Hi All,
Well, after the noteworthy episode of having to stop running and feeling tightness in my chest, I made an appointment with my cardio. He said that I should get the AVR "before the New Year". I immediately got a second opinion from a cardio in a different practice. The second cardio agreed with the diagnosis, but would have preferred I waited longer to feel more pronounced symptoms. Puzzled, I asked why, and she explained that since I'm 52 y.o., I would likely need another AVR in 15-20 years and that the longer I can wait the better. I then asked, best case scenario, how long I reasonably could expect to wait before requiring surgery. She said 2 years. So, I asked it seems that it's a toss up between having a second AVR at 70 or 72 -- what's the diff? She didn't have a good response, and said that my cardio's plan was "textbook." Go figure! So, at the end of it all, she said she could support my cardio's recommendation. I'm not quite sure why my "logic" (such as it is) was instrumental in persuading her that my cardio was correct. Didn't give me a warm fuzzy. Anyway, I will likely have AVR the week of 8 December. I'm still settling on a surgeon, but hope to have that pinned down soon.
Dave
Well, after the noteworthy episode of having to stop running and feeling tightness in my chest, I made an appointment with my cardio. He said that I should get the AVR "before the New Year". I immediately got a second opinion from a cardio in a different practice. The second cardio agreed with the diagnosis, but would have preferred I waited longer to feel more pronounced symptoms. Puzzled, I asked why, and she explained that since I'm 52 y.o., I would likely need another AVR in 15-20 years and that the longer I can wait the better. I then asked, best case scenario, how long I reasonably could expect to wait before requiring surgery. She said 2 years. So, I asked it seems that it's a toss up between having a second AVR at 70 or 72 -- what's the diff? She didn't have a good response, and said that my cardio's plan was "textbook." Go figure! So, at the end of it all, she said she could support my cardio's recommendation. I'm not quite sure why my "logic" (such as it is) was instrumental in persuading her that my cardio was correct. Didn't give me a warm fuzzy. Anyway, I will likely have AVR the week of 8 December. I'm still settling on a surgeon, but hope to have that pinned down soon.
Dave