Sean's Journal

Deena Z  Happy place!  Congrats.  10 months and you are feeling much more "normal" or better than such by now.

Daneen Douglas  This is wonderful!  So happy for you.  This gives us hope for what life will be like after recovery!

Deena Z  Just shows us how far OHS has improved, since his surgery over 10 years ago.  Incisions are smaller and recovery is generally faster. -and safer!

Dan S-otts  Thanks for sharing this Sean. I also had a great experience having what I call my rebuild at the Cleveland Clinic last February. Dr. Marc Gillinov and crew were fantastic. 😎

Chris Germano  This is a great article. I'm going under the knife in a week. Jeff Green wrote exactly what I needed to hear. And Sean's racing is exactly what I needed to see. Thanks Sean.

Sean Adkins  I was able to tolerate the drive home at 10 days. It was about 5 1/2 hours with stops. You just need to be sure to try to stand and walk every hour 

Dennis Shaffer  So inspirational!  I am 1 week out for a similar surgery... getting nervous.  This gives me so much hope. Thank you

J Alexander Lassally  Wow, an inspiration for us. And you had a sternotomy last Friday, correct? I am scheduled end of the month. 

J Alexander Lassally  Wow. This is what I will have in a months time. Amazing recovery . Did they do the pain pump for first 48 hours? How did that go?

Sean Adkins  I had meds for pain while in ICU. Managing discomfort with Tylenol. My surgery 1 week ago. I received the Edwards Inspiris Resilia tissue valve 

Mohammed Abdulrahman  Have you felt with breathing problems ,  heavy sweeting and difficulties in breathing while you are trying to sleep on back ؟

J Alexander Lassally  Thanks Sean. So it seems like you rebounded really fast once out of ICU. Was that true. Like day 4 to 5 things improved fast? 

Dennis Shaffer  Oh wow!  You look like you're doing great. I am so happy for you. I hope I bounce back half as fast as you. Thank you so much for sharing your progress and story.

Sean Adkins  Yes - the ICU days were the longest most difficult. I had a painful spasm after the nurses pulled one of my tubes, an allergic reaction to some medication administered during day 2. CPAP was used to help me get weened off the oxygen quicker. The most important thing is to get your procedure at a high volume center of excellence 

Deena Z  Nice day for a walk and you went for it!  WTG, Sean.  You look great.  Bet the nap felt wonderful after this walk too:)

Dennis Shaffer  I heard the drains could be one the worst parts. Guess just gotta take a day at a time. Hopefully your heart rate will settle soon so you can get back to feeling good and normal again.

Susan Lynn  Hope you're enjoying warm temperatures in Ohio! Spent some time outside to soak up this unseasonable weather!

Sean Adkins  We arrived on Tuesday October 17th for presurgery appointments, surgery was Oct 20th, discharge Oct 26th. Follow up appointments Oct 30th for a total of 13 days from home 

Grace Mason   Great news Sean! Moving on to step down soon! You look great. Glad to see you are feeling up to posting🙏❤️‍🩹
PS if you can get some earplugs or buds that helped me drown out some noises.

Valerie Allen  Sean, congrats and great to see you! We so appreciated hearing from your wife. Continued good progress….and earplugs, Grace you are a genius!

Sean Adkins  Dewayne Adamson Getting hit by a truck is the best comparison for the first three days. It has been much improved today 

Deena Z  Thanks for the update!!! So glad that it went well. Great surgeon, indeed. Expect him to be extremely tired, as in napping a lot, but out of bed asap, also

Sean Adkins  Another update-breathing tube out and anticipating staying in ICU overnight and in step down tomorrow if things keep going so well.  

Grace Mason   That is great news, Sean!🙌
Thinking of you and sending prayers for you and your team tomorrow.🙏❤️

Pamela Gregory  Wonderful news! That picture brings back memories. They will take the best care of you!!! All the best thoughts and prayer will be with you

Jay Burgess  Great news that is always fun have to have open heart surgery while were in there lets do a bypass. I was glad when mine cleared too and didn’t need it. I create plaque and they were at one point 50% block and 25% block on the other side. This was from a CT Angiogram. The Coronary in the gold standard. I went back to being a vegan and also take repatha for my LPa/LDL issue. I don’t ever want to have bypass surgery or another open heart surgery for that matter. Hopefully in 14 years TAVR is all I need. 

Pamela Gregory  Congratulations for your son! This was a great way to spend the weekend before your surgery. Will be sending prayers for a successful surgery!

Valerie Allen  Probably because it is not really troublesome to most. They don’t try to put you to sleep but just maybe some Versed. I felt them weaving it through by wrist and arm but it did not hurt. Felt more like pressure. You could ask for more sedation. If blockages are found, of course, that then is added to the surgery list.

Rich Butela  Sean, It was a breeze. Over before I even realized they had started.  Hopefully they can go through your wrist, I understand the groin is a little longer recovery time.   The worse part was the shaving. I don't think the person doing it really enjoyed their job, or they were used to shearing sheep instead of people.   

George Gardopee  Sean - ditto to everyone’s comments - not a big deal at all. If you feel like wading through it,  I wrote a fairly detailed description of my cath (done at the Cleveland Clinic 2 years ago) in my journal. Good luck.

