HeartValveSurgery.com
Reviews and Complaints

I have been a member of the HeartValveSurgery.com website for five years now. It's really a membership you don't want to have to have but was so thankful that my husband found it! In 2017, I had to have open heart surgery to replace my bad bicuspid aortic valve, an ascending aortic aneurysm, and an arch repair. Having this site to post concerns; ask questions; read other experiences was so very helpful. I was encouraged by those who had similar surgeries years ago and some who had surgery just before mine. The help I received was invaluable. The website administrator does a great job of posting informational videos. He provides free booklets. He interviews doctors and keeps us updated on the latest news in the heart valve surgery world. He wrote an informational book that detailed his journey which was most helpful so we went into it knowing what to expect. After having my surgery, I was blessed to be able to encourage others and help them along their valve journey.

HeartValveSurgery