Barry's Journal

A question for Adam Pick & members;
I recently had a very successful Mitral valve Replacement surgery on April 15th whereas I purposely selected the Edwards Lifesciences "Mitris Resilia" Bovine Tissue valve due it's better technology anti-calcification properties just like the Aortic "Inspiris Resilia" Bovine Tissue valve has. ,,,,At the age of 64, now I'm situated for the future to utilize the valve-in-valve procedure utilizing the Edwards Lifesciences "Sapien 3" technology. ,,,,,,,I was directed at Jefferson Einstein(Montgomery) to take Coumadin for the 1st (3) month period due to the Mitral valve being a low flow type of valve where some blood can sometimes get stagnant versus the Aortic valve I had replaced back in 2016 being categorized as high flow. ,,,,,,,,,Does anyone know if the caffeine of having (1) coffee in the morning can affect the effectiveness of keeping the INR therapeutic range from 2.0 to 3.5....???

Greetings again Adam Pick;
Gotta question for Adam & any others who had the Ross Procedure done way back when.
Would I have been eligible for the Ross Procedure back in 2016 given that I had Upper chest mantle radiation therapy for the Early stages of Hodgkin's disease(2A) back in 1988. I'm a 37 year "Survivor" & doing great thus far!!! ,,,,I had purposely chosen the Edwards Lifesciences 3300TFX Bovine Tissue valve due its impressive track record of performance & longevity whereas many people already achieved 15-17yrs minimum with it. ,,,,,,,,I'm currently at 8.5yrs & the valve is still in excellent shape. ,,,,,,Just still curious if the Ross procedure could have been done back then because I wasn't aware of this procedure until after my very successful surgery on July 5th,2016. ,,,,,,,,,,,,Barry

A question for everyone;
Back in 2016, TAVR wasn't actually very prevalent & only a certain category of people had to be approved to have it done. These days it's very common & being done quite often as an alternative to OHS. ,,,,With the latest Edwards Lifesciences Inspiris Resilia Aortic Tissue valve technology, does anyone know what the required size that is necessary to take advantage of the TAVR "valve in valve" procedure down the road. ,,,,,,,,,In looking back into my 2016 Edwards Lifesciences literature that I had acquired, I never once read that either 23mm or 25mm was actually the minimum size required!!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Any Input would be greatly appreciated.

Greetings everyone;
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I'm interested in getting a 2nd/3rd opinion like I have always done in the past but this time it's relevant to Mitral Valve Stenosis due to Upper Chest mantle radiation therapy received back in 1988 for the early stages of Hodgkin's Disesase(2A). ,,,,I'm a 36yr "Survivor" doing great & with no symptoms whatsoever. ,,,,,,Just doing my Homework!!!
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Can anyone recommend a specific Thoracic Surgeon/ Doctor that you had great interaction with that has radiation therapy "late term effects" background that you were referred to at the Cleveland Clinic???. ,,,,Thus far, I'm only aware of Marc Gillinov from back in 2016 when I got a 2nd opinion from him relevant to Aortic Valve stenosis in which he said take care of my issue within a (6) month Range & don't wait any longer.
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Any other additional referrals would be greatly appreciated.,,,,,,,,,,,,Barry

Greetings everyone!!! ,,,,,,,,Haven't been on this website in a while but a conversation that I recently had with a coworker Heart valve patient prompted me to ask this question. ,,,,I realize that the TAVR procedure has forged ahead over the years & has been quite successful for many. ,,,,But how much has the Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement(TMVR) Technology progressed these days??? Has anyone already had this procedure successfully done & if so, who specifically were you referred to do it & what was your overall experience like may I ask??? Any relevant information would be greatly appreciated.  ,,,,,,,Barry

For anybody who previously had a Mitral valve replaced, had anyone chosen an Edwards Lifescience Magna Mitral Ease Perimount Bovine tissue valve 7300TFX Model??? ,,,,,,If you didn't choose this particular valve, I would value your input as to what you actually did select & why???

For anybody who previously had a Mitral valve replaced, had anyone chosen an Edwards Lifescience Magna Mitral Ease Perimount Bovine tissue valve 7300TFX Model??? ,,,,,,If you didn't choose this particular valve, I would value your input as to what you actually did select & why???

A question for anyone who has had an aortic valve replaced in the past. ,,,,,Has your Cardiologist always required you to get an echocardiogram each & every single year since to track it's functionality ,overall condition & performance in addition to your ejection fraction percentage???

