Thank you for a FANTSTIC web site and hello to all and good health.Feeling very stressed and twitchy just now as having my Aortic valve replaced on Thursday ...Read more
Thank you for a FANTSTIC web site and hello to all and good health.Feeling very stressed and twitchy just now as having my Aortic valve replaced on Thursday 10.I was born with a murmur and a bicuspid and originally was going to have TAVI procedure but a panel of surgeons decided my Aorta was to badly calcified for it to be a success and it will have to be ā open heartā .I knew I would eventually have to have it āfixedāand I always said I could never even contemplate open heart but it seems if I donāt I will probably not see the end of next year so that got my attention and itās now plan B.Strange thing is I donāt have one symptom i,e, out of breath etc.Any ways,here I go and I will keep everyone up to date.Take care all and stay wellšš¤
Rose Madura Noel, you don't always have symptoms and sometimes, if you do, they are symptoms of heart failure m t ... Read more
Rose Madura Noel, you don't always have symptoms and sometimes, if you do, they are symptoms of heart failure m the tests tell the talem it's best to have it fixed if the tests indicate it needs it.
Robert Miller In retro perspective I had first symptoms about 3 months before I had surgery. Those 3 months before ... Read more
Robert Miller In retro perspective I had first symptoms about 3 months before I had surgery. Those 3 months before I thought I was just a bit out of shape. This was skiing with a teenager and crazy and VERY fit young adults in their 20s. I had no problems walking up stairs, being on an elliptical almost every day, etc. Two months later it was pretty clear something was wrong and I needed quick surgery (had it done 2 weeks later). My heart was very much enlarged. I now have a leaky valve again but no symptoms yet. I do have my open heart surgery scheduled already. My point is, don't wait until your heart gets more damaged by pushing the unavoidable out (based on your statement it is indeed unavoidable). I wish you all the best for your surgery. Try not to be afraid of the surgery itself. You will be monitored constantly, have medical stuff that can get to you in a very short time, etc. The recovery is a bit harder and probably will take anywhere from a few weeks (until your bones are healed) to a few months. Do these lung exercises... After that you will have many more years doing what you used to do.
Ed Eller Hi Noel, going for OHS is a lot for a person to process. I am now nearly 3 weeks past my surgery and ... Read more
Ed Eller Hi Noel, going for OHS is a lot for a person to process. I am now nearly 3 weeks past my surgery and I am grateful every day at how well it went and how good I'm feeling. I'm now walking 1+ miles a day and have no pain. I hope your surgery is at least as successful. It is remarkable what these doctors and nurses can do!
Brady Busch Your condition seems similar to mine.Not really any symptoms,other than a murmur and maybe a little t ... Read more
Brady Busch Your condition seems similar to mine.Not really any symptoms,other than a murmur and maybe a little tired walking up steep hills.Mine was bicuspid also.I remember though,a comment the doctor,supervising the cardio cath,saying,that my heart was most likely strong enough to compensate for the aortic valve problem.
Had a scan today to check my carotid arteries and they were like all my arteries ,good condition .Just that damn Aortic valve stenosis.Anyway going for my op.on ...Read more
Had a scan today to check my carotid arteries and they were like all my arteries ,good condition .Just that damn Aortic valve stenosis.Anyway going for my op.on Thurs . 10th. Wish me luck.š„“
Subhash Chandel All the best Noel. Things will start getting better.
Marie Myers You can do this! Do something nice for your self while you are waitingā¦
Claudia Kwalbrun Noel, As I was told from the heart warriors, you got this. This site helped me get through my surger ... Read more
Claudia Kwalbrun Noel, As I was told from the heart warriors, you got this. This site helped me get through my surgery and it will help you too.
Susan Lynn Noel - We'll be cheering for you! You can do it!
Greg Lewis Hi Noel! You will have a great operation! I want to tell you that you are going to come out of this m ... Read more
Greg Lewis Hi Noel! You will have a great operation! I want to tell you that you are going to come out of this much stronger. More than you thought you could! You are going to learn some absolutely priceless things!! Dont worry! If you like, ask me about any worry you have. Maybe i can help. I have had a lot of experiences this year. I have to go into Physio now. So dont worry, my friend, everything will be more than ok !!!
Klara ÄiÄiÄ Noel, everything will be fine, you can do this! We are here for the support and encouragement. Focus ... Read more
Klara ÄiÄiÄ Noel, everything will be fine, you can do this! We are here for the support and encouragement. Focus on positive things, this surgery will fix you, and you will be stronger. Going through this whole experience will make you stronger human being and you will appreciate and enjoy life even more. Good luck!
7 days to go before my surgery and I am trying to focus on the positives i.e. I should feel much better than I have and move forward with my life which has ...Read more
7 days to go before my surgery and I am trying to focus on the positives i.e. I should feel much better than I have and move forward with my life which has basically been on hold for a while.I intend to not rush things and get myself stronger and fitter(and a lower golf handicap )So saying ,the realty is I really am feeling very anxious and a bit stressed and I am hoping once āthingsāget under way it may change these feelings .I am also concerned about a bad mucus (PND) problem I have and hope it dose not cause any complications.I must tell everyone the strangest thing about all of this is I do not have one symptom of my stenosis (we do have images and a murmur).I guess I should be thankful we caught it early.Thanks for listening and it does help to be able express my feelings Take care and stay well .
