Bethany's Guestbook

Hi Bethany! Just checking in with you. From your last post looks like you are doing great. I know we are both so happy to have this behind us and I feel like we share a very special anniversary date! Continued successful recovery and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Hi Bethany, Glad to see you are doing well and looking great. Onwards and upwards from here. I to will be needing the surgery at some stage I am at the moderate stage of bicuspid aortic stenosis. Take care Michelle from Australia. xxxxx

Hi Bethany, Glad to see you are doing well and looking good. The worst is now over and it's onwards and upwards from here. I am in the moderate stage with a bicuspid aortic valve and will at some stage need the surgery. I am hoping later than sooner. Take care from Michelle in Australia. xxxx

Hi Bethany, my thoughts & prayers will be with you tomorrow as you go into surgery. My surgery was a week before yours. I'm back home again & working on my recovery. You'll have this behind you before you know it. Trust in God & everything will be fine.

Bethany I hsd a bovine valve put in at 67 and now at 73 I still work out 6 days a week. I know it is hard to pick out which valve but what valve did you choose. Bethany you are young so which ever valve you choose you will do great.

Hi Bethany, I'm now going on 6 years with a porcine aortic valve and aortic root replacement surgery. Feel great. I was 55 at the time of the surgery and have honestly never felt better. I didn't realize how run down I was. For me there was very little pain after surgery and I resumed my normal routine within about 2 months. I was driving about 2 weeks after my surgery. At your age your body will heal quickly and you will start to feel good a couple weeks after your surgery. Diet and exercise are key to your recovery. Good luck and stay positive. David Belisle

Hi Bethany, I had heart surgery at Northwestern Hospital almost 1 year ago, (at the ripe old age of 41) October 27, 2014. The doctors, nurses and surgeons at Northwestern are amazing and you are in very good hands! I am happy to answer any questions that you might have!

Bethany - I know the anxiety - it's normal. I had a bovine aortic valve replacement 21/2 years ago. I too was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, but mine held out until I was 70. The thing that got to me was shortness of breadth. I am in great shape - I have weighed 145 lbs for 30 years, spread over a 5'8" frame. I worked out hard the months up to my surgery - I paid attention to my legs & abs. It paid off - I was able to sit up right away & drove the nurses crazy with the pace of my walking. Walking after surgery is key - I had the surgery in Feb, 2013 and by July I was helping a friend build a house. I went back to teaching and am in my 3rd year back. You're young - your recovery will be faster than mine - the whole thing is not a walk in the park, but after 3 days it's not bad. Good luck to you - for the surgeons it's routine. For us it's not.

Bethany, Nearly 21 years ago, when I was 42 years old, I had my bicuspid aortic valve replaced with a St. Jude's prosthetic valve. Within a few weeks, I felt better than I had in years. Lawrence Cohn from Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston performed my surgery. My symptoms were quite severe by the time I had my surgery. I did not know how sick I was until I recovered. My surgery allowed me to raise my children into adulthood. I still work full-time and now have grandchildren to enjoy. I knew from childhood that I had a problem with my heart, but I did not know exactly what it was until years later when medical technology advanced enough to see the valve with an echocardiogram. I can honestly say that I have more energy now than I did before my valve replacement surgery. Good luck with your surgery. Hopefully, your outcome will be as good as mine was.