Ryan's Journal

Donna Casaletto  Check out Scar Strips CVS has their own brand and they’re fantastic!! I don’t think they make the incision shields anymore. 

Donna Casaletto  You’re welcome! Post op your incision will be covered with surgical strips that you’ll need to keep on for a few weeks. 

Robert Miller  Had to google this but I am still not much smarter. Is this for protecting your incision from infections? Or is it so that clothing that rests on your chests doesn't bother you?

For the former, I wouldn't worry too much. For the first couple of weeks don't shower too long. Don't take baths where the wound is exposed to water for an extended amount of time. Don't take the stuff off by yourself but let it come off by itself. When you dry off, don't rub the towel on the wound but just tap to dry and then let it dry by the air. 


If it's the itching from clothing rubbing on the wound then I don't have much advice. For me it was annoying but not a major issue. I would avoid anything that covers it and traps moisture. 

George Gardopee  Hi Ryan. I wrote a detailed description of my angiogram in my journal. Scroll down to the post in my journal labeled “My Experience at the Cleveland Clinic” ( the fifth post down from the top).  The section labeled “Testing Day 2” is entirely about the angiogram.  I found it to be not a big deal. Very little discomfort and great drugs to keep you relaxed.

Marie Myers  I also found that the angiogram was much easier than I expected. With the Versed (midazolam) sedation, i only remember bits and pieces of the procedure, and I do not remember any pain or discomfort. I felt awake in the recovery area, and after the recommended time, was discharged home without problems. I did have a huge area of bruising on my right arm, where they went through my radial artery. 

Susan Lynn  Ryan - I had mine (wrist entry) without any sedation and chatted with my cardiologist the whole time! The procedure only lasted about 20 minutes and was completely fascinating to watch on the screen. Since I didn't have sedation, they released me an hour later. Piece of cake!

Rita Savelis  Angiograms are very common and standard practice before surgery to make sure your arteries are clear. You're awake and the interventionist goes in (with the narrowest of tubes) through your wrist or your groin and checks for blockages in arteries. It doesn't hurt and you just lie there and let it happen. If the groin is used, you have to lie down for a few hours afterwards. You may have a few bruises afterwards, but that's all. Take care.

Pamela Gregory  I was worried of coarse but it wasn't bad. No real pain at all and interesting to watch the screen. Went home a 2 hours later.

Ryan Born  Thanks everyone for the Angiogram advice.  I did mine on Wed 5/17 and it wasn't bad.  All done and no blockages noted.  Now onto the next steps hopefully they review the results and I can get a surgeon to tell me what they recommend.  Likely going to have OHS in the coming months.  Appreciate all of you very much.

Rose Madura  Hi Ryan. Welcome to the site. You have come to the right place for encouragement and information. For perspective, I had a bicuspid aortic valve and hand it replaced in 2017 with a tissue valve, along with an ascending aorta and arch repair. I was 59. I'm hoping to get 15-20 years and then have a TAVR for the 2nd replacement.  Do your research, get a second opinion and you can use the surgeon finder on this site or others from California will chime in. This is doable. Odds are in your favor.  Waiting is rough as is choosing the valve. Godspeed.

Ryan Born  thank you Rose!  has everything gone ok (for the most) part with your valve over the past 5 / 6 years?  meaning you're still on track to get 15 to 20 years (hopefully much longer) until the next procedure? 

Rose Madura  Yes!  You know, I did have some complications for about 3 months after the surgery, but once I got through it all, I feel great!  God only knows how long my valve will last. I have an echo coming up this summer so I'll glean lots of information from that.  

Klara Čičić  Dear Ryan you are in the best place! Welcome to this amazing community. We know how you feel. You will find all the information you need on this site, just take it one step at the time and collect information, educate yourself as much as possible. We are here for you 

Andrew Dial  Welcome Ryan. I’m 34, and had my Ross procedure along with Dacron graft to replace my ascending aorta last June. I was born with aortic stenosis and it was also bicuspid. My biggest piece of advice is to research research research. You must be your own advocate in this stage of your journey. Talk to people, read, ask questions, watch videos. Learn. Get second opinions. You are in the right place and are well on your way… plz let me know how else I can help.

Pamela Gregory  Hi Ryan, Glad you found this site! As the others have said, learning as much as you can is very helpful in making decisions along with getting personal experiences from heart warriors on this site. There is a lot of information Adam has organized on the site making it much easier. This is a time when everything feels overwhelming. Everyone on this site literally knows how this feels and we have all lived through it with the support of each other! Please don't hesitate to ask anything. If we can help we certainly will.

STEPHEN MORRIS  It's nice if you have the time to research...and fully recommend. Mine was an emergency..so no time to research...surgery was to save my live at that point. I was very fortunate to have had the aurgeon I had. He wasn't the initial surgeon assigned, bit my case was more complex than initially thought. Had to make decisions in matter of hours.