Valerie Allen - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

9 days ago

I was evaluated for the TAVR procedure, but learned yesterday I am not a candidate. I will be getting my surgery scheduled in the next week or so. Love hearing ...Read more

I was evaluated for the TAVR procedure, but learned yesterday I am not a candidate. I will be getting my surgery scheduled in the next week or so. Love hearing the uplifting stories and happy to meet you all.

Rose Madura Hi Valerie. I'm sorry the TAVR isn't an option for you. I had similar surgery as you will be having. ... Read more

Rose Madura Hi Valerie. I'm sorry the TAVR isn't an option for you. I had similar surgery as you will be having. It's no picnic in the park but doable. Odds are in your favor. Trust the doctors. They do this every day and are very good at it Godspeed.

Valerie Allen Thank you Rose. Yes I am disappointed. I'm glad your surgery has been so successful! Thank you for b... Read more

Valerie Allen Thank you Rose. Yes I am disappointed. I'm glad your surgery has been so successful! Thank you for being so supportive on this page.

DeLois Tweedy Valerie, I'm sorry the TAVR is not an option for you. That is the procedure I had. But, I'm thankful ... Read more

DeLois Tweedy Valerie, I'm sorry the TAVR is not an option for you. That is the procedure I had. But, I'm thankful there are other choices, and you'll do well. Keep us posted as your heart journey progresses. Blessings!

Grace Mason Valerie, I'm sorry you have learned that you are not a TAVR candidate as you hoped.

Valerie Allenposted a journal

18 days ago

I am doing my paperwork for testing at Cleveland Clinic next week. Is there anyone who went to Cleveland willing to talk with me about the 3 day testing?

Pamela Gregory I had my aortic valve surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in October. I will answer anything I know

Miriam St.Clair Same here. I'll answer anything I can. My multi-valve surgery was in September, 2022.

Valerie Allen Thank you Pamela and Miriam. I mainly wanted to know if you had the 3 day testing ( I am a new patien ... Read more

Valerie Allen Thank you Pamela and Miriam. I mainly wanted to know if you had the 3 day testing ( I am a new patient for them) and how the process went if so. I’m quite anxious and hoping they make it as smooth as possible. How did you pick your surgeon?

Grace Mason Hi Valerie, I will be at Cleveland Clinic for testing on May 19. Maybe we will cross paths. Not sure... Read more

Grace Mason Hi Valerie, I will be at Cleveland Clinic for testing on May 19. Maybe we will cross paths. Not sure what days you will be there. I read an earlier post by Miriam Poretto about her testing before surgery and it sounds like they have that down pretty smooth at CC. You could do a search for her journal about her experience using the new member search

Geoff Curtis I was just at CC 5/5 and go back 7/6

Miriam St.Clair Valerie, I had the three day testing and it went very smoothly. The CC is very efficient and they mov ... Read more

Miriam St.Clair Valerie, I had the three day testing and it went very smoothly. The CC is very efficient and they move you from station to station quickly. In fact, if I arrived at a location early, they took me early. Really, don't worry about any of the tests. I was a bit nervous about the cardiac cath but it couldn't have gone better.

I initially selected Dr. Roselli as my surgeon but my case was urgent and he was booked too far in advance. Dr. Roselli gave me three recommendations to pick from, Dr. Unai, Dr. Tong, and Dr. McCurry, who all had experience in radiation heart disease. My aortic and mitral valve were replaced, tricuspid repaired and my aorta was repaired by Dr. Tong. It was an horrendous surgery for me, even the doctors thought so, but I couldn't have been in a better place and couldn't imagine having it done successfully at another hospital. They have so much experience with complex surgical cases that nothing seemed out of their knowledge base.