***To celebrate Adam's new HeartSurgery.com 5.0 Launch, I've decided to post this one more time with a few additional comments with the possibility of helping even just one future Heart valve patient in 2018/2019. .,,,,,,The (5) things that enormously mattered & hugely worked for me that I considered the most important are the following because I lived it on July 5th,2016 when having an aortic valve replaced. ,,,,,,,, 1.) Invest in yourself by purchasing & thoroughly reading Adam's Book titled "A Patient's Guide to Heart Valve Surgery". It was the best $29.95 I had ever spent ever!!! ,,,You'll get educated & develop an understanding relevant to everything as to what's about to happen to you every step of the way. ,,,,,,#2) Do your homework & research regarding the past history of the Thoracic Surgeon, his track record of success & efficiency that you are hiring to do the job. Do not let any Cardiologist just randomly select any Heart Surgeon for you!!! ,,,,That being said, the longevity of the surgical team he's been working with also hugely matters too. They are usually all in "sync" like a finely tuned Ferrari because they've worked together for 15_20_25+ years. ,,,,#3) Based on your age category,study your valve selection to ultimately make your choice & discuss it with your Cardiologist or Thoracic Surgeon. It's the information age & there is a ton of information online relevant to this. 4.) Rent an electric Recliner for the downstairs which will slowly stand you up vertically. During the 1st 2-3 weeks & possibly more, you simply don't want to be pushing off getting out of a conventional bed with your arms & be putting any unnecessary strain on your upper chest area where your incision is. 5.) After the surgery is over & you leave the Hospital, have a family member(s) or friend(s) stay with you 24/7 for the initial 2-3 weeks as a just in case. It will give you total peace of mind knowing someone is there. But if any of them are & were previously sick around the vicinity of helping you, tell them to stay away. ,,,,You certainly don't need any additional unexpected issue(s) to develop why you are recovering!!! ,,,,.,,,You simply have to ask yourself the what if's!!! ,,,Example_ What if I wake up at 2am with atrial fibrillation/accelerated heart beat or any other related side issue(s) that could possibly happen??? ,,,,,,,Mark my words, I did my sizeable research in a span of 3-4 months, acquired (3) 2nd opinions from some of the best Thoracic Surgeons around the Country & only then committed to a surgical date because I was 110% totally prepared "knowledge" wise. ,,,If you make the time to study the overall process relevant to what I'm actually saying here, you'll be totally prepared & most likely anxiety & stress free knowing your in terrific hands overall. ,,,,,,,I myself actually walked out of the hospital (3) days later after the surgical date on only 500mg of Extra strength Tylenol & barely even needed that. A special thanks goes out to Kathleen Dewitt for hugely sharing her experienced advice/input with me during 2016 additionally. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Good Luck to Everyone!!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,barry.kanick@volvo.com

***I put this together this evening to possibly help a future Heart valve patient in 2018/2019. The (5) things that enormously mattered & hugely worked for me that I considered the most important are the following because I lived it on July 5th,2016. ,,,,, 1.) Invest in yourself by purchasing & thoroughly reading Adam's Book titled "A Patient's Guide to Heart Valve Surgery". It was the best $29.95 I had ever spent ever!!! ,,,You'll get educated & develop an understanding relevant to everything as to what's about to happen to you every step of the way. ,,,,,,#2) Do your homework & research regarding the past history of the Thoracic Surgeon, his track record of success & efficiency that you are hiring to do the job. Do not let any Cardiologist just randomly select any Heart Surgeon for you!!! ,,,,That being said, the longevity of the surgical team he's been working with also hugely matters too. They are usually all in "sync" like a finely tuned Ferrari because they've worked together for 15_20_25+ years. ,,,,#3) Based on your age category,study your valve selection to ultimately make your choice & discuss it with your Cardiologist or Thoracic Surgeon. It's the information age & there is a ton of information online relevant to this. 4.) Rent an electric Recliner for the downstairs which will slowly stand you up vertically. During the 1st 2-3 weeks & possibly more, you simply don't want to be pushing off getting out of a conventional bed with your arms & be putting any unnecessary strain on your upper chest area where your incision is. 5.) After the surgery is over & you leave the Hospital, have a family member(s) or friend(s) stay with you 24/7 for the initial 2-3 weeks as a just in case. It will give you total peace of mind knowing someone is there. ,,,You simply have to ask yourself the what if's!!! ,,,Example_ What if I wake up at 2am with atrial fibrillation/accelerated heart beat or any other related side issue(s) that could possibly happen??? ,,,,,,,Mark my words, I did my sizeable research in a span of 3-4 months, acquired (3) 2nd opinions from some of the best Thoracic Surgeons around the Country & only then committed to a surgical date because I was 110% totally prepared "knowledge" wise. ,,,If you make the time to study the overall process relevant to what I'm actually saying here, you'll be totally prepared & most likely anxiety & stress free knowing your in terrific hands overall. ,,,,,,,I myself actually walked out of the hospital (3) days later after the surgical date on only 500mg of Extra strength Tylenol & barely even needed that. ,,,,,,,Good Luck to Everyone!!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,barry.kanick@volvo.com

