About Me (In My Own Words)
G’day
I was diagnosed in April 2023 at age 47 with a leaky BAV and seriously dilated aortic root.
I went to my GP in March for an annual checkup and he heard a murmur which we he said “is probably nothing but we’ll get it checked out”. Turns out I have an BAV and my GP had heard it leaking which is being caused by the associated ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic root.
This was a week before I was to do a big cycling race in the Perth hills which is been training really hard for. The day I got the big news I’d punched out 1kW on my road bike on a hill climb and was feeling pretty invincible!
My glass is always half full so the news from my cardiologist didn’t fit my default narrative! But I realised quickly that I’m very lucky and have lots to be grateful for. Could have been a very different outcome if my GP had missed it. Turns out he probably saved my life.
Needless to say I didn’t ride in the race!
I was told by the cardiologist that I would have to have a mechanical valve. He mentioned other options which he dismissed and then went on to explain what Warfarin is and what it means for an active person.
It was difficult to digest. I sold my business last year. A successful exit after 12 years of unbelievably hard graft. Something to be proud of but I’d also sacrificed a lot of spare time and family time. Now is when I should be living large with my teenage kids and my wife and enjoying the fruits of my labour.
So I sought a second opinion and got told the same thing. Mechanical at my age is the only durable option and that the blood thinners mean I could never again take a knock. Mountain biking, karate, snowboarding, bouldering - Al the fun stuff was now off limits.
About this time in May I came across Adams website and also started asking family and friends. Turns out my brother in law who married my wife’s sister - so not a blood relative of mine - had had a Ross procedure when he was younger. Done by a surgeon called George Matalanis.
George saw me in June and advised my valve is a candidate for a repair. The way it works is they look at your CT scan, echocardiogram, angiogram etc and they either rule you out for a repair or they don’t rule you out. And George can’t say for certain the repair will be successful until he’s looking at the valve so you have to go in with a plan B.
I’ve opted for a david procedure which involves replacement of my ascending aorta and repair of my bicuspid aortic valve.
If my valve cannot be repaired I’ve elected for a tissue valve as I’m an very active person and want to stay off the blood thinners. I’ve asked for the biggest tissue valve I can get as this opens up the option of a minimally invasive repair in future like a TAVI when the tissue valve wears out.
Feels like a big deal at first to opt for a solution that’s counter to what my cardiologists advised, but I’m really comfortable now with my decision. The metrics for the decision involve more than just statistical durability for me. Quality of life is just as important and so I’m trading off a repair free, future on blood thinners for no drugs but a guaranteed future repair.
Main thing now is to grab this second chance at life with both hands and make the most of it.
Live Louder!
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Perth, Australia
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My surgery date is:
November 9, 2023
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Repair
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My surgeon is:
Dr. George Matalanis
