I just received an insightful email from Charlene (in Florida). First of all, her surgery was a success. YEEEAH! CONGRATS TO CHARLENE!!! Second, she raises some critical points for those of you preparing for valve surgery. Here is what she writes:
Dear Adam,
This past July, I found out that I had an aortic aneurysm and would [...]

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Ready to take a guess relating to heart valves?
Okay. Here is the question, “What is the most common congenital heart valve defect?”
Want a hint? Leonardo Da Vinci (shown below) was one of the first to call attention to the common problems of this congenital defect over 500 years ago.
Want another hint? This heart valve defect [...]

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I recently received an interesting question from Emily about her upcoming aortic valve replacement.
Emily writes, “Hi Adam – After years of monitoring it, my aortic stenosis is now severe and I need a valve replacement. Yes. I’m scared. Yes. I’m confused. One thing I’m both scared and confused about is the cracking of my chestplate. [...]

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Real quick…
For all of you preparing for heart surgery, I want to make sure you don’t have a false expectation regarding overnight visiting hours in the hospital. While many caregivers want to sleepover in the hospital, each hospital has its own rules about whether-or-not “caregiver slumber parties” are allowed.
In my case, I was blessed one [...]

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I just received an email from Everitt, 65, about anemia. He writes, “Adam: I had mitral valve replacement two weeks ago. That was some experience. I’m glad to be home but I’m also concerned. I’m very pale and lethargic. By pale, I mean I’m white as Casper the Ghost. Do other patients become anemic after [...]

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