Amazing story Sara! Congratulations on your baby girl. A story like that sends so much hope to the rest of us. I\'m 1 month out from my Mitral Valve repair. ...Read more
Amazing story Sara! Congratulations on your baby girl. A story like that sends so much hope to the rest of us. I\'m 1 month out from my Mitral Valve repair. Thanks for sharing. Goes to show life does move forward.
Wishing you continued success on life\'s journey!
God bless you, Sara. Congratulations on the recovery and your new family. May this experience always remind you of the precious nature of each breath!
Linda ...Read more
God bless you, Sara. Congratulations on the recovery and your new family. May this experience always remind you of the precious nature of each breath!
Linda Johnson
I weighed 179 leaving the hospital while I entered 176. one week after AVR and at the cardiac rehab place I had lost down to 166. So for a man it took about ...Read more
I weighed 179 leaving the hospital while I entered 176. one week after AVR and at the cardiac rehab place I had lost down to 166. So for a man it took about a week. No special meds or anything. I am 1.2 mos post surgery. Hope this helps.
Matt
Sara Sayle Thanks Matt. I am eight days post op. and have only lost about 8 of the 15 lbs that I gained. But, th ... Read more
Sara Sayle Thanks Matt. I am eight days post op. and have only lost about 8 of the 15 lbs that I gained. But, those 8 lbs have come off in two days ...
I'm glad to hear no meds were needed. I'm gonna wait it out a bit.
Sara, from what I remember my water weight was gone in a day or so. I think I directed to take the medication for a week. But I was completly opposite of you. ...Read more
Sara, from what I remember my water weight was gone in a day or so. I think I directed to take the medication for a week. But I was completly opposite of you. That water weight came off and I was under weight for about 8 weeks.
Travis
Sara Sayle Thanks Travis. Hopefully I will also be under weight for 8 weeks, althought I doubt it.
Wow...your experience sounds so positive..Congratulations... I had my aorta replaced and was in ICU for 8 long days..
Stay positive, do all the doctors tell ...Read more
Wow...your experience sounds so positive..Congratulations... I had my aorta replaced and was in ICU for 8 long days..
Stay positive, do all the doctors tell you most of all
PRAY HOPE AND DONT WORRY.
GOD BLESS
JOHN MADONNA
Sara Sayle Hi John. I was so surprised at how long I was in the hospital for. But 8 days in the ICU ... wow!!!! ... Read more
Sara Sayle Hi John. I was so surprised at how long I was in the hospital for. But 8 days in the ICU ... wow!!!! But, I guess having your aorta replaced is a much bigger job than just your aortic valve.
Best Wishes to you Sara for a pain managed procedure, and a text book recovery. I hope you are ecstatic when this is behind you!
-Jennifer Turner
Sara Sayle Thanks Jennifer! So far so good. Hopefully recovery will continue to go well. Am super glad the proce ... Read more
Sara Sayle Thanks Jennifer! So far so good. Hopefully recovery will continue to go well. Am super glad the procedure is getting further and further behind me.
Hi Sara,It\'s now kind of late in the day (Tuesday) so I hope you are resting in the hospital.If you do read this before surgery.......Know that the head ...Read more
Hi Sara,It\'s now kind of late in the day (Tuesday) so I hope you are resting in the hospital.If you do read this before surgery.......Know that the head Dr.(The one upstairs)is watching over you.You will be great in a day or 2.After 6 weeks......LIKE BRAND NEW.Just listen to the Docs.and Nurses!!! Peace and strength sent your way.....
Sara Sayle Thanks for the well wishes. I'm starting to feel more like myself now on day five. Six weeks must be ... Read more
Sara Sayle Thanks for the well wishes. I'm starting to feel more like myself now on day five. Six weeks must be spectacular!!!
Oh my gosh, I just went back and reread your Journal & realized that you\'re having Surgery tomorrow. God will be there with you through it all, you\'ll be ...Read more
Oh my gosh, I just went back and reread your Journal & realized that you\'re having Surgery tomorrow. God will be there with you through it all, you\'ll be fine & my Prayers are starting right now for you Sara!
