Chris's Journal

Well, my surgery was 10 days ago. Yesterday, I went outside for the first time for a little walk on the grounds of the rehab hospital. I went down a ramp that covered the equivalent of six stairs, sat for a rest, went down another six stairs and walked 50 meters to take some pictures, and then...developed double vision. I made my way back, got checked out and was told to rest for the rest of the day. The ramp walks were equivalent to walking for 20 minutes and the stairs another 20 minutes. Lesson learned!

Well, I'm all set for tomorrow. Bags are packed, chlorhexidine all applied, and ready to go. I'll be offline for a few days but I hope that I'll be able to post a brief note Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for encouragement and support! Chris

Oh well ... surgery was to be done on Wednesday April 22. Unfortunately, that's on hold now while people figure out what to do with a blood problem - von Willebrand, which reduces the ability for the blood to clot. The hematologist ran the tests on Friday on a hunch after hearing about the gastric bleeder I had earlier on in January/February. The stenotic heart valve can affect the blood by removing a certain clotting factor because of the stress caused by the stenotic heart valve. Oh well....

Well, it's been an eventful month. I had something called Dieulafoy's lesion in the small intestine. It was quite the bleeder: in the end, I had to have another 12 units of blood before it was sealed up, and from what the surgeon said, it could recur. This of course has an influence on what type of heart valve I'll get: biological or mechanical. My heart surgeon told me that if the risk of recurrence was anything but minimal, then the mechanical valve would be ill advised because of the need for warfarin. So, more discussions will have to happen to figure out the risk, though my guess is that the GI surgeon will classify the risk as moderate, not minimal. In a way, that would be welcome: it would simplify the decision making process.....

Well, I'm now home from that adventure. Strike Celebrex off my list of meds for a bad neck! Blood count is back up above 100 now, no leaks. I managed to see my heart report, so I've got the stats: AVA = 1 square centimeter, mean gradient is 46 mmHg, peak aortic velocity is 4.5 m/s. The aorta is at the upper end of the normal size. I guess I'll find out more when I have an angiogram on the 19th...

Well, that was an eventful few days. I was just diagnosed with aortic stenosis last Friday. I'd been feeling really rough for a few weeks, and was glad to get things identified. Still had to get a cardiologist though. This past Wednesday night, I had a long luxury bath, and had just gotten ready for bed. All of a sudden, I had a really bad pain in my chest. I try thought "that really hurts" -and the next thing I know, I was hearing my wife talking to 911. EMS, fire dept, police all showed up and it was off to the hospital. It turned out that the celebrex I had been on had burned a hole in my stomach. 4 units of blood later, my bp went from 90/55 to something more normal, haemo went from 54 to 91, and heart rate went back down to a modest 90 bpm. The cardiologist at the hospital took on the heart side of things. The first consult was a general one, but then 15 minutes after that, he got the records of all my tests from my GP, and I had another consult. This time the conversation tree ion was far more direct: Surgery asap , giving some time to completely heal the stomach and fix the blood chemistry up, then angiogram and surgery. Forbidden from driving shoveling snow, lifting things , work etc. Apparently the aortic valve opening is some sized, so surgery is to be done swiftly. Well, that one way to get a cardiologist quickly..but not recommended! Hope to be going home tomorrow for a few weeks and then. In for surgery. Any advice for preparation for this surgery? Chris

Yeah - I just got my cardiologist. It turns out that she did her fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Her name is Jenny Wu, and I hope to meet with her soon...

Well, I was just told that I've got aortic stenosis. We knew that my aortic valve was bicuspid, and that there was a heart murmur, but the progression from last March to last week was fast: asymptomatic last March, a few symptoms last August, then nothing, and then symptoms again this week. No marathons for me! (or home renovations .. :) )