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Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog
Heart Valve Surgery Patient & Author, Adam Pick
Writes About Heart Valve Repair & Replacement Surgery Watch Adam's Video |
I recently received a very interesting email from Shannon about heart surgery, pregnancy, labor and baby delivery. In her note to me, Shannon asks for help from other patients about delivering a baby after heart valve surgery. Can you help her?
Every once-in-a-while I receive a forwarded email that resets my focus on life.
Earlier today, my sister, Monica, sent me an email titled, “A Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers”. Given the nature of this website, I found the fundamental message of this story to be very appropriate for those dealing with the stress of heart valve surgery.
So, without further ado, I offer you “A Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers”:
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two beers.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
Kenny writes to me, “Hi Adam – My grandma needs open heart surgery, according to my parents. They tell me she has mitral regurgitation and it’s really bad. I’m curious to know, “Can a heart valve heal itself?”. What do you think? Kenny”
I really wish a simple and emphatic ‘Yes!’ would answer Kenny’s question. It would be sooooooooo incredibly wonderful if a heart valve could heal itself – like a cold or a broken bone.
Unfortunately, heart valves do not tend to heal themselves. It is true that some infants born with heart murmurs will eventually grow out of the murmur as the heart matures. But, in all of my research, I have yet to hear, read or see a patient story in which a valvular disorder (e.g. aortic valve stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral valve regurgitation) naturally heals by itself.
Some might suggest that the use of stem cells could offer a natural process in which a human heart valve can heal itself. However, from my research, that would require a stem cell valve cloning and an open heart procedure to replace the valve. In my opinion, that process doesn’t really sound like a situation in which a human heart valve heals itself.
I hope this helps Kenny (and perhaps you) learn more about the question, “Does a heart valve heal itself?”
Keep on tickin!
In her email, Wendy writes to me, “Hi Adam: My 62-year old mother was just diagnosed with a heart valve that is leaking due to a mitral valve prolapse. The cardiologist told her that the leaking valve was in moderate-to-severe status and may require surgery in the next year. I’m curious to know how serious is a leaky heart valve? Thanks Wendy!”
Given Wendy’s question, I have some quick, personal thoughts to share. As with most heart valve disorders (e.g. aortic stenosis), the severity of valvular disease is dependent upon the functioning of the valve and its ability to properly manage the flow of blood through the heart.
Different diagnostic categories have been established to evaluate the seriousness of the valve disorder. The most common categories, that I’m aware of, are mild, moderate and severe. Variable tests and measurements (e.g. valve area, velocity, valve gradient) are used to identify, monitor and treat these diagnostic segments.
I just received an interesting email from Jake.
He writes, “Adam – I’m 57 and going in for mitral valve repair next week due to mitral prolapse. It’s going to be an open heart surgery. I’m curious, do you have any pictures of your chest before-and-after surgery? I’m not really a pretty boy, I just want to know what to expect when I wake up. Thanks, Jake”
In my opinion, Jake is asking the right type of questions as he prepares for surgery. As I learned, expectation management is critical for both patients and caregivers throughout the surgical process – especially the recovery. That said, I just searched my picture albums for Jake.
Ding! Ding! Ding! I found some!!!
Below, you can see the impact of open heart surgery on my chest. The amazing part? You can barely even tell that I had a median sternotomy. But, you can tell that I have gained a few pounds over the years. 
I also thought you might like to see, up close, what my scar looks like right now. In the picture below, you can see, in detail, how the incision scar (from my broken sternum) and the chest tube scars have healed.
