Some really interesting patient stories continue to fill up my inbox. Here’s a great one from Don about his new mission saving dogs after mitral valve replacement.

Don Hull, Heart Valve Replacement Patient, With Hooch

Hey Adam,

I recently regained my Special Issuance Class III FAA medical certificate which allows me to fly my airplane as a private pilot again.  I had an Edwards Bovine tissue mitral valve placed in April 2009 and had to wait at least six months before beginning the rigorous physical testing to regain my FAA medical certificate.

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I just received a very unique question from Barb about carcinoid tumor injections and bovine heart valve replacements. Barb writes to me:

Bovine Aortic Valve Replacement

Hi Adam,

First, I’d like to express my appreciation to you for your very informative book and emails.  I am a 54-year-old woman who was aware of aortic valve stenosis since the age of 16, and finally had an aortic bovine valve replacement in January 2009.  I also had an aortic root aneurysm repair.  I’ve done very well in my recovery, and found your book extremely helpful.

I was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer in 2001.  Surgery was all that was required at that time.  I know that carcinoid cancer and valve problems often go hand-in-hand, although I’ve been told by my doctor that it’s not usually the aortic valve that is involved.  In November 2009, my carcinoid cancer returned.

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This is quite interesting…

When Doris Snyder celebrated her 102nd birthday on August 10, she was that much closer to the expected birth of her first great-granddaughter who’s due to arrive early September. She is very excited about the milestone, which might not have been possible were it not for a cutting-edge, experimental procedure that replaced one of Doris’ heart valves weeks earlier — when she was 101 years old.

Doris’ valve had been rendered useless by aortic valve stenosis — hardening from calcium deposits that restrict the flow of blood from the heart. Her surgeon, Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery for Northwestern Memorial Hospital and director of the hospital’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and the Heller-Sacks professor of Surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, noted:

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I always enjoy reading patient success stories. However, this update really made me think, “Fannnnn-tasssss-tic!”. Specifically, I like the way Chaz utilizes a “Before and After” approach to describe his heart valve replacement experience:

Hi Adam:

It has been awhile since I have written you, but I still avidly follow your magical blog.

Last week, I began my 2nd year with my new bovine aortic valve (no Robin William’s jokes, please!?).  To say the least, it’s been a remarkable journey and one whose total success I owe as much to you and your readers as I do to the amazing medical team who sent me on my way.  I tend to be on the wordy side, so here is the “executive summary:”

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Here’s an interesting question from Julie about heart valve stenosis and enlarged hearts.

Julie writes to me, “Adam – Like you, I was diagnosed with heart valve stenosis and an enlarged heart. I’m just curious. How big can a dilated heart get before failure? 20% bigger? 50% bigger? Any thoughts? Thanks, Julie”

I wanted an expert opinion for Julie’s question, so I contacted Dr. Kevin Accola, M.D., one of the leading heart valve surgeons from Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute. (As you might recall, Dr. Accola has operated on several patients, like Scott Nieman, that regularly visit this blog.)

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