Grace Mason   I was initially told it would be through my wrist but it ended up being through my groin. My Cardiologist preferred that entry because of my aneurysm size and location. There was a lot of pressure when he used the plug to close the arterial puncture hole at the end of the procedure and then just laying down for several hours after. The actual procedure felt weird at one point and I kinda felt like I had palpitations but I think that may have been when he was maneuvering thru valve. I didn't get to watch on a screen like others said they could, which was disappointing, because it would have been a good distraction😊. I just heard my doc asking for various sizes of catheters? and heard like a zipping sound as he maneuvered them through my artery opening, but no pain, and then it was done before I knew it. Hope you get to watch the video the doc sees

Rita Savelis  Not much to discuss. This is standard procedure before heart surgery to check for blockages. Your interventionist should explain it to you. You will be lying down, the technician will go in through an artery in your wrist or groin.  They usually prepare the two areas and try for the wrist first (it was done in my groin). You lie still througout the procedure - don't feel much - listen to your interventionist and technician speak - photos are taken. Afterwards you rest in a room for a few hours. You may have some bruising. Wishing you a smooth procedure.

Pamela Gregory  Had mine through the wrist and it was not bad at all. Wrist a little sore after so no dish washing (hahaha)

Rose Madura  Mine was through the groin and I found it fascinating.  I watched everything on the screen.  I had some bruising and discomfort after but nothing bad.  

Larry Peterson  Just had mine - pretty easy. They entered through the wrist, and I was partially sedated, kind of like twilight sedation for a colonoscopy. Didn't feel much, but could vaguely hear nurses and cardiologist talking in background. Best part was the cool Hovermatt they used to transfer me from gurney to procedure table - inflated it and slid me right over. I wanted to go for a ride down the hall on it!!

Heather Kelly  Heart Cath is pretty simple. Worst part is staying after procedure to make sure the bleeding stopped at the wrist site. It is great to know there are no artery issues going into surgery so super important. 

William Trankle  Had a trans-esophageal echo followed by a heart cath, and it's really not a big deal.  I actually sort of woke up on the cath table, and the doc doing the procedure was delighted to show me the monitor and demonstrate how all the arteries lit up every time he pushed the button to inject contrast into the system.  It's normally an outpatient procedure that has no after effects, and even the hole they punch into your femoral doesn't hurt.  Your groin may get a little black and blue, but that's about it.

Russ Fairchild  I don't even remember mine, except them prepping my wrist for it.  Perhaps I was given a general.  Just don't remember. It was no big deal and they didn't find anything.  I had MV surgery the next morning.

Dorothy Madsen  I had a cath CT scan before my procedure.  I was allergic to the dye contrast.  Check with your doctors.  Best wishes! 

Eva Ewok  The worst part was I had to lay there after the procedure for like 3 or 4 hours and I was a bit nauseous from the versed, which in retrospect I don’t think I even needed because the procedure itself was a piece of cake. Good luck!  They went through the thigh with me. A pinch. That’s it. 

Sean Adkins  My procedure was very similar. The team at Cleveland Clinic reminded me of a nascar pit crew after they had me in position lol. I got the all clear with no blockages. 

Kath Duggan  I am so happy you got to enjoy both of these big events❤️ before your surgery! Nothing is better then a wedding and a beautiful grand baby!

Robert Miller  Congratulations!!! Two big events. If your condition was ok to delay it a bit then that was the right thing to do. Just don't take it as an excuse to delay it further. Get it done so you can enjoy your grandchild for many years to come. Congrats, again!

Rich Butela  Beautiful  Picture.  Now get yourself fixed up right. That boy is going to need his Grandpa around to spoil him for a long time. 

Erica Archibald  I chose On-x 22years ago. Fun fact I was part of the FDA approval for mitral. My mitral is awesome still! I do need my aortic redone… working on that now

Sean Adkins  I've been looking at the On-x and the Edwards Inspiris Resilia. I'm not that familiar with blood thinners and I'm not sure how I will do on them. I'm not excited about the prospect of another procedure in the future either. It's a lot to consider. 

Adam Pick  Sean, Great job doing a lot thinking, research and more thinking about your options. The really great news is that are in the care of Dr. Svensson. He'll definitely have really good information, data and clinical experiences to support your choice.

So you know, I had the Ross Procedure over 17 years ago. Thus far, knock on wood, I have not had any issues. It might be worth learning more about that if you are a candidate for it.

All the best with your choice! Please keep us updated!

Sean Adkins  I greatly appreciate your prayers, Grace. 

Adam - thank you. I feel extremely fortunate and blessed to be at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Svensson as my surgeon.

Rajan Parrikar  Age also factors into the decision. In February this year, at 59, I got the Edwards Inspiris bio valve to replace my bicuspid aortic valve. These new valves are said to represent a significant advance in durability.

Matthew Allen  G’day Sean, I’m going in Monday 9/11 to have a similar repair to you.  Im 47 and like you was really fit and racing (cycling not running) when my GP picked up a heart murmur in March this year 2023.  A month later I was being told I had a 50cm ascending aorta and regurgitation and to stop racing!

