Thank you for visiting my website.
I originally conceived and created this site to provide my family and friends with answers to the many questions they had about my heart condition. Since then, the website has evolved into a fairly extensive study of how in August 2010 I was diagnosed and treated for Bicuspid Aortic Valve with Severe Aortic Stenosis and a Dilated Ascending Aorta. And then on February 2021, I would undergo another open-heart surgery (see Update) to replace the Root Aneurysm of my Ascending Aorta which had since dilated from the average 2.5cm to 5.3cm.
First and foremost, this website is not designed to provide medical advice — that is a job for your doctors! What I hope is that the following information will help individuals who are facing similar circumstances to understand the challenges and their options. During my initial pre-op stay in the hospital (approximately 10 days), I found myself blindly searching for answers to the many questions I had about my newly manifested condition: I went into the emergency room with some shortness of breath and neck palpitations, and within hours was told I had actually experienced a minor heart attack. It would be several days later when I was told I needed my aortic valve replaced.
As you can imagine, my health condition was quite a shock to everyone, including me. Although my family and friends were very supportive, their emotions ran high and their speculation on what had happened and what was still to come was running rampant.
I, on the other hand, decided to approach this from a scientific perspective. It seemed illogical to worry about things I had no control over. Instead, I focused on what I knew would put my mind at ease — information. Information that would tell me not only about my condition, but also what my options were regarding treatment.
With my laptop at my hospital bed-side, I immediately began my methodical Google quest for answers. I spent the next several days researching the medical terminology the doctors and nurses where throwing around, while trying to understand the many treatment options that were available. What this website contains is much of the information I compiled during my hospital stay, including a complete account of my condition and the many decisions I had to make leading up to my mechanical valve implant.
As you read through my ‘guinea pig’ story, I hope you find this information as helpful as I did.
Sincerely,
Jarek...
NOTE: This website is divided into 4 main areas of interest: Diagnosis, Procedure, and Post-Op (for surgery #1), and an Update section (for Surgery #2). You can use the top menu to jump to the desired area and/or chronologically view each page by clicking on the navigation buttons (Prev/Next) at the bottom of each page. Note that the 'Site Map' page can also be used to quickly jump to a specific page.