Sara Sayle Thanks so much! I still can't believe that it's been almost a week!!!!
Oh, thanks for explaining that to me, and yes ... that makes perfect sense for a young woman not to want to have to take Warfarin if she\'s pregnant. Being ...Read more
Oh, thanks for explaining that to me, and yes ... that makes perfect sense for a young woman not to want to have to take Warfarin if she\'s pregnant. Being the Mother of 3 Sons, I guess I never thought about that side of it. The INR Tests are what Tristan has to take once a month at the Hospital, to keep track of how thin (for lack of a better word), his Blood is from the Warfarin, so NO you won\'t have to find out about those Tests. How soon are you having your Surgery? I\'m going to pray for you, and being young and otherwise Healthy, I know you\'ll be O.K. It WAS scary for me as a Mother, because I would\'ve rather been the person laying there on that Operating table, than to have my 18 yr. old (youngest), Son laying there instead. But it was all worth it, because he\'s doing great now, and so will you. Stay strong Sara, you\'re in my thoughts!
I had my surgery in May of this year,I had a lot of concerns and I too read alot about the surgery.The one thing that helped me the most is the prayers that ...Read more
I had my surgery in May of this year,I had a lot of concerns and I too read alot about the surgery.The one thing that helped me the most is the prayers that I said for strength and peace. I did get that and with all the support I had with family and friends help so much. The scar is still pretty noticeable but has lightened up since the beginning. I hope you the best and congrates on your up coming wedding.
Sara Sayle I agree. I don't know what I would do without my family and friends. They've been so amazing. I feel ... Read more
Sara Sayle I agree. I don't know what I would do without my family and friends. They've been so amazing. I feel truly blessed.
Thank you for the comment. I hope you're doing well and feeling great!
Hi Sara,
I can\'t begin to tell you how much better you will feel after this is done, but you will. I\'ve just celebrated my 3rd year since my surgery, September ...Read more
Hi Sara,
I can\'t begin to tell you how much better you will feel after this is done, but you will. I\'ve just celebrated my 3rd year since my surgery, September 17th, 2009. The words that have stuck in my head up to my day was my surgeons words\' You\'ll going to feel so much better\". He was right. One more note. Cardiac physical Theropy. Get out of bed as soon as you can, and start walking. Best of luck and stay strong.
Duane Schlosser
Austin, Texas
Sara Sayle Thanks Duane! Conrats on 3 years post op. I can't wait until I'm there!!!
Hi sara. Hope the surgery goes well. I\'m 23 days post surgery now and things seem to be going ok. Will be looking out for your further entries to see how you ...Read more
Hi sara. Hope the surgery goes well. I\'m 23 days post surgery now and things seem to be going ok. Will be looking out for your further entries to see how you got on.
Sara Sayle Oh good, I'm glad you're doing well at the 23 day point! Thanks for the comment :-) I hope your recov ... Read more
Sara Sayle Oh good, I'm glad you're doing well at the 23 day point! Thanks for the comment :-) I hope your recovery keeps going as well as it's gone this far.
Hi Sara, My Son Tristan, had Bicuspid Aortic Valve and he had a Mechanical valve (On-X), put in when he was only 1 month short of his 19th Birthday (11/09). ...Read more
Hi Sara, My Son Tristan, had Bicuspid Aortic Valve and he had a Mechanical valve (On-X), put in when he was only 1 month short of his 19th Birthday (11/09). He had his heart Surgery on Friday and went home from the Hospital on Monday. He\'s doing great now, but it\'s hard to keep his INR tests at the correct range. We asked if he could not have a Mechanical valve, so he wouldn\'t have to be on Warfarin for the rest of his life, but we were told that at his young age, he would have to have one (or more), additional Heart Surgeries to replace the Bovine valve, because they aren\'t made to last nearly as long as his expected Lifespan. So I was just wondering why your Surgeon isn\'t doing the same thing for you, since you\'re also very young? Just curious. Prayers go out to you, and it will not be as painful as you\'re imagining ... at least that\'s what my now 20 yr. old Son tells me.
