William's Guestbook

William Bowman  Great info, thanks! I had my surgical consult this afternoon. While Dr. Guo is willing to do the Ross, he recommended a tissue valve for my situation. I’m almost 63, so I can’t say that I’m surprised. Should I require re-intervention in my later 70s or 80s, a TAVR would be performed. The plan is to have the surgery in about 6 months. 😬

William Bowman  I may wind up going to St. Mary’s in the end. I know they do a lot of Ross Procedures. I’m unsure how proficient University Hospital is in the Ross. That is one of my questions, when I finally have a sit-down with the surgeon. It’s been almost two months since I was referred to the surgeon, and I have heard NOTHING. I’ve had no problems with University Hospital since my original diagnosis, but truthfully, after waiting for two months, and I don’t even have an appointment in the books for a surgical consult, it doesn’t leave me feeling very positive. On the upside, my symptoms remain moderate even though my valve is severe.

Sue Maize  William, I too, was interested in the RP, which I found out about from this community. One thing that every Ross patient emphasizes is the importance of having the surgery at a “Ross centre of excellence”—that means that it is regularly performed successfully at that hospital by not only the surgeon but also the whole surgical team. I had a consult with Darrell’s surgeon, Dr. Ashe, and was super impressed with his willingness to answer all my questions (over the phone). His admin assistant was incredible too, got me to send all my scans and tests right away and booked me in quickly. In the end I didn’t go with Dr. Ashe, but with another experienced Ross surgeon at Toronto General, Dr. Maral Ouzounian—also highly recommended (and closer to home). Because of some other issues that arose just prior to my surgery, it was seen as too risky to have the RP in the end, but TGH is definitely a Ross centre of excellence with several surgeons well experienced with it.  Maybe worth consulting both? 
whatever you decide, ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to seek more than 1 opinion until you feel satisfied with your choice. It’s a much smaller cohort of surgeons than what the US has, so well worth asking around. Reach out if you need anything more specific! 

Darrell Malone  Hi Sue. Nice of you to jump in. William as Sue mentioned Dr.Ashe is very good at listening and answering all my questions as well as my wife and son who also attended my appointment. I saw him in January 2024 and had surgery April 9, 2024. (They could have booked me sooner however we were not quite ready and that was fine with him).  I believe you would benefit by getting a referral to Dr.Ashe as well. Almost 2 years now and all is good. I'm very happy with my decision to do the Ross with Dr.Ashe. If you have any questions you can reach out and I will answer what I can. BTW we visit Port Franks at least once a year now as we have friends that have a trailer. 

William Bowman  That’s a coincidence that you visit Port Franks. We moved here from Woodstock a few years ago, and absolutely love it! It’s so peaceful, and the Lake Huron sunsets are phenomenal!

I had my surgical consult with Dr. Guo this afternoon. His recommendation for me was a tissue valve. Truthfully, given my age (almost 63), that doesn’t surprise me. I realize that a tissue valve has a shorter lifespan; however, should I need re-intervention in my later 70s or 80s, I wouldn’t need full open heart surgery again, as a TAVR would be performed, which, by comparison, isn’t a huge deal.

I need to undergo a CAT scan and an angiogram in the coming months, with the actual surgery happening in about six months. That works for me, as we’ll have better weather for the 1-hour drive to the follow-up appointments, and the streets here will be free of snow and ice for my walks as I recover.

I’m fortunate that I am not in an emergency situation where the surgery needs to happen right away.

Darrell Malone  Glad to hear everything went well with your appointment. It's also nice that your not in an emergency situation and you have time to plan. Things are moving!  Sunsets are awesome on Lake Huron we watch them every evening last year when we were there. Looking forward for this year's visit already. Reach out anytime.