I just received a unique question from Deana about aortic stenosis and erectile dysfunction.

She writes, “Hi Adam – My husband was just diagnosed this past January with aortic valve stenosis. His Cardiologist said that he was going to have to have open heart surgery to repair it. My question is can aortic stenosis cause erectile dysfunction? We have been trying to find a connection between those two and that is how we wound up on your web page. Any information you can give us would be great. Thank you, Deana”

When I don’t have a good answer to a patient question, I waste no time in “calling on the experts”. So, I emailed Dr. Eric Roselli, M.D., a leading cardiothoracic surgeon from The Cleveland Clinic. Minutes later, Dr. Roselli and I were on the phone chatting about Deana’s question. As aortic valve disease is one of Dr. Roselli’s specialties, he had A LOT of good information to share.

Like most physicians, Dr. Roselli appropriately suggested that Deana’s husband contact his own doctor to best understand the situation – given the unique nature of each patient case.

Then, Dr. Roselli addressed Deana’s question about erectile dysfunction and aortic stenosis.

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I’ll never forget the day I opened the one-page letter from my insurance company, Blue Shield of California, which authorized my double heart valve replacement. I was beyond relieved given the mind-numbing frustration I experienced prior to that moment in dealing with Blue Shield.

I imagine I’m not the only patient that found themselves at war with their insurance company, right?

In fact, I just received an email from Linda which states, “Adam – I need help. I am looking for someone who has had robotic surgery and had it covered through HealthNet. Why? I was recently denied a robotic approach for mitral valve repair through HealthNet and I am in the process of appealing. I know this denial has been overturned in the past and I am looking for anyone who has been successful in doing this. Can you help?”

Given Linda’s question… Can you help her better understand the process for successfully appealing the request for robotic surgery to repair her mitral valve? If so, please click here to leave a comment.

In advance, thanks for your help!!!

Keep on tickin!

Yes!!!

You read that right… Ethan, my nine-week old son, slept through the night last night!!!

Robyn (my wife) and I can’t believe it!!!

As you would imagine, we slept pretty good too.

Keep on tickin!

Adam

The “preparation for heart valve surgery” seems to be a very popular, patient topic these days.

First, Sylvia sent me a special note about her extraordinary weight loss before aortic valve replacement. Then, a few days later, Anita sent me her ideas and tips about being mentally and physically fit for surgery. I thought you might like to read Anita’s note, so here it is:

Hi Adam,

My recent experience with mitral valve repair is something worth sharing.  The surgery was done just four weeks ago (March 30, 2009) at The Cleveland Clinic, by Doctor A. Marc Gillinov.

Everything went smoothly, and the staff, including Dr. Gillinov, were amazed at how quickly my body healed.  Dr. Gillinov stated that my initial recovery was two days ahead of most of his patients.  My nurse practitioner called me her “WOW” patient. In total, I spent just 10 hours in intensive care and was discharged after only 3 days.

I was truly blessed to have surgery at The Cleveland Clinic.  Not only were the doctors and staff experts in their field, but also they were extremely compassionate, caring human beings. Their kindness and expertise greatly helped my recovery.

I wanted to share some of the steps that I took to enhance my recovery:

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On the topic of heart valve surgery recovery, I just received a very important question from Holly.

Her note reads, “Hi Adam – I’m nervous, anxious, concerned, afraid, excited and, most importantly, hopeful regarding my mitral valve replacement surgery next week. I have severe regurgitation from mitral valve prolapse. Beyond the surgery, I want to know how long will it take to be 100% recovered. I am an active 66-year old that loves to chase my grandchildren around the park. Thank you, Holly”

As noted above, I believe Holly raises one of the most relevant questions for patients evaluating the entire heart valve surgery process, “How long does it take to feel 100% again?”

While this is a great question… I do not have a great, explicit answer which details a specific day or exact time in which patients consider themselves “fully recovered”.

Instead, I offer patients and caregivers an honest, two-word response to this inquiry.

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