Willie's Guestbook

Hi Willie Happy to read your story! I had bicuspid aortic valve surgery on Dec 4, 2019. I have been feeling great too and it was great to hear all your successes! I also chose the OnX valve and I had my surgery at Duke. Thank you for sharing your story. Right now I’m on 3 mg of warfarin and staying right around a 2. I was happy to hear that you have a tool to check your own INR and an app too! I am hopeful I can stop all these doctors appts I have been going to have it checked ♥️

Greetings Willie from Kansas, You are looking GREAT!. Last Summer, at age 55 I went to the Mayo Clinic in MN to have my aortic valve replaced with the ON-X mechanical valve. I wasn't born with a bicuspid valve, just a regular valve that developed into a severely leaky valve. Mayos/St. Marys has wonderful people. My surgeons, Dr. Arghami and Dr. Puig were terrific - friendly, professional, and I knew I was in good hands. Dr. Arghami was born in the same month/year we were at Mayos in 1979 for my mom's valve replacement surgery. Take care and thank you for your update.

Th aks for commenting in my journal. I am not sure if/how people can track the replies if not in your own journal, so just wanted to thank you here. I am having AVR in Cleveland and appreciated how much detail you provided. Very reassuring and positive! Inspiring. Keep pushing, man!

Hi Willie. Just wanted to say Thank You for your reply to my inquiry re: sound of the valve after surgery. Glad to hear you are doing so well, and, that after 4 months you barely notice it. I know what you mean about it almost being "comforting"......kind of like having a good "mate" (as they would say here in England!) with you all the time. Wishing you continued success & recovery.

Hey Willie-great news on your 90 day check up! That’s great news my man even with that effusion sounds like some meds will take care of the fluid. To answer your question-no pec incision at all. That 2 inches under my arm pit was it. Dr. Lamelas replaced my aortic valve and my Ascending aorta aneurysm up to the hemi-arch in that incision. Chest tube was the only real pain I had and once that came out Day 3 I was under a 3 from that point forward. I was walking 4 miles at week 2 and walking 5 miles by week 3. Glad your doing well man!

How did you ended up selecting Cicek, M. Sertac M.D. as your surgeon? There are several surgeons at Mayo Clinic Rochester; Dearani, Pochettino, Greason, etc.

Hi, how are you doing? How is your recovery going? Are you following some physiotherapy plan or you are pretty much on your own? How are you getting used to the ticking?

Willie- Good luck and positive thoughts coming your way! You can do this! We'll be looking forward to your updates and welcoming you to the recovery club!

Hi Willie, I had minimal AVR and ARR in 2015 through the right side of the chest with no sternum open or ribs cut. Please keep in mind that not every patient is a candidate for this procedure. The surgeon has to be highly skilled to perform the procedure and make sure he is an expert in minimal invasive surgery. My choice of valve was a freestyle aortic root valve (porcine valve) and I don’t regret my decision. Please read my journal it has valuable information on what realistically you can expect before and after surgery. Good luck with your decision!

Willie, I was in a similar situation to yours: 30s, BAV, active lifestyle with no symptoms and no stenosis. I had my surgery in October -- a valve repair at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Lars Svennson. He was amazing and the recovery has been so much better than expected. So keep your hopes high. I am very surprised your surgeon said a repair would have you back in surgery in 5-7 years, as that's not what Cleveland Clinic's data is showing (their repairs last MUCH longer). I'm also surprised that your surgeon said he has to perform the full sternotomy. At Cleveland, the minimally invasive seems to be standard for routine surgeries, with great success. Check out Dr. Svennson's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zowjyj1Y4sQ If you are a candidate for a repair (not everyone is), I think it's far preferable to either of the replacement choices. At least that's the choice I made. Perhaps you want to go for a second opinion at Cleveland. They can even do it remotely if you send them your tests -- check the website here: https://www.eclevelandclinic.org/onlineSecondOpinionProductHome I visited three major heart centers and decided on Cleveland once I got a second opinion there. I don't live in or near Cleveland, but it was well worth it. Best of luck, --A recent BAV repair patient (I prefer not to post my personal details)

You should read Cathleen DeWitt's story. I am 60 and had a TAVR In October of this year. The surgeon and cardiologists believe the valve, which is a Edwards Sapien 3, will last as long as a SAVR valve. I was home in 36 hours and walking 4 miles in 3 weeks. Just had to wait until my leg healed. They assured me they could do a valve in Valve when I next needed. Just something to think about. I was lucky to qualify for Tavr. Hopefully in the future everyone will.