Glenn's Journal

’m looking to hear from others who have elected to proceed with valve replacement surgery when asymptomatic, and input they can offer me on getting one’s head around the decision to proceed.
I am a 63 year old male born with sub aortic stenosis. I had open heart surgery at age 14 which was successful. I have always diligently consulted with cardiologists regarding the remaining regurgitations and how to best navigate aging with the conditions I have.
My Mayo Clinic (AZ) cardiologist and cardiac surgeon have advised that it’s time to undergo another surgery to address some long-standing issues. Specifically, the plan is undergo surgery in September to repair an aortic aneurysm, replace the Aortic valve and repair (or replace) the mitral valve. The measurements all suggest it is time to go forward, even though I am asymptomatic. The aorta is at 53 mm at the root and ascending aorta, and the aortic and mitral valves are in the moderate to severe range. Ejection Fraction is 52%, Left ventricle is enlarged (60 mm) and left atrium is also enlarged. These have been watched over the past five years and there is a general progression of these symptoms, but not catastrophically so.
The issue is I am asymptomatic. I feel great, in fact. I’m trying to get my head (and heart) around the decision to go forward while still feeling quite well. I can understand that it is better to address these issues while I am healthy, and that these issues will not spontaneously improve. I also am convinced that if I want to ensure a healthy and long life in the future, I should proceed with the surgery.
Yet, the decision to go forward with open heart surgery means a decision to go through a process that has a small but non-negligible amount of risk of death and a larger risk of some non-morbid complication (e.g. pacemaker implantation). A friend has also just recently had emergency open heart surgery to address an infected Aortic valve and he and his family are struggling with some pretty gruesome complications. It is unclear at this point whether he will survive, and if he does it will be in a significantly worse status than he was in before the surgery.
I’m hoping to hear from people with similar issues or who have navigated this process of going forward even when asymptomatic. For those of you who did so, what can you tell me about your experiences? Thanks!