Steve's Guestbook

No doubt about it, the best surgeon. If you wouldn't mind traveling all the way to NY, Mount Sinai is the place to be. Best cardiovascular clinic! Good luck.

Hi Steve, No, my daughter does not know Dr. Khalpey, I'm sure he is a fine surgeon. I will pray for your next meeting with him and please let him know your concerns. I'll be praying for you. I know how nerve wracking this is. It's wonderful what they can do for you though. The surgery itself is not as bad as one conjures up in their mind. The funny thing for me is I don't remember being taken to the OR and it seemed like it was 5 minutes after being in pre-op I heard someone tell me "Ruth, it's over!" It was the weirdest thing ever. The first couple weeks were the hardest for me. Not that I was in any pain but just being dependent on another person to help me through the simplest tasks. Ha Ha It's gets better each day though. Again, my prayers for you!

Steve, I had surgery almost 6 weeks ago in Tucson, AZ. My surgeon was Dr. Kushagra Katariya out of Pima Heart. My surgery took place 29 Sep at the Tucson Medical Center. I cannot say enough good things about this surgeon. If you need a second opinion, I highly recommend him. He replaced my aortic valve with a pig tissue valve and dealt with an aneurysm also.. Prior to surgery he told me he wasn't sure he was going to deal with the aneurysm because it was only 4.2. I was concerned because I didn't want a repeat OHS. When he opened me up, he saw he needed to deal with the aneurysm and replaced my aortic root. I am feeling good every day. It's no walk in the park but it's doable. I never suffered any pain, just uncomfortable and weak at first. My daughter works as an ICU in St. Mary's and she said for you to stay away from Dr. Dereck Von-Haag. He was actually recommended to me and her and others steered me clear from him. I hope this post helps some. My prayers are with you.

Hi Steve! I saw that you go in for the same surgery as me one day before I go. I read your latest journal entry and can totally sympathize with the feeling of it not quite having hit yet, too. I hope you have a smooth surgery and great recovery. I will be thinking of you Tuesday... I look forward to seeing your posts during recovery and comparing notes with you! :)

Hi Steve. I'm pretty new to this group but I had my first valve job in 1984 when I was 30 yrs old. I got a tissue mitral valve (told me it was "bovine") and it worked great for 12 yrs and then I spent a few more yrs getting worse until, at the 14 year mark, I had surgery again to replace the tissue valve with a mechanical one. I do hear the valve sometimes, (especially because I have A fib) when it is very quiet (like at night). But you do get used to it. With the mechanical valve you need to take warfarin for the rest of your life, but it's not so bad once you get the dosage and diet in sync. I had my tricuspid valve replaced with another mechanical valve in 2005. I'm still ticking! Only you can decide whether to go with the tissue or the mechanical valve. Just do realize the tissue may not last long (my Dr told me I did well getting 14 yrs. out of mine. Perhaps advances have made valves last longer. Your Dr should be able to give you an idea of the life of the valve. Hope your surgery goes well.