About Me (In My Own Words)
A lot of you are at the begining of your valve replacement journey. I know you are full of questions and possible aprhension with this serious medical condition. I am new to this site but by sharing my 23 year very positive valve replacement experience I can give you a long run perspective with positive outcomes.
I was at first asymptomatic ,2002, even jogging (without SOB) My PCP found new murmur. Echo lead to dx of aortic insufficiency..news to me. I needed AVP and was told it would wear out in about 12 years. At age 55 I was warned repeat surgery in 60s and 70s may be hard to recover from. So after extensive research I found out about Ross Procedure that had the promise of not requiring re-surgery. But I could not find a surgeon in Boston to do it at that time. I went to Dr. Paul Stelzer in NYC....he was among the Ross pioneers. After opening me up he found my pulmonic valve looked like it had been through a "meat grinder" So I had a porcine valve replacement. Of course it was full blown open heart cutting. I was on heart lung machine 6 hours due to complications. I found recovery painful. Being fearful of repeat surgery in my older years...making it even harder to recover..I committed to healthy diet and aerobic workouts...I was religious about it and always kept in touch with Dr. Stelzer who moved to Mt Sinai,NY. Mr piggy didn't wear out until 20 years later!!!!! Dr. Stelzer said it was the longest he had ever seen for Medtronic Freestyle..
Imagine my shock when my Cardiologist in NH said I didn't need open heart again..they did a TAVR, piece of cake . A bovine TAVR inside porcine av...my own little barnyard. I'm glad I wasn't versed on TAVR as I probably would have been a couch potato. Anyway I have lived 23 years with a dx of aortic insufficiency but have had a very healthy life,now age 77, with the miracle of heart valve replacement medicine. Best of luck to all of you.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Manchester, NH
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My surgery date is:
April 6, 2003
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
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My hospital is:
Beth Israel NYC/ Concord Hospital, NH
