True miracle worker, Chief of Cardiac Surgery Dr. Lámelas! 3+ years ago and going strong!
Debbie Kelly I am so very thankful that he is now in Houston. Our city has been blessed with one of the best, or ... Read more
Debbie Kelly I am so very thankful that he is now in Houston. Our city has been blessed with one of the best, or perhaps, the best! Congratulations on your 3+ years.
Rita Savelis Hi Enrique. Is pink sea salt heart healthy?
I've got low blood pressure so salt is something I need m ... Read more
Rita Savelis Hi Enrique. Is pink sea salt heart healthy?
I've got low blood pressure so salt is something I need more of, according to cardiologists... and I do love Brittany sea salt.
Hope you are doing well.
Civita Fahey I'ver read that its better. I am also using it.. seems less salty to me. but its good.
Phyllis Petersen I love this stuff! Rita, generally it has the same amount of sodium as regular table salt, but you us ... Read more
Phyllis Petersen I love this stuff! Rita, generally it has the same amount of sodium as regular table salt, but you usually use less of it. It also does not have iodine, so you'll need to get that elsewhere.
Enrique K Hi Rita, great to hear from you! Yes you use less salt and it's very tasty. You can use it as a healt ... Read more
Enrique K Hi Rita, great to hear from you! Yes you use less salt and it's very tasty. You can use it as a healthier option to processed salt. The right salt in the right amount is actually very good for your health. Pink Himalayan sea salt contains alot of minerals,calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron, so it does more than just make your food taste better. This is also better than Sea Salt. Hope everything keeps on going well for you.
Minimal Invasive ARR AND AVR Oct 9, 2016. Feeling 100%
Cathleen Weed You're so lucky Enrique! Can't even tell there's any scar at all! 🌟
Enrique K Thanks Cathleen! Feel great and look great. BTW- I like your eating and excercise regimens. 😉 You ... Read more
Enrique K Thanks Cathleen! Feel great and look great. BTW- I like your eating and excercise regimens. 😉 You're a true inspiration and thank you for all your advices, suggestions and honest comments. I have learned a lot from since you joined this site. Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️.
Civita Fahey Enrique is that a thoracotomy? did they cut through the sternum at all?
Enrique K Hi Civita, no they didn't cut my sternum as it was minimal invasive surgery. It was through the righ ... Read more
Enrique K Hi Civita, no they didn't cut my sternum as it was minimal invasive surgery. It was through the right side of my chest through my ribs.
Civita Fahey Thanks.. I asked about that and my surgeon prefers the "minimally invasive" in the sense that they on ... Read more
Civita Fahey Thanks.. I asked about that and my surgeon prefers the "minimally invasive" in the sense that they only cut about 2" of the sternum instead of the full sternotomy .. Mini sternotomy is what he said.. they used to do the thoracotomy which doesn't cut the sternum but found a higher risk of infection, is what I was told.. either way, I'm hoping for a routine and successful surgery and recovery.. best.. civita
Enrique K Thank Eddie and Connie hope you guys are doing great! I have been an outsider lately but we are all h ... Read more
Enrique K Thank Eddie and Connie hope you guys are doing great! I have been an outsider lately but we are all heart warriors. I wish everyone who is undergoing surgery or will be having surgery much success. I truly have never felt like this since I got diagnosed 3 years ago! Will be checking in periodically to see how everyone is doing. Much love to everyone!
Sophia Ridley A truly A* report! You must be over the moon. I'm hoping for the same come July!
Enrique K Hi Kate! How are you doing! Things get better every day right! Hope that you are getting accustomed t ... Read more
Enrique K Hi Kate! How are you doing! Things get better every day right! Hope that you are getting accustomed to your new valves and feeling well. Sending you big hugs!
Kate Watson Thanks Enrique- I'm moving along and making progress. Still thinking about a clothing invention to dr ... Read more
Kate Watson Thanks Enrique- I'm moving along and making progress. Still thinking about a clothing invention to drown out the sound of my valves though :)
Nap Garcia Was that minimal invasive? Or sternotomy?
Enrique K Hello Nat, that was minimal invasive surgery.
