Tyler's Posts

Is he really, really good at what he does? I mean, if fixable, it would save you the wear out at 10-15 year mark. But honestly, I have not heard of that many patients who have an aorta repair as I and many did for mitral . Since, you are young it would be great solution. But has the surgeon given you copious amounts of data on his track record? Is he asking you to be in a trial????

Hi Tyler, I had mine repaired 2.5 years ago. So, not a long time but so far so good. Feel great and valve is working well. No telling how long it will last but I think it's the way to go if it can be repaired. Studies I have seen show good longevity for successful repairs.

I had a mitral valve repair so maybe it doesn't apply here. But it didn't quite work out because it appears my recovery was better than expected. That's despite a very experienced surgeon. So I ended up with another surgery/repair. Having said that, they don't close you up unless the valve holds up. And repair is usually always better than a replacement. So if they can fix it, I would have it fixed rather than replaced.

Hi Tyler, my EF also went slightly up, but after initially gowing down! Beware of that. It usually goes down immidiately after the surgery. The tiredness and weakness - also true. Pain was tolerable. The good thing is that each day it gets better and better. Small baby steps, but better. You just need to take it easy, cause it is great trauma for your body. That was hard for me as I ama hyperactive type. You can do this!!

Recovery is a pain/inconvenient. But it's just for a few weeks. Check out the learning center for some good input. As for pain, you will get pain medicine if you need it. They don't give it to you by default but they tell you to ask for it if you need it. I have heard that with minimal invasive surgery you have more pain (especially for women) because you go through more tissue. But again, you will get pain medicine. For me, I got some pain medicine the first day because that's standard procedure. Afterwards I had no pain so I didn't ask for pain medicine. But be prepared for the recovery. If you are going to have open heart surgery, you probably will be lying/sleeping on your back a lot. That same position puts strain on your neck, etc. So stiff muscles might be your biggest issue. https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/learning-center.php

I had aortic valve replaced and root repaired in February. I am doing fine. I have had no pain at all except a dull discomfort in my left shoulder blade which abated in a month or so. Sternotomy did not cause me pain otherwise. Just follow Drs. Recommendations,and you will be fine. I recommend cardiac rehab if you can do it.

Aortic valve replacement and aneurysm repair of the aorta 5 months ago. No pain, except for a headache post-surgery and muscle aches from having to sleep elevated an on my back for 4 weeks. All taken care of by Tylenol. I'd call surgery/recovery uncomfortable at times but not painful. Totally agree with Susan Dunne's recommendation of cardiac rehab. I was cleared to resume my exercise regime at 6 weeks (which included running, biking and light weights). I had to wait 12 weeks to start swimming as they wanted the sternum healed as much as possible.