Hi all,
So Shane and I wanted to update you all on our recent Dr. visits. We still don't know exactly what the plan will be but we talked with a Cardiologist today and he thinks that the changes in Shane's heart from last year to this year are significant and that surgery should be in the near future (he said like within the next month). To try to make a long story short- He has a bicuspid aortic valve-only 2 flaps (most people have a tricuspid aortic valve- 3 flaps) so his aortic valve leaks a "moderate to severe amount" according to the Dr. sis heart has also enlarged some to compensate as has his aorta. So yea he wants us to meet with a cardiac surgeon in the area soon and then if we want a second opinion he recommended Mayo Clinic or possible Iowa City..... Some opinions include 1) a pig or cow heart valve but those are not able to work for more than like 20 years 2) a mechanical valve but then he would have to be on a blood thinner for the rest of his life and get his blood drawn like every month 3) repair his valve- alot harder procedure that might not work and then they would have to replace the valve after a certain number of years..... blah! Anyways we'll keep u all updates. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
Jody and Shane