Kate, yes it's a 2 inch scar right side of my chest. C ... Read more
Enrique K Hello Nat, that was minimal invasive surgery.
Kate, yes it's a 2 inch scar right side of my chest. Couldn't be happier with the result. How are you doing? Have you noticed more improvements?
Nap Garcia Wow, I'm jealous, such a small scar for an aortic valve replacement, but I'm going to get a mitral va ... Read more
Nap Garcia Wow, I'm jealous, such a small scar for an aortic valve replacement, but I'm going to get a mitral valve repair, posterior chord re-attachment so my surgeon wants to open me up through the chest. I wonder if it's just harder to reach in my case, but I will defer to whatever makes my surgeon do the best job. But yes, looks like everything healed up nicely for you and grew back nicely as well, haha, since they shave you prior to surgery I'm sure ;)
Enrique K Hello Nap, I had an aortic valve replacement and a root replacement with a graft since I had an aneur ... Read more
Enrique K Hello Nap, I had an aortic valve replacement and a root replacement with a graft since I had an aneurysm. If you are getting a repair I think its easier to get in with a mini-Sternotomy or full Sternotomy. My valve was not reparable and after all the tests it was determined that I was a candidate for minimal invasive surgery. My surgeon has done over 15,000 open heart surgeries and his specialty is minimal invasive valve surgery. He is so good that he will be transferred to Texas Heart Institute from Mt. Sinai in Miami Beach, FL. I had a very fast and quick recovery. My wife says that I look like a monkey now lol! Doesn't know what happened to me after surgery .
Nap Garcia Haha, thanks you look great, thanks for sharing your story. I hope to get in decent shape like you lo ... Read more
Nap Garcia Haha, thanks you look great, thanks for sharing your story. I hope to get in decent shape like you look to be after my surgery. Continued blessings!
Dr. Joseph Lamelas! A true pioneer in his profession"No wonder why doctors call you G-d" Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me another chance ...Read more
Dr. Joseph Lamelas! A true pioneer in his profession"No wonder why doctors call you G-d" Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me another chance to live a normal life once again. I'm grateful and humble for the experience.
Alan Lonsberry Enrique, how old are you if I may ask? Was age a factor in choosing a tissue valve?
Heart Valve Surgery Oct 9, 2015. Ski Trip with my family. Thank G-d for my new heart valve and another chance at life to enjoy my favorite sport and the love ...Read more
Heart Valve Surgery Oct 9, 2015. Ski Trip with my family. Thank G-d for my new heart valve and another chance at life to enjoy my favorite sport and the love of my family. Life is very precious so enjoy every minute.
8 weeks Post-Op. Minimal Invasive Aortic Root and Valve Replacement.
Melinda Queliz So I have been reading through your journey and I have mitral valve with regurgitation, so far no thi ... Read more
Melinda Queliz So I have been reading through your journey and I have mitral valve with regurgitation, so far no thickening of my LV which is still normal but my ejection fraction went from 60-65% to 55-60% so it was suggested for me to look in to getting this repaired in 2016. Needless to say I am a nervous wreck and just terrified. This may be silly but I am so scared of having chest tubes and all that other stuff after surgery and being awake when those are removed, how bad is it? Honest.
Jean Knappik Looking great! Keep up the wonderful recovery!!!
Enrique K Thanks Jean, looks like you are recovering well as well. Keep on healing:). Thanks Rob, this was a m ... Read more
Enrique K Thanks Jean, looks like you are recovering well as well. Keep on healing:). Thanks Rob, this was a minimal invasive 2 inch surgery.
Kelly Weisgarber I'm jealous of your scar too. Looks great. I loved what you wrote on Melinda's journal. It covers s ... Read more
Kelly Weisgarber I'm jealous of your scar too. Looks great. I loved what you wrote on Melinda's journal. It covers so much of what we go through. Thank you for being so encouraging to so many on this site!
Enrique K Hi Kelly, thank you! I wanted to provide as much information as possible so people in this community ... Read more
Enrique K Hi Kelly, thank you! I wanted to provide as much information as possible so people in this community know what to expect and what was my own experience. I see that you are 3 weeks post-op and your recovery is going well. The chest tube incision will heal in some patients it takes longer. Hope on your next appointment on Jan 11 you get good news on the valve and your occasional heart skipping stops. Sending you my best wishes and good news from the cardiologist.
