Aspies who have had open-heart surgery?

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I really hate to be posting this, after working hard to be in "perfect health". I found out last week, that I need surgery to replace my aortic valve, and to replant the aortic root. It has to be done by the old fashioned method (a foot-long incision and sawing the sternum in half . I need it done if I'm to live beyond my 50s. The doctors' opinion is that I should plan on it in about 10 years, but subject to change if things get worse (or God willing, don't deteriorate as quickly as they do in most people).

Anyway, I'm just in the process of figuring out and accepting all this, and being as physically active as I am, it's a real blow. I'm a bodybuilder, and ride motorcycles, and I'm out & active all the time. I'm still able to do most of that, but in much less strenuous situations than normal. I can still lift weights, but only about 1/2 of what I have always done.

WAY too much to spill out here in a posting, but I just wanted to see if anyone else with Asperger's or HFA has had (or is told they need) major heart surgery.

Anyone?

Charles

I was born with a ventricular septal defect in one of the valves of my heart and when I was in my early twenties I contracted bacterial endocarditis. This damaged the valve even more and I had to have open-heart surgery. This was before they could do it with a small incision, so I had to have my sternum cut in half.
It was not as bad as I expected. Because they don't have to cut through muscle the pain is not too bad, and the healing time is pretty fast. I was only in the hospital for 5 or so days (the first were a little blurry.)
I didn't have the valve replaced, only repaired, so it is not as extensive as yours. But the technology is pretty amazing. You sound like you're in good health, so it shouldn't take you long to recover.
Good luck!

Thank you, that's encouraging! I too believe it will be OK in the long run, and honestly the thought of several days in a hospital is much worse to me, than sawing bones apart. I'll be sure to keep a hot branding iron ready behind the doctor, so get him/her moving right along in getting me OUT of the hospital. I'm a good rule-follower, and my wife and I are both very well-experienced in things like IV administering, infection control, injections, catheters, and other things which most people don't have a clue about, so I hope to make a special deal as far as how long of a hospital stay is ordered.

If I may ask, did they put a brace or pins inside your chest to secure the sternum back together? And also, how long if at all, were you forbidden from using your pec muscles (any pushing or pulling, etc)? I'm really happy to hear that you didn't have to have any muscle sliced apart. I've had muscle biopsies (voluntary for research of bodybuilders), and those are tiny incisions and they are SORE for a week.

Charles

They put pins in to secure my sternum back together. For awhile I could feel them through my skin, but not anymore. They didn't give me any specific instructions regarding the use of pec muscles. They just let me do what felt comfortable.
I hope your hospital stay is not too long. They'll probably try to get you out as soon as you feel ready.

is something different about the aspie's heart than an NT's?

Not that I know of. Plenty of NTs have heart problems.

I haven't, but my mom had endocarditis and had to have her aortic valve replaced a few years ago. They ended up going through the sternum - the incision below the rib cage was an option but a family friend who is a heart surgeon recommended going with the sternum approach because the mortality rate is (or was, at the time) still lower that way. The good news for you is that you are still going to be young when you have the surgery, which is apparently a big factor in surviving and recovering, and that you have 10 years of medical advancements to look forward to that will hopefully give you a better chance at a better outcome. And, the good news for everyone is that really you are going to fully recover from the surgery - it will probably take 6-9 months or maybe even a year before you're back to full speed if they go in through the sternum, but my mom for example a year later was doing everything she did before, and except for naturally slowing down a little bit due to being another year older at an age where people start slowing down anyway, I'd say she was at full speed too.

I had triple-bypass surgery a year ago. They cut my sternum in half, stopped my heart, did their repairs, then glued me back together. I’m still here to talk about it a year later. Your surgery will go fine.