Amy's Photos

Amy Steele  Thanks, Andria! You will be in my prayers tomorrow during your surgery. You'll be on the other side and recovering soon!

Amy Steele  It's because of my heart, but isn't required. I just wanted to be sure I had some id that I could wear if something were to happen and I couldn't speak for myself. I outlined the info I included in a reply to Civita in the previous picture. Hope this answers your question.

Civita Fahey  Nice pictures Amy.. is it necessary to have a medical ID for AVR? I was thinking about it and my cardiologist
said it wasn't necessary?

Amy Steele  I don't know if it's absolutely necessary, but I wanted to have one just in case I can't speak for myself... Mine includes my name, year of birth, city where I live, info on my surgery, allergy info, medications, and my husband's name and phone number in case of an emergency. The thing I like about this one is that it's not the typical dog tag necklace and doesn't look like a medical id. I've actually gotten compliments on the necklace and people are surprised when I tell them it's my medical id... I'm planning on starting some road biking when I'm in good enough shape and would definitely want some id regardless of any medical conditions...

David Barton  Civita, in terms of it being necessary, I would think it more important if you're on Coumadin, rather than the AVR.

Peggy Whitecotton  I wanted a medal for my heart valve. My cardiologist Says I don't need one but my pharmacist says I should get one because in a medical emergency and they see my scar they will not know what kind of surgery I had which was bovine aortic valve. They need to know I'm NOT on Coumadin and to know I'm on a beta blocker. Any feed back from anybody

Civita Fahey  its a good idea. I had seen some others here and thought of it.. of course Amy I agree for me it needs to look like jewelry hahaha.. I'll do some research.. thanks

Petey Bello  I have a nice medical alert bracelet along with a card to carry in my wallet. I had a mitral valve repair, so they said I needed to wear one with the information of my Sorin annuloplasty ring that was put in (serial number etc). I had a breast MRI & they would not perform it until they had all my information for my ring.

Civita Fahey  looks good Amy.. keep up the good work! I Have been following your story as we are close in age. I have not had surgery yet and am waiting 6 months for another echo.. I do have an appt with another doctor next month to see if he agrees with the other two.. hopefully things will go as smoothly with me..

Amy Steele  Civita- I read your story and it sounds a lot like mine except I've known about my bicuspid aortic valve as long as I can remember. I too am not an serious athlete, but have always been active and worked out. I've done an online boot camp workout for the past three years prior to surgery. I'm convinced that working out regularly pushed my surgery out. Keep a close watch on how you feel while working out as your valve disease progresses. I tried ignoring and denying symptoms, and it was never a good idea... I'm always glad to answer any questions that you may have.

Amy Steele  Ruth - Thanks. The scar really seems to be healing well. I'm just waiting for the ok from the surgeon so I can start using some essential oils to help the rest of the healing and minimize the scar.

Juergen Li  You are looking great - a few more weeks and you will not even think about your surgery. Go and enjoy your new energy level and ability to work out without restrictions.

Civita Fahey  Thank you Amy.. that's my biggest fear is that I may be "ignoring/missing" symptoms?? Still feel good when I work out, as long a I breath.. lol. I work with a boxing trainer and I sometimes forget to breathe when I punch.. too many positions to remember hahaha. the doctors I went to said that being active you would "know" when you have symptoms. so I guess I'm going on that.. I do know my body pretty well and I think I may be slowing down just a bit maybe 1% more than last year.. so, I was told 6 months isn't that long but to keep an eye on it.. I will be seeing another surgeon next month for an opinion and see what he thinks. you opted for a prosthetic valve.. were you thinking of when and if it needs replaced that it would be TAVR? I don't know if I could stand the ticking of a mechanical valve and sound like a time bomb all the time.. Coumadin is another reason, but, at times you have t take Coumadin with a prosthetic valve for a while.. Thanks again for your input I truly appreciate it.

Amy Steele  Civita - I was the queen of denial for a couple of years trying to ignore my symptoms. I worked out regularly and would push myself just to 'prove' to myself that I could do it... but it just got harder. Every time I'd see my cardiologist, I'd tell him that I was feeling fine. I wasn't feeling horrible, but I could tell that I was slowing down. Finally, this past Spring, my numbers on the echo were alarming (in the very severe range) and I had to finally admit to myself that I'd need surgery sooner rather than later. I even gave up my workouts for about a month prior to surgery since I was getting so fatigued that I had a hard time functioning the rest of the day. I have always told my husband that I did NOT want a mechanical valve, but being the 'techie,' he was always finding articles about how good the mechanical valves are and sending them to me. Once it was determined that I'd also need the aortic root replaced, the tissue Medtronic Freestyle was a choice we both were happy with. I haven't been on Coumadin at all since surgery and only take an aspirin once a day to thin the blood... no monitoring, plus it's cheap. I take 325mg of Aspirin a day, but will be dialed back to a baby Aspirin after a few months. I also am not on many other meds. I'm still struggling with an elevated heart rate and lots of PVCs, so I'm on 25mg Metoproprolol Tartrate. I'll be off Lasix and Potassium in a couple of days, so will only be taking the Aspirin and Metoproprolol (which should be discontinued by week 5 or 6). I am counting on cardiac surgery to keep advancing in the 15-20 years before I need surgery again, and plan on looking at the best options then. In the meantime, I feel like I can live my life the way I want to live it without undue restrictions. It is a hard decision, and a very personal one. I have no regrets with my choice. Hope this helps at least a little.

Civita Fahey  it does Amy, thank you.. I understand the feeling of pushing yourself..I feel at times that once the surgery is done I will be a different person somehow.. I know its not true, but in my mind that's what I struggle with..I agree that I also want to live my life with no restrictions as long as possible and medicine has huge advances every day.. thanks so much for taking the time to "talk" to me.. I will keep you updated when I see the surgeon on the 11th of November..

Amy Steele  Unfortunately, my husband and I weren't able to go with them. They went on a 2 week trip to Italy this summer with a group from their school. I would have LOVED to go, but it we could only afford to send the two of them. Turns out it was for the best anyway. We committed to the trip last Fall, and we found out that I need surgery in March. I actually would have had a hard time with all the walking. :-)

Jane Buttram  I totally understand. We booked a cruise in the
western Med for Oct. many months ago. Now we're facing OPS instead.