KEVIN's Guestbook

Jane Welp  You are very brave! I enjoyed reading your AVR story knowing you inspire others now. This is day 7 in the hospital and am hopeful my breathing has improved enough for today to be DISCHARGE day!

KEVIN RYAN  Great to hear from you, Briana and Joe! How are you doing now that you are back at work? Your testimony was very instrumental in my decision to have the Ross with Dr. Stelzer.
My brother and I are leaving for NYC Sunday, March 19th. We will spend a day visiting the World Trade Center museum. Pre-surg testing on Tuesday the 21st. and surgery scheduled for the 22nd. My other brother and mother will visit during the end of the week thru part of the following week. A buddy of mine will fly out to accompany me during return flight, hopefully on 31st.
I was sooooo stressed during the decision process. Finally, I came to terms with "letting go and letting God." Had three very timely and meaningful conversations with Dr. Stelzer and he answered my e-mail questions quickly and thoroughly which was very reassuring!
In a weird way, I am feeling honored to be carrying forward the legacy of my donor's pulmonary valve.
Would love to meet up with you guys after recovery.
In Him,
Kevin.

Briana Morgan  Great to hear from you, Kevin, and to hear the good news. That is a relief thatGod has provided you with the family and friend support that you will need. We are happy to hear about your decision and will keep you in prayer. Dr. Stelzer was always so great at getting back to us with our questions and concerns all throughout the process , beflre, during, and following surgery. I'm amazed at how accessable he makes himself to his patients. If you have any questions getting ready for surgery let us know. Don't forget to pack a plug in heat pack for in the hospital and after discharge. It helps those sore muscles. Heat also helps irritated IV sites. God has you in his hands. Trust in Him.

KEVIN RYAN  Heat pack...good advice! Thanks for the supportive sentiment and prayer! Really spending a LOT of money in flights/hotel for everyone...I will need to get back to work before I even leave :-). BTW how are you doing? Restrictions at work?

Briana Morgan  I'm doing great! Back to work and doing overtime to pay my bills. No restrictions and actually feeling better than before surgery. Definitely recommend cardiac rehab to get your heart back in shape and ready for work.

Briana Morgan  I felt the same way about the expenses. I had a very supportive family. My parents paid for flights and hotels for the four of us, so we could do it right away. Otherwise, I would have needed to put it off 2-3 months just to get in a little overtime for expenses there.

KEVIN RYAN  Hi, Ashok: I have been reading, talking, listening to surgeons and patients who have experience with the Ross procedure. While my cardiologist feels the Ross has lost steam; surgeons who actually do the procedure ON A REGULAR basis seem to believe in data that is favorable in terms of hemodynamics; mortality; quality of life; length of life when compared to either mechanical or tissue valves. The key seems to be...if one goes to a center with surgeons who regularly perform the Ross; outcomes are much better than with those "wanna be" centers which do not have volume/experience. The Ross has been vastly improved from the early days.
I also recently read a post from one of this blog's community members who has had a negative view of the Ross. In fact, if given a chance to rethink the Ross, he says he would have chosen mechanical instead. He has suffered from re-stenosis of pulmonary vessel/valve.
So, I am not at all sold on any option at this point. I am waiting for Dr. Paul Stelzer to review the results of my echo/history, etc. and to recommend Ross or not. If I turn out to be a candidate for Ross...I will probably go for it...but I have to tell you...I have been waking in a cold sweat on a few nights lately...afraid of the whole process.

KEVIN RYAN  37 mm mean; 80mm peak; considered moderate to severe; no obvious symptoms...but am finding ways not to clean house...vague/insidiously tired?

Ashok Vaid  People have gone on for years with moderate-severe stenosis ...I guess they wait for severe symptomatic stenosis ..

I am intrigued by the ross procedure as the quality of life seems to be superior but I am concerned about long term ... > 15 years after ross .

KEVIN RYAN  http://www.orlive.com/bethisrael/videos/the-ross-procedure-for-aortic-valve-replacement-
Ashok: here is a link to an informative video of the Ross actually being done.

KEVIN RYAN  Hi, Bob. I am currently scheduled for aortic valve replacement with Dr. Marc Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic in 4 wks. However, I am in talks with Dr. Paul Stelzer at Mount Sinai in New York regarding the Ross Procedure. He should be reviewing my Echo and all the reports this week. So, I should know if I am even a candidate for the Ross soon. How are you doing? When/where are you having your surgery?

Bob Fessler  Kevin, I was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis at the end of 2015. No surgery is scheduled as yet. But when my cardiologist and I decide to do the replacement, I'll probably have it done locally with either Dr. Barnhart at Swedish or Dr. Verrier at University of Washington. We shall see. I plan to hold off on surgery as long as I don't have symptoms and my heart does not start enlarging. New procedures, equipment (like Minimized Extracorporeal Circulation (MECC)) and valves (such as the St. Jude Trifecta GT approved last year) are always being introduced. So I'll try be patient without being reckless.

KEVIN RYAN  Hi, Stephanie. My story? Past: Firefighter/Paramedic retired after 25 fantastic years!! Current: retail pharmacist. Future: who knows, maybe a Physician's Assistant?
Medically speaking: bicuspid aortic valve with severe stenosis; not really symptomatic...but tentatively looking at surgery to replace on Valentine's Day (wouldn't you know it.)
How are you doing?

Stephanie Jones  I'm recovering really well. amazed at how good I feel. feels as if i didn't have surgery anymore. this is crazy.

KEVIN RYAN  Very encouraged by that...and inspired!! Looking forward to your progress! Keep on tickin' as Adam says. :-)

Alexa Aveta  Dr. Stelzer preformed my surgery this past july and I couldn't be happier than I am now. He honestly is the best surgeon I've met and has incredible bedside manners. He did a beautiful job on my heart and I would recommend him to anyone in need of his services.

KEVIN RYAN  Hi, Bob:
I want to meet with Drs. : Vaughn A. Starnes at USC, Paul Stelzer at Mount Sinai in NY, and Marc Gillinov at Cleveland Clinic regarding the Ross Procedure vs. standard mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR). I am just getting started with research...and am open to others. I have a friend who had good mechanical valve results from a surgeon in Everett. I am sure there are many great surgeons...but not many who do the Ross procedure.
Best,
Kevin.

Bob Fessler  I can certainly understand there would be fewer surgeons having a lot of experience with Ross procedures. I'm going to need an AVR which of course is very common and am thinking about staying local at Swedish with Dr. Barnes. We shall see.