It’s always fun to hear from patients as they recover from heart valve surgery and return to their life passions. Today, I received a fantastic email from John Coleman in Arkansas. John writes:

Adam -  At 43 years old I was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis. Like you, I elected to have the Ross Procedure, a double valve replacement, in August, 2010 here in Arkansas. I read your book prior to surgery. It was really helpful in getting my mind and body prepared for the surgery and the recovery.

John Coleman – Heart Valve Surgery Patient

I’m happy to report my double heart valve replacement surgery went great!

I cannot say enough about Dr. Frederick Meadors and his phenomenal staff — as well as the folks at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. Doctor Meadors is a great surgeon and a friendly guy too. I have never seen anyone that had the confidence he displayed during the entire process. Dr. Meadors really made me feel good.

So you know, I’ve played in a rock band for the past 21 years and it’s a big part of my life. I was eager to play a gig after my surgery. Well… I had the surgery on August 16th and played  my “comeback” gig on November 6th. We rocked the house.

John Returns To His Band 3 Months After Surgery

Thanks again for your book and all the good info at your blog!

Keep on tickin’ and rockin’!

John Coleman Malvern,
Arkansas

Monique just sent me two, very interesting pictures of her mitral valve – before and after surgery. I thought you might like to see these pictures as they illustrate the challenges of heart valve disease and the opportunities of heart valve treatment. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Adams at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Monique At Mount Sinai Hospital Using The Incentive Spirometer

As Monique writes to me, “The pictures below are amazing!”

I completely agree.

Monique’s Mitral Valve – Before & After Surgery (Source: MitralValveRepair.org)

After looking at these mitral valve pictures, which were taken during the operation, I immediately noticed three things.

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A few months ago, I received a very difficult phone call from George Avakian who resides in Northern California.

George’s mother was suffering from severe heart valve disease. He was fearful that he might lose his mother. After speaking with George, he immediately took the steps needed to get the best care for his mother. If you are interested to learn about her surgical result, here is a follow-up email from George about his mom’s heart valve replacement surgery.

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I just received an extraordinary email about Kirk Rose from his daughter, Angela. If anybody needs inspiration before or after heart valve surgery, I encourage you to read this:

Kirk Rose – Triple Heart Valve Surgery Patient

Adam-

I just came across your website and noted that you mention Team Scar Trek of Oregon. So you know, my father was the organizer of this group and is currently on the comeback from his THIRD heart valve replacement.

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One of the ongoing themes in this blog focuses on patient advocacy — before, during and after surgery. Specific to this point, I just received an interesting letter from Anne about second opinions, patient research, chest incisions and surgeon selection. In her note, Anne writes to me:

Anne Shannon – Heart Valve Surgery Patient (Evergreen, Colorado)

Dear Adam,

When I had my yearly echo in May, I learned it was time to start thinking about aortic valve replacement due to stenosis. My cardiologist strongly recommended two local surgeons at the new heart center in Denver. After doing some research, I asked about minimally invasive surgery.

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