About Me (In My Own Words)
I am a 50 year old male. During the early part of the pandemic, I was diagnosed with BAVD with stenosis and regurgitation/Aortic Aneurysm. I didn't know what that was or the implications. It also caught me by surprise when my first cardiologist, Dr. Tenzer at Ascension in Chicago (Talcott Rd), recommended surgery right away and frenetically presented me with a list of prosthetic options during my first appointment. I thought my condition meant that I could drop dead from heart failure at any moment, and was alarmed to say the least.
After freaking out a bit, I calmed down and thought more rationally. So I then sought out additional opinions. Dr. Goldstein of Advocate in Park Ridge was the guy I needed at that point. He calmly assured me that I would indeed need surgery one day, but the idea to go under the knife that summer was undeniably absurd. He even laughed and shook his head. So that calmed me down even more and motivated me to learn about the disease a bit.
Still, after hearing very different opinions on surgery timing, I remained disturbed. This lead me to Adam Pick's work. After purchasing and reading a copy of his book, I reached out to NW in Chicago to get a third opinion (Dr. Sweis). Her assessment mirrored that of Dr. Goldstein's. This calmed me down even more.
Next came 5 years of testing and waiting, until my left ventricle showed signs of significant enlargement, and the aortic valve displayed "severe reguritation." Aneurysm remained relatively steady at 4.1cm during this time period. It still remains a mystery to me as to when this aneurysm grew so much, since there hadn't been much growth during those 5 years. Every time I lifted weights, I wondered to myself, "is this it?" Will aortic dissection occur on this rep? (Note: my 2 new cardiologists recommended I go easy on the weights, which I did, but this was a gray area nonetheless).
So then came my surgery, which I ended up having performed at Mayo Clinic, by Dr. Bagameri. The reason I chose Mayo was my first impression of their overall operation. It was sound from top to bottom. The information desk employees are cheerful and helpful. The employees in their gift shop are even jovial. But most of all, Mayo's testing was at a level I had never seen. My first echocardiogram lasted 2.5 HOURS!! Now that was what I considered precision and dedication to detail. A doctor even viewed the echo, as the technician produced the images, actively collaborating together real time. I mean, he was literally there in the next room watching. My cardiologist at Mayo is Dr. Ammash, who is the coolest guy you could meet. My surgery occured on 9/2, with a discharge date of 9/6. I am now back home in Chicago and in the process of recovering.
Anyway, after this long winded intro, my question to anyone who reads this relates to chest drainage tubes. How did you feel about your chest tubes? Were they uncomfortable? Was it unpleasant when they pulled them out? And if so, what was the level of that pain you felt? Were you nervous? How did the nurses describe what you'd feel, and how did that align with reality? The reason I ask is that these tubes were the most significant source of pain and agony during my journey thusfar. Pain meds did not help in the least. On my second night at the hospital, a wonderful night surgical nurse practitioner named Carissa hypoyhesized that muscle relaxers might help. And indeed they did more than any pain med, but that fear of anyone going near the drainage container remained. My worst fear was that someone would accidentally kick the container or jiggle the tubes around. I even shooed my wife away from the container if she so much as got within 3 feet of it. I was a helpless sitting duck in there. What I find odd is that although I've seen chest tubes mentioned a bit in literature and Adam's site, never have I seen an account of trauma to the point where one might become panicked about anyone so much as going near the drainage container. I tell you, every time a nurse lifted those tubes to empty into the container, I physically gasped, and some vitals alarm would beep on the machine. Without fault. Every time. One of the nurses even told me the pain was from me moving, not the touching of the tubes, which I just had to shake my head up and down and feign agreement. One thing you will need to do is find a smart nurse willing to discuss your pain. Also, beware of shift changes. Info can get lost from shift to shift. Some nurses are dumb, some are callous, sime are warm and comforting, some are great listeners, some are people pleasers who help the squeaky wheels of the i
unit, some are brilliant. Very wide variety there. Anyway, once they took these tubes out, which was excruciating in itself, and required 2.5 full pulls, I felt like a new man. I could breathe and felt free. The feeling was euphoric. I didn't even sleep that night because I was so relieved.
Adam's work has helped myself and my family, especially my Mom. She eenjoyed his book, bringing her much comfort the night before my surgery and in the waiting room the day of.
In the end, I ultimately decided to go with a mechanical valve. The thought of maintaining an appropriate INR with Warfarin and aspirin use, along with bleeding risk, doesn't bother me too much. This was an extremely difficult and complex decision and will be different for everone here.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Chicago
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My surgery date is:
September 2, 2025
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Dr. Gabor Bagameri
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