Cheryl Shute Walter Wish I had a hairy chest and could camouflage my (much larger) incision (not really!) Looking good!
Whom did u use at Mount Sinai? Your incision is amazing....
Liz Burroughs That's great...you can hardly see the scar! Looks like you're healing quite well. So happy for you!!
Enrique K Hi Elaine, Liz and Kimberly, thank you! I have been feeling great eating a lot of protein and exerci ... Read more
Enrique K Hi Elaine, Liz and Kimberly, thank you! I have been feeling great eating a lot of protein and exercising. Today I had a Muga Scan to evaluate the function of the right and left ventricles of the heart and my the EF looks right on target. I could not be more happier. Thank you to all the team at Mt Sinai especially Dr. Jospeh Lamelas who saved my life.
Jean Knappik You look fantastic...So awesome...glad you are moving along!
Enrique K Thanks Tammy and Jean! Feels good to have my new heart and life back. Yeah, I can't believe it's 5 we ... Read more
Enrique K Thanks Tammy and Jean! Feels good to have my new heart and life back. Yeah, I can't believe it's 5 weeks and my scar is almost gone. Most importantly, I feel better each day and look forward to getting up to speed with my normal activities.
Enrique K Hello Joan, my surgeon was Dr. Joseph Lamelas, Chief of Cardiothoracic surgery, Mount Sinai Medical ... Read more
Enrique K Hello Joan, my surgeon was Dr. Joseph Lamelas, Chief of Cardiothoracic surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC), Miami Beach, FL. You can Google him as he has done over 14000 procedures and he does minimal invasive heart valve and root surgery. Watch his YouTube videos of his surgeries. Many doctors will claim to do a minimal invasive surgery but that's not what happens in the operating room. Do your research and ensure you are a good candidate of this procedure so you can make an informed decision. I highly recommend him but he does have a long waiting list. Good Luck!
Anthony Lupo Congrats on that scar. How long was your surgery?
Enrique K Hello Anthony, my surgery was 5 hours they replaced the aortic root since I had an aneurysm and aorti ... Read more
Enrique K Hello Anthony, my surgery was 5 hours they replaced the aortic root since I had an aneurysm and aortic valve.
Joanna Prisiajniouk Does he also do minimally invasive artery bypass surgery?
Betsey Osgood Beautiful... I am day 13 post op for MVR. A nurse friend of mine said to clear your head and think o ... Read more
Betsey Osgood Beautiful... I am day 13 post op for MVR. A nurse friend of mine said to clear your head and think of something beautiful right before anesthesia. You'll wake up calm. Worked for me! Best of luck tomorrow, see you on the healing side!
Ruth Valenzuela I'm thinking of you Enrique and you have all the prayer support you can get. I agree with Betsey in t ... Read more
Ruth Valenzuela I'm thinking of you Enrique and you have all the prayer support you can get. I agree with Betsey in that it is good to clear your head and think of good things. I know in the Bible there is a verse that tells us to do that. I'll have to look it up and let you know so that you read it. Can't wait to hear from you on your way to recovery. It really is not as bad as one imagines..
Shelley Martindelcampo Good Luck Enrique!! Take this picture with you (in you minds eye) and you'll wake up to a beautiful d ... Read more
Shelley Martindelcampo Good Luck Enrique!! Take this picture with you (in you minds eye) and you'll wake up to a beautiful day. God's speed in your recover!
Enrique K Thank you Tammy, Bestsey, Ruth, Shelley, Tina for the well wishes prayers and all your support this m ... Read more
Enrique K Thank you Tammy, Bestsey, Ruth, Shelley, Tina for the well wishes prayers and all your support this means a lot to me. Just came back from my Pre-Op and everything looks perfect. Infact, just got a call from the surgeons office moving my surgery to 7am so I will be the first one. I have cleared my head and have been listening to affirmations given by my best friends wife in a wave file. She used this before her operation and it really helped her. I will be back soon and let you know my experience! Take Care.