Gerd's Journal

I am a 55 year old male that was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve and stenosis in May of this year with borderline severe stats. In April I ran a 1/2 marathon as I am frequent runner with no issues and no awareness of any heart issues. In July I went for another more thorough echo and it was determined that a number of factors at the severe level recommended surgery in the next year and that I should do it on my time but before it continues to deteriorate. I was asymptomatic, for the most part, all the way up to surgery. I used this site and other resources to become educated as much as possible and I consumed a lot of information. I also consulted/visited with 7 different surgeons throughout the country and 3 other cardiologists/ interventional cardiologists. I know it was overkill but it was something I needed to do to get through this and comfortable with what was going to happen. Mt Sinai and Dr. El- Hamamsy were one of the first people I consulted with and as I made my rounds kept comparing back to them. That’s who I chose to do my surgery and was the absolute best decision I ever made. He is a rock star - bar none - and I highly recommend to anyone. My surgery was Monday 11/11 - I was out of ICU within 24 hours and home Friday morning. Only needed real pain meds for the first day and other then a little neck and shoulder pain from sleeping weird have had nothing in recovery as Tylenol is taking care of it. I spent my time up to the surgery staying in cardiovascular shape but also doing more weight training to strengthen my core and legs etc. It was well worth it and would be the 2nd best piece of advice I would give - i.e. to get surgery ready - the 1st would be to pick the right surgeon that you are comfortable with and one that has really strong outcomes. I was well prepared for what to expect thanks to Adam and his team so things like the intubation did not bother me and it was out so quickly anyway. To be honest the one thing that got me a bit was the removal of the drainage tube as that was a really weird feeling. Overall I can not thank Adam and his team enough for the invaluable resources they provided. Through this site I also made direct contact with 3 HVS members who were invaluable in helping me. Special thanks to Shaun Morris, Grace Mason and Meg O’Connell who spent time with me, listened to all my silly questions and provided direct candid and real personal feedback. Their advice and guidance was instrumental in this process. I am a private person but I told myself that I need to pay it forward once I am on the other side just like Shaun, Meg and Grace did for me. Thus why I I am now offering up my story. I hope this helps all of you awaiting surgery or trying to make a decision and I am here to help anyone that needs it as best that I can. Just let me know and I will give you my email address. For me the waiting and anticipation was by far the hardest part! It’s great to be on the recovery side although I am still realistic and taking it cautiously to stay on track. Keep on ticking!!!