DeWayne's Journal

6 months post op. Hard to believe I actually had open heart surgery. All is well. Strength is better than before and I was mostly asymptomatic. Aortic root aneurysm and new valve. Scar hardly noticeable. Pick a good doctor at a high volume center and use this site to get real feedback. Surreal. God is good.

I haven't posted in a while. Just over 5 months since surgery. I am happy to say I am at 100% with zero residual effects. Strength in the gym is above prior to surgery and working towards getting to levels from a decade ago. Memories of the hospital stay are fading. Hang in there heart warriors!

17 week update. I now have pretty much fully recovered. Working on adding some weight via the gym. Pic is from last weekend during a blizzard at 8,000 ft elevation. I was at that elevation prior to surgery and needed oxygen. ps, the film I invested in won audience pick, best film! "The Fall" hopefully released within the next year. I also want to thank everyone for all your support thoughout the recovery. Thanks to Adam for making it all possible!

11 week report. Sitting on plane leaving Vegas from a trade show. No issues with walking pretty far distances. Sleeping a bit better. Pain in chest is worse. Guessing it's the luggage. Finally an opening for PT on Friday. I think that's going to be a breeze.

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9 week update. Cardio getting close to pre surgery. Not allowed to lift much so have quite a bit of muscle atrophy. Down more than 15 lbs. Sleep is hard to do for more than a couple hours at a time, not sure why. Pain persists on right side of chest. Can walk a long way now, Barrett-Jackson next week, will post photos. Sometimes I totaly forget I had surgery. Seems odd. Blood pressure was high for last month, Cardioligest adjusted to double it up, and things seem very perfect. Only taking 1/4 of what I took pre surgery. BP 116/65 Pulse 65. Im happy with that.

4 week anniversary today. Still some down days if I over do it. Feel really great if just in the recliner :) Blood work shows Kidney function back in normal range finally. Red Blood count still low. Local cardiologist appointment on Friday.