Richard Munson Good to hear positive vibes. Keep it up. Improving your golf game might be a stretch however. Next yo ... Read more
Richard Munson Good to hear positive vibes. Keep it up. Improving your golf game might be a stretch however. Next youāll be expecting heart surgery to add 10 yards to your drive.
Ana Brusso Right attitude Noel. Keep it up. Some of us didnāt have symptoms just lucky it was detected. Stay p ... Read more
Ana Brusso Right attitude Noel. Keep it up. Some of us didnāt have symptoms just lucky it was detected. Stay positive and we are here for you.
Rose Madura Stay strong Noel. You will feel so much better after your surgery and you are fully recovered.
Susan Lynn Waiting is definitely the worst part of the whole process. You'll be ready to just put it behind y... Read more
Susan Lynn Waiting is definitely the worst part of the whole process. You'll be ready to just put it behind you next week. Try to find a good distraction and plan something fun for next month. Goal setting can be helpful in maintaining momentum. You can do this!
I was born with Aortic murmur which has developed into stenosis.Oh, and it is also bicuspid .Iwas booked in for TAVI which I was O.K. by me with but my ...Read more
I was born with Aortic murmur which has developed into stenosis.Oh, and it is also bicuspid .Iwas booked in for TAVI which I was O.K. by me with but my surgeon told me it was too badly calcified for the procedure and open heart was my only option which would allow the removal of the calcium and a safer outcome.I always said I will never have open heart surgery but when you donāt have another option it is of course a silly thing to state.I am booked in for the op. in a weeks time and if I am honest about it I am getting very āstressedā out about it.One of the things bothering me is having my sternum wired up and the wires remain in.Surely our bodyās would reject such a thing.Still I am sure they know what they are doing.šµāš«š„“
Marie Myers Yup, those surgeons know what they are doing. I had the full open heart surgery thing done 5+ years a ... Read more
Marie Myers Yup, those surgeons know what they are doing. I had the full open heart surgery thing done 5+ years ago, and my wires are just a part of me now. They donāt set off metal detectors and they donāt hurt. Since I am very skinny, I can feel the wires along the right side of my sternum. The body does not reject this type of metal āsutureā any more than it would reject a total hip or knee. . It really isnāt as bad as it may sound to you at this time. Hang in there, acceptance will come to you if you let it. Listening to acceptance and relaxation videos helped me through the early stages of anxiety. You can do this!
Brady Busch I may have been born with a bicuspid aortic valve also,not sure if they can become that way after a p ... Read more
Brady Busch I may have been born with a bicuspid aortic valve also,not sure if they can become that way after a period of time.There was also a mitral problem,along with atrial septal defect.My surgery went okay and they used wires and plates for the sternum.The body probably doesn't reject those things,at least to my knowledge.
Tom Everson Everyone has a different experience My problems were very similar to yours. , did not qualify for a ... Read more
Tom Everson Everyone has a different experience My problems were very similar to yours. , did not qualify for aTAVR surgery. The only discomfort I had from opening up my chest were sore shoulders ( muscles going places they never been before ) My chest healed fine Follow ALL the instructions from your heart team . No heavy lifting etc. i was 78 when I had surgery and I am glad I did ALSO THANK EVERYONE who comes in your room to help you.
Noel Cullen Thank you Marie and Brady for you encouraging words and kind thoughts.What a wonderful web site and I ... Read more
Noel Cullen Thank you Marie and Brady for you encouraging words and kind thoughts.What a wonderful web site and I find it really is a big help to connect with people who have gone through this and can discuss the procedure and outcomes.
Noel Cullen Thanks Tom for your kind words and encouragement .
Rita Savelis OHS lets the surgeons see what's inside very clearly and make decisions as they work. I also had much ... Read more
Rita Savelis OHS lets the surgeons see what's inside very clearly and make decisions as they work. I also had much stenosis and OHS was the best way forward. It's good when you can trust your doctors. I don't remember any problems from sternum wires (7 years ago). It's amazing how the body heals, but it does need time. Also I remember the anesthesiologist telling me that cutting the sternum causes no pain and she was right. I had no pain of any kind after surgery. But LOTS of discomfort and exhaustion. Wishing you the best. Please allow your body to heal at its own pace after surgery.
Kenneth Southard My surgery was June 30th. I think my sternum may been a little slow to heal, as I would say that it ... Read more
Kenneth Southard My surgery was June 30th. I think my sternum may been a little slow to heal, as I would say that it has just been over the last month or so, that I no longer feel anything. I remember after getting the okay to drive at 5 weeks, it still hurt, so I didn't drive unless I had to. At two months out, I heard that it was supposed to be back to normal, but I still had twinges of pain every now and then for a month after that. I was actually starting to think that there would always be some pain.
Dr. Christopher Mehta is a world-renowned heart valve surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques.
I am from: Mandurah, Australia
