzer to pose the question about the re-op rate for his Ross procedures.

Dr Petterson (my surgeon) is top shelf in his own right. Others here can vouch that his opinion also carries alot of wisdom and experience. I think I've seen at least 10 or 15 different threads in the 10 months I've been on this site where Dr Stelzer was referenced. I think every one of them were glowing reviews. So if you choose to go the Ross route, I think your in the hands of one of the most capable surgeons in the country.

Best of luck !

 

[nickd]

Hi Scott and thanks for your reply, I believe Dr. Stelzer's re-op rates are about the same, if you go to his web sit, he has address it. One thing that he did say was that they started to reinforce the root and other areas that have caused problems in the past. I would probably consider a mechanical, but I can't go on Coumadin right now because of my job. That leaves only tissue or the Ross as my only option. I agree with you about turning a one valve patient into a two, but it is the only option for a possible long term solution right now. With that said, I'm leaning toward the procedure, but am still not 100% sure, I'm meeting with my cardio today to discuss the situation.

To Jane E, I just joined too, and I can honestly tell you that so far there has been great people on this forum and you will receive alot of info. Welcome and if anything I can help you with, please feel free to ask.


Nick

 

[Jane E]

Thanks Nick. There really is so much here. I can't believe it has taken me so long to find you all. It really is daunting to see what I need to learn but less so seeing what a bunch of nice people are out there. Now I am on your team rooting for you too!
Jane

 

[Montrealer]

Welcome aboard...........