Has anyone tried again to add a photo along with their "write-up" on their own Journal page instead of the patent news feed & actually be successful??? ,,,,,,,,,,,Tried to do this a handful of times since December of 2016 and no success as of yet. ,,,,,Has the sequence in steps changed??? . ,,,,,,,,Barry

Does anyone currently know when I go to "My Journal" page, it won't let me add a photo. I click on the words "Add Photos" & nothing happens. Is there something I'm missing here??? ,,,,,,,,,Barry

For those that have already had Heart valve surgeries in the past, has anyone used anything other than the "Mederma" Scar Gel products in the 1st couple of months after your incision has healed properly to improve it's overall apperance & actually have good success with it??? ,,,,,,,,,,Barry

Today marks exactly (5) weeks that I had my Aortic Valve replaced with an Edwards Lifesciences Pericardial Magna Bovine Tissue Valve(Model #3300TFX) & I definitely feel terrific. I get up each day, have a little breakfast & then walk my Road course that I setup in my development for approx 2-1/2 miles. I then do the same in the early evening when the cool temperatures exist. ,,,,,,,,For those having upcoming August & September surgery(s),,,,try not beat yourself up beforehand & please don't compare yourself to other peoples outcomes & then anticipate the same issue(s). ,,,,,,Everyone definitely has different experiences & levels of patience!!! ,,,,,Back to work on August 15th to an easy Design type job sitting behind computers for Mack Truck Inc.( 6 weeks off was just right for me) ,,,,,,Hell, I don't even consider my job as work anymore!!! ,,,,,,,,,,,Barry

No Atrial Fibrilation,,,,,No Accelerated Heartbeat(s),,,,,No infections,,,,,,Blood pressures hovering around 119/70,,,,,& No side issue(s) whatsoever..........so far!!! Walking an estimated 35-40 minutes each day & more in preparation for the Cardiac Rehab program. I think I hit a Home Run in selecting the expertise of Dr Raymond Singer here at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Network(LVHN) Better Days Ahead!!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,Barry

To all you future Heart Valve Surgery candidate(s) who are about to have surgery within the rest of July & August. The purchase of Adam Pick's book was the best $29.95 I have ever spent & invested on my own personal Healthcare!!! It provided me with the leverage of knowing every little detail relevant to the overall "Aortic Valve" Replacement procedure before & after. I had a total awareness as to what to expect & was totally prepared on all fronts. This is what I hugely give credit to when tackling the overall Hospital stay with ease & all the sequential things they had to do from Day1 to Day 5. I knew exactly what they were gonna do & why before they actually did it. No anxiety,,,no spikes in blood pressure,,,& no loss of sleep leading up to the Surgery date of July 5th. One of the single biggest things I extracted from Adam's book is how he got family & friends to stay with him for the 1st (14) days when discharged home after the initial Surgical week in the Hospital. That's what I call being Rich!!! ,,,,I actually put together & applied the same approach. That being said,between the expertise of Dr Raymond Singer & his entire Surgical team who has been together in the vicinity of 25 years already, this just gave me huge inner peace to actually commit to the surgery. ,,,,,If I can be of help to anyone, please read my detailed (10) day Post Op Update that I recently posted on my own Journal page. ,,,,,,Barry *****That which does not kill us, makes us stronger*****