Sara Sayle Hi!! You know what's strange, I don't even know what INR tests are. I am sure I'll find out soon enou ... Read more
Sara Sayle Hi!! You know what's strange, I don't even know what INR tests are. I am sure I'll find out soon enough, though.
I'm glad your son is doing well now that it's been a year. I can understand why your surgeon wanted Tristan to go with a mechanical valve. The bovine and porcine valves only have a 10 to 15 year time span. I will have to have multiple open heart surgeries (at least one more, maybe two). But because I'm a young woman with hopes of starting a family in the next year, it's much much MUCH easier to be pregnant (for mother and child) if you aren't on Warfarin.
So, if I were in my situation as a male, I would go mechanical. But I think many women in my age bracket choose to go with a biological valve simply because they don't want to have a difficult pregnancy.
I hope your sons feeling better than ever. I hope I will, too! :-)
Sara, I had a congenital defect repaired at age 43 and remember feeling very nervous as well. Now that I am healed and its done, in hindsight it wasnt that ...Read more
Sara, I had a congenital defect repaired at age 43 and remember feeling very nervous as well. Now that I am healed and its done, in hindsight it wasnt that bad and if I had to do it again, I would be at ease now. Dont let the unknown get you nervous ! You are doing a good thing for yourself and your fiance.
Brian
Hi Sara,
2 years ago November, I had a porcine valve \"installed\" and my aortic root replaced. I have had the best 2 years of health in many years. ...Read more
Hi Sara,
2 years ago November, I had a porcine valve \"installed\" and my aortic root replaced. I have had the best 2 years of health in many years.
Wish you and your fiance many happy years together.
David Belisle
My son was 24 at the time of his surgery. He was also engaged and in between his last 2 semesters of law school. He had a full open heart procedure with bicuspid ...Read more
My son was 24 at the time of his surgery. He was also engaged and in between his last 2 semesters of law school. He had a full open heart procedure with bicuspid aortic repair. Because he was young he, too was home on day 4 and he was walking aroung like crazy by week 3. He went back to school and work after 4 weeks. He really did not complain of too much pain. I wish you the best of luck with your wedding.
Hi Sarah... I\'m scheduled for this Wed. and feel a lttle more ready than I did a few days ago!! I was born in Vancouver many years ago but parents emigrated ...Read more
Hi Sarah... I\'m scheduled for this Wed. and feel a lttle more ready than I did a few days ago!! I was born in Vancouver many years ago but parents emigrated to US.... have many relatives in the area. Tough pill to swallow to be so young facing this....you are doing great with all this!! I will be holding you in my heart as you face this big hurdle and then the joy of your upcoming marriage. My daughter sent me a lovely tought....\"you never know how strong you are until being strong is all you have left.\" That has helped me a lot to see how strong I am!! I will follow your progress.
Sara Sayle Good luck with your surgery Sunny!! Ican't believe we'll be in the OR in 24 hours!!!! I will be thin ... Read more
Sara Sayle Good luck with your surgery Sunny!! Ican't believe we'll be in the OR in 24 hours!!!! I will be thinking about you as well and I will be following you're progress through recovery, too. We can do this!!!!!
HI Sara,
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and getting a surgery date so quick.
I will be following your story and I want to get some feedback on what to ...Read more
HI Sara,
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and getting a surgery date so quick.
I will be following your story and I want to get some feedback on what to do to minimize the scar. Are you going to rub anything on it? Is it ok to rub anything on it? These are things I don\'t know anything about, I guess I haven\'t gotten that far yet.
I can\'t take coumidin so the mechanical valve is out of the question, even though my cardioligst keeps talking about it, I put my foot down and just told him no more coumidin for me.
Loving this site, all the stories, words of encouragement, people able to follow my journey.
