Matthew's Posts

I had a full sternotomy for a (bicuspid valve) replacement with ascending aneurysm and root aneurysm repair at age 63.. The first 2 weeks were the roughest, but thankfully, I had no complications. I started rehab at 3 weeks, and did return to work part time at 8 weeks. I was in pretty good shape to start with. It can be different for everyone, and whether or not you experience any complications can make a huge difference. The mini and robotic approaches can definitely improve your recovery time. Just prepare yourself for overwhelming fatigue those first 2 weeks. That is what surprised me the most.

Hi Matthew I have similar story, with bicuspid aortic valve that progressed to severe in a few years. I am 66 now, and just had SAVR July 9, 2026. I went for several opinions, and all recommended a tissue valve via SAVR. They all agreed that I will eventually need another valve replacement as the tissue valve has a limited life of maybe 12-15 years. So when I need the next replacement, they will do it via TAVR. It seems that if they do the first valve SAVR, then the second one can be TAVR which will spare my future 80s self from open heart surgery. If they did the first one TAVR, the second one can'b be another TAVR. So, they said while I'm "young" and able to recover quicker, I should do the SAVR. I was happy with my choice of The Cleveland Clinic. I can't drive for 4 weeks after surgery, and will start rehab at the end of August. As far as pain, I did wake up from surgery in pain which they quickly addressed. When I left the clinic after 5 days, I was just on Tylenol. Still taking Tylenol as there is some pain at the incision point. Feel free to ask any questions, and I will be glad to share my experience.

Hi Matthew I small incision on my chest. I guess it’s called a mini. It starts about three inches below my neck and goes about 3-5 inches. Not bad at all compared to what I envisioned. I think I’ll be able to wear a blouse and it won’t show. All is healing nicely, but it takes time. I’m 4 weeks out and the upper part of the incision is still not healed shut

Mathew, Like you I had BAV with severe stenosis and was asymptomatic. We were pretty much the same age. I had the valve replaced via a mini (through the ribs) by Dr. Gaca (Duke). This was not a robotic surgery. My recovery was great. I was out of the hospital in 4 days. I was in good shape going in to the surgery. On the 7th day post surgery I walked 10 miles on tread mill (2.5 mph over 2 2-hour stints). When I mention my thought to get a TAVR at my age this group kindly and directly told me to think twice. If you want to talk more about my experience please reach out and we can connect.

Mathew, Pain was manageable, never took an opioid only use Tylenol and Aleve. Each are process by different parts of the body. the level of pain 3 to 4 weeks after surgery was a none issue. I went 4 hours on a tread mill at 2.5 MPH with in six days of surgery. I was moving a lot. I trying to recall driving, I am thinking at the end of the first month. Not sure what you mean by activities but at 2 months post surgery I went from patient to care giver. My wife fracture her heal and had two screws put in. She was immobile and I had to do everything. As I was posting in my recovery most would agree it was better then the average. With respect to TAVR they said I was too young (63) and in my research I agreed with them. Good Luck on your journey, Dan

Dan -- I was comprehensively talked out of a TAVR today by cardiologist Dr Yeung at Stanford. Dr Le the surgeon actually told me that I can wait till I am symptomatic BUT I also need shoulder and knee surgery sooner rather than later so probably wont. He also told me that his min sternotomy patients are driving in 2 weeks!