I’m fortunate that my BAV is a candidate  for a repair ( I.e. nothing has ruled me out yet).  however the surgeon can’t say for certain until he’s had a close look at the valve.

So I’ve opted for a tissue valve as my back up plan - which I know want last my expected lifetime and will need repair/replacement in 15-20years. However I’m a very active guy and the blood thinners seem to be “fun adventure killers”!  I can’t imagine life without taking a few knocks!

I was advised by a couple of cardiologists that mechanical valve was the only way and that my karate, mountain biking, snow boarding, bouldering says we’re over .  

I’ve recently sold my business and after working my arse off for 12 years I had been looking forward to more of the above adventures with my teenage kids.  The whole deal didn’t really seem fair!

I did my research, found a surgeon who can most likely repair my valve and I’m going to give it a crack.

Feels like a big thing to opt for a backup plan that’s counter to the advice of the cardiologists, but in the end the decision is not just a statistical durability one. Quality of life is an equally important metric to me. 

So I’m getting the biggest tissue valve I can as this opens up the option for a TAVI if needed in future. 

And in the meantime I’m going to grab this second chance with two hands! 

David Sabritt   I received a Medtronic porcine valve at age 68  to replace a bicuspid valve with severe stenosis.  Almost 10 years later I'm doing fine.  Choosing a tissue valve might have saved my life, since I turned out to have a previously undiagnosed blood disorder that would have made anticoagulants very risky.  I think it would be wise to have some specialized blood work done, since some conditions like mine (Factor XI Deficiency) are not picked up by standard lab tests.

Rose Madura  I chose a tissue valve at age 59. The choice is such a very personal one and only you can make it.  Once you decide, don't look back or question yourself.  It will be the right decision for you!  Godspeed.

Brent Musat  Sean, I too had a hard time weighing pros/cons of artificial, ross, or tissue valve for my aortic valve replacement and root repair.. It's been 16 months since my surgery and I went with the tissue valve (27m). I just turned 49 and I fully know I will need a TAVR in roughly 15 years.. but I feel great now, honestly better than before surgery.

I decided against Ross because I didn't want to have a two valve problem and was worried about my dilated root, and chose against mechanical because of the blood thinners and the lifestyle change and risks associated with that.. but I am gambling on the future procedure(s) that I will need. But I think that the TAVR technology will get better by the time I need one in 15 or a second 30 years from now.



Truth is it's an individual choice and I just wanted to prioritize my life in my 50's without many restrictions so that's what swayed my decision.

I know it seems overwhelming right now but give it some time and I'm sure the right decision will present itself to you.. trust me I felt the same way at the time.

Michael Kluse  May 15 I had an Edwards Inspiris bio valve replace my stenotic aortic  valve. I just turned 72. Didn’t want to take blood thinners. Surgeon said I’d likely never have to worry about this new valve again. But if I do TAVR will be an option. I got through the surgery and recovery  fairly easily and am now back to normal. Recent CT showed valve doing great. 

Michele Miller  Great responses on this post! I will have an Inspiris Resilia replace my regurgitating aortic valve on Oct. 19. I am 54 and thought very hard about getting a mechanical valve, like my dad got 23 years ago. He is doing well but I would like to avoid blood thinners. I hope that if I need this valve replaced in 10-15-20 years, it can be by TAVR

William Trankle  Got a St. Jude porcine valve after my aortic valve repair failed shortly after surgery.  Unfortunately, I got just less than 5 years of use before it started to stiffen up, so now I'm clicking away with an On-X valve that should outlast me.  Warfarin is no joke, but it's not as bad as some people make it out to be (been on it for 10 years now).  

Dana Knight  I had a Edwards Bovine Aorta valve put in 2016. Oct 4 I am getting it redone (not because it is bad) dr put in to small of one , since I’m having MV replaced I’m having a larger Aorta put in. The reasoning is I have Radiation Heart Disease and if I need surgery again a TAV-R valve will fit without OHS. Mechanical clicking would drive me nuts and I’m on blood thinner right now due to my heart issues and I look like an abused woman. Bruises don’t go away. Also having tricuspid valve repaired and an ablation done. I am 62 with a sticky, hostile, and stiff heart. Heart of an 85 year old. I survived cancer twice. First time I was 15. 
To live this long after having treatments twice is a miracle. I have been blessed.  Just make sure they put a large enough of one in so you can have TAVR in the future. 

 

DeWayne Adamson  Ross Procedure would be a good choice because of your age. Next would be a biologic in my opinion as a TVAR valve in valve in the future will likely be done with a polymeric valve that will last 25 years or maybe much longer. (Not much talk about that yet) That being said, you have one of the best surgeons in the world who may be able to repair the one you have. That would be the best. I hate blood thinners. I also dont think a TVAR down the road is possible with a mechancal. Cleveland knows best and will guide you.

Rich Butela  I went Bio because I did not think I would do well on blood thinners. I'm way too active and prone to busting my knuckles in the shop. I'm 61 so if It lasts 10-15 years I'll be a good candidate for a TAVR replacement.