Greetings to all past & future Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement(SAVR) Candidates,,,,,,,,,,, Yesterday was my 1 week Post Op date & I am writing this update so I can possibly hugely help the next person who has this Surgery in the future. My surgery was hugely successful on July 5th & the next day I walked all the way down to the end of Ward to my new private room in the Transitional Open Heart Unit @ the Lehigh Valley Hospital(LVHN.Org). On the 3rd day post op(July 8th),,they even contemplated already releasing me but I stayed Day #4 just to play it safe.,,,,During the (4) days after the surgery I was in "zero" pain & sometimes only a slight discomfort when I intermittently coughed but that's what the "Heart Pillow" is for. ,,,,I walked away from the Hospital on only 500mg of extra Strength Tylenol. I never really had the need to accept Oxycontin or Oxycodone. Being that I am hugely an active person & hike the Continental Divide in Colorado all of September each year. ,,,,I had chosen the Edward LifeSciences Pericardial Bovine Magna Tissue Valve Model #3300TFX. This is the most current latest generation of Bovine tissue valves available these days. I additionally chose this specific tissue valve with the notion that the TAVR procedure is perfected even moreso by the time I'm 70 yrs old(just 14 years from now). My current tissue valve has an estimated longevity timeframe of 10-15yrs from now therefore they can just plop another new tissue valve right into place within the Valve I just recieved via the femoral artery in my upper leg. ,,,,I also had chosen Dr Raymond Singer here at the Lehigh Valley Health Network due to having one of the best successful track records here in the State of Pennsylvania. He had performed approximately 6000+ Cardiac surguries of which an estimated 3000+ involved "Heart Valve" surgeries.,,,,,I would most definitely highly recommend him to absolutely anyone!!! Dr Raymond Singer actually took the photograph above whereas I documented & shared with him how I researched & mapped out several of the highly touted Surgeons from around the country demonstrating their extensive Accomplished Track Records.That all being said, I would hugely recommend to anyone to purchase Adam Pick's book(The Patient's guide to Heart Valve Surgery). ,,,,,,I read & studied that book twice before surgery & it provided me with a total awareness of what to expect when it comes to absolutely every relevant detail of the Surgery before & after. ,,,,,,,,I was totally prepared!!! A special thanks goes out to Adam Pick for creating & writing this book in addition to his hugely Innovative Website. I had acquired a ton of extremely helpful information from various people who already had valve surgery & who were about to commit to having valve surgery. The Input & experiences made a sizeable impact on my overall Perspective(s). ,,,,,,A shout out to Kathleen Dewitt,,,,,,Your the Best!!! ,,,,To David Augustus(A huge Thanks!!!) ,,,,,,,,,,,,,Barry

A question for anyone. I took notice that a variety of people seem to find sizeable comfort in the usage of a Recliner after the initial week of surgery. An educated guess tells me that your trying to duplicate the inclination of the electric hospital bed for comfort. That being said,wouldn't pulling the typical large lever on the side of a recliner aggravate your sternum area somewhat??? ,,,,Unless your always having someone do it for you ,,,,,,,,Barry

Can anyone please tell me when I select my own personal journal page("My Journal") as to why all of a sudden there are (4) guestbook posts that are exactly the same showing up that are written by Enrique K as it's actually directed to Alan Lonsberry???

***Greetings Since December of 2015, I have recently acquired (2) 2nd opinions from Dr Gillinov @ the Cleveland Clinic & Dr Joseph Bavaria @ Penn Medicine near Philadelphia that is actually just a 1hr 10 min drive south of me.Both suggest to have aortic valve replacement surgery soon(next 3 months) due to my Av area dipping below 1.0 to .7 for the very 1st time late last year since we discovered a heart murmur in 2010. It was then 0.6 on January 29th,2016.,,,,I am currently asymptomatic & have no issues whatsoever.,,,,I still feel like a million bucks & still swim after work each day. That being said,,,the leading culprit for the calcification on the aortic valve seems to be due to the radiation I had back in 1988 for the early stages of Hodgkins disease.The New England Journal of Medicine even states a 30yr latency period for possible valvular disease. I'm currently near that at year 28. ***As an outpatient for the Hodgkins Disease in 1988,,,the doctors were marveled how I actually blew thru the treatment like it was a common cold!!! ,,,,I am now currently debating with myself on selecting the Cleveland Clinic(6hrs away) or Penn Medicine(1hr_10min away). ,,,,,,I do realize Cleveland Clinic has been ranked 1st in cardiology for last 15 years & Penn Medicine is around being 7th. ,,,,,,,Any thoughts/input from anyone on this issue would be greatly appreciated!!! ,,,,,,,,,,Barry(56yrs old come June 5th)