Talk to you soon,
Kelly
Hi Sara, Dean Muglia here. I had the same condition as you but also needed a repair to my ascending aorta which was slightly bulging. I had this surgery in ...Read more
Hi Sara, Dean Muglia here. I had the same condition as you but also needed a repair to my ascending aorta which was slightly bulging. I had this surgery in January 2011 so I am still a pretty recent patient !! I am 50 years old and in good shape going into the surgery.
I was out of ICU in 12 hours and out of the hospital on day 4. They did a minimally invasive procedure which required a 4 inch incision down the middle of my breastbone. My surgeons comments were interesting.....he said people coming into this in good shape and my age and younger \"fly\" thru this. I would not say I flew though this but I guess I did relative to an older person. It has now been almost 9 months for me and at times I forget I had the surgery.
So keep up the positive attitude and don\'t push yourself during recovery. Move at the pace your body allows.....not the pace your brain allows. You will feel great mentally but the body will not be in the same place. Listen to it !! and you will do great.
All the best....Dean
Hi Sara
Welcome to HVJ and congrats on your upcoming wedding.
I had my OHS for BAV ten weeks ago(mechanical valve). It was a tough few days, but I\'m feeling ...Read more
Hi Sara
Welcome to HVJ and congrats on your upcoming wedding.
I had my OHS for BAV ten weeks ago(mechanical valve). It was a tough few days, but I\'m feeling great now.
CopiedSlide.jpg each day. You should google Barbara Walters. She had the surgery a year ago and there are some pics of her scar--which is barely visible!
I know the thought of OHS is panic-invoking, but (as others have said) it will all be ok. Just take it easy and let people take care of you.
I\'ll be following your journey.
Blessings,
Kent Kersey
Salem, OR
Sara, Welcome to HVJ. I had full open heart surgery on March 29 to fix my BAV and am recovering really well. I have a few observations to share with you. First, ...Read more
Sara, Welcome to HVJ. I had full open heart surgery on March 29 to fix my BAV and am recovering really well. I have a few observations to share with you. First, the pain in the incision area was surprisingly very minimal. In fact, I think that many others would agree. After three days I was only taking Tylenol. But it is really important that you follow the rules. Take no short cuts. For example, be disciplined about not moving your arms above your head in the beginning and not carrying any weight until they tell you to. This is hard because after only a few weeks you will be feeling a lot better and have more energy.
About the scar, as Ricki said below, they are good at minimizing the severity of the scar. The skin heals quickly and so will the incision. The most important thing is protecting the breastbone. See comments above. As for the appearance, I agree with Ricki, wear it proudly. I do. Search for my blog on this site for my documented experiences. You may find it helpful. Contact me directly at david.fanson@gmail.com if you want one on one discussion.
The good news is that this sort of thing is routine for heart surgeons. Trust in their expertise and follow the rules. Did I say that already???
David Fanson
Hi Sara!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You should be feeling pretty good by January although you might need more rest than usual that day. ...Read more
Hi Sara!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You should be feeling pretty good by January although you might need more rest than usual that day. Everyone heals at a different rate so don\'t push yourself. You\'re the bride . . . let everyone wait on you!!
As for your scar . . . it really will depend on where they make the incision AND what kind of surgery you have . . . minimally invasive? Full sternectomy? Somewhere in between? I had minimally invasive surgery when they replaced my bicuspid aortic valve in May 2010. My scar starts at the top of my cleavage and goes up 3 inches. Most places glue the incision so it\'s really not bad looking. Even in the months after surgery it wasn\'t a big deal. As someone above said, wear it proudly - it is your badge of courage. BUT, I understand that on your wedding day you want to look your best. Talk to your surgeon about your concerns.
Best of luck with your surgery and your wedding!
Ricki Shine
Thank you for your comment. I'm starting to feel better already. I think I'm probably going to need a full sternectomy, but I will ask my surgeon during our consultation next week. I would really prever a badge of honour that was minimally invasive :-P Did you go with a mechanical or biological valve?
Upcoming Surgeries
Brandie Shea
Mitral Regurgitation
October 21, 2025
I am from: New Westminster, Canada