I thought I would take the time to update my status. Debra did a great job as we were progressing but things can change in a hurry. I am now 2 1/2 weeks out, just finished a 15 min walk and trying to do that 3 times per day. They want me to do more but I can't yet. I had increased by workout regime 3 to 4 months prior to surgery with cardio and weights 5 days per week, got my knees injected to walk without pain and felt I would knock this out of the park. I jokingly said to my new heart buddy Julie that I would moon walk past her room in ICU. We had surgery together at the same hospital on the same day. My legs are still very weak, so much for the workout prep. Anyway, the morning of surgery my surgeon arrived and gave me comfort that this was what he does everyday, relax. He was going to replace my Aortic anurysism and attempt to rehang my valve depending on its condition. Upon being wheeled into the OR every single doctor and nurse introduced themselves, and I listend as Dr. Roselli explained to the team what the plan was. As we got close, I was knocked out.
After about 6 hours the Doc called my wife and son into a conference room and said everything went perfect, textbook. They were unable to reuse my aortic valve as hoped as it was worse than shown on tests, so I received an Edwards Konnect with the Resillia valve already sewn in. This was the backup plan anyway. He explanied that his team was closing me up as we speak, and all was well. He was on his way to a conference but that his team was capable. At some point over the next couple of hours I started to bleed quite a bit thru my chest tubes. I was left intubated incase they needed to open me back up again. Unfortunatly the bleeding was heavy enough that I needed tranfussions which I was really trying to avoid. I was left intubated thru the night and into the next day, so probably another 16 hours or so. At that point the bleeding had slowed down but my kidney function was falling. Waking up with the tube is not fun and I had tried to prepare. Maybe just acting like a crazy person will get you put back asleep :). I am told that my first 12 hours in ICU had an awesome Doc and an RN (Max I believe) who helped stabalize me. Being in ICU another 4 1/2 days meant 9 nurses. 7 were fantastic and 2 should leave the profession. I did fall into Afib but the docs were quick to get that fixed over a couple of hours. A bowel blockage wasnt fun either. Once the falling kidney numbers started to come back I was moved to the general hospital. That was such a welcome relief. When you are in ICU you literly get no sleep. I was right at the entrance to the unit. Between the testing, beeping machines and hooting and hollaring by bad staff (nurses and cleaning crew) made in unbearable. Stepdown was so much nicer, cleaner, quieter and every single nurse were angels from heaven, other than the 4 am blood draw nurse who must think shes the female Zorro. I was left with 2 hematomas. I swear she just didnt get a darn. I complained and received a new one. I continued to improve and then had one more setback where my lungs were filling with blood. I was taking to a procedure room and had a wonderful, caring team drain each lung. 1.2 liters was in there. It was not painful, slightly uncomfortable only. A day or two later I was released to the adjacent hotel after a total of 4 or 5 nights in stepdown. I did develop a nasty cough that would throw me into spasms but a combo of meds by the team calmed it down. I unfortunaly broke the top sternum wire coughing. Thank God I asked for the sternum plates. Dr Rosellis staff is amazing and checked in everyday. I will say that you need to advocate for yourself. If something is not right, speak up. I am now having twice nightly night sweats that require sleeping on towels. They seem to be getting slightly better. I'm still black and blue all over. My incision is perfect but pretty long at 8 inches. Not that I really care.
While that all sounds bad, I met a guy in discharge who had his aorta replaced and felt guilty that it was so easy. My forever heart buddy Julie did much better than I did, we continue to check in via text and push each other. So, overall, there is no sure prediction on how the recovery will go. One thing to know is that you need it and you will survive. Hopefully the other events will fade into a forgettable memory. As far as pain goes, it's the least concern. They keep you very comfortable. 
I will see my local cardiologist in a week and half and verify everything and them back to Cleveland for final check with Roselli in mid February. I look forward to rehab and the gym. I went it at 173 lbs, got up to 191 in the hospital and now about 163. I had very little appetite but it is now returning as my taste buds wake up. Sunday eggs over easy with whole grain toast was heaven.
God Bless all of those who prayed for me. I know for a fact that prayer is powerful and may have been the difference. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I went back last month to meet with Dr Roselli and am on his schedule. I returned home to have an angiogram done here less than 2 weeks ago, and it shows a 50% blockage just in front of the stent. They cant fix it as I would have to be on blood thinners so the idea is too fix it when doing the surgery, however, my local Dr and the doc who did the cath are leary of bypassing it. I admit I dont fully understand why but will leave it to Dr Roselli to figure out. He also isnt real keen on reusing my valve due to the altered annulas geometry. I am confident that if my valve can be reused, and appears that it will last for at least 15 years, Dr. Roselli will make it perfect. Roselli will either rehang and modify my valve or if he doenst think it will last it will be the Edward Konnect device. Either way, the operation will be done anticipating a future TVAR surgery just in case. Doing further research, it appears that the Foldax Tria and other manufacturers are very close to making valves that will last a lifetime, so if a TVAR is in my future it should be a one time deal as long as this one will last long enough for them to get proven out.

I was diagnosed with an aortic root anuerysism about 5 years ago after getting an ekg that showed something was off. An echo showed the aortic insuffieciency and a CT confirmed the root anuerysim. I got a CT every 6 months for a couple years and as it was barely growing, I was switched to a CT once per year. 2 years ago there was enough growth that made me seek an appointment with a surgeon. I spent a lot of time watching videos on youtube to fully understand what the surgery entailed and what my options were. Dr. Eric Roselli stood out to me as one of the very best. I made an appointment to see him. While waiting in AZ for the appointment, I started having trouble breathings and was sent to my local hospital for an angiogram at which point I received a stent for a 90% blockage on left coronary. A few months later I traveled to Cleveland where I received another CT and an echo and met with Dr Roselli. His opinion was that my valve could likely be saved while replacing the aorta, and that if there where any addittional blockages they would do a bypass at the same time. I was not yet at the point of requiring surgery at that time so it was more watch and wait. Two years later, it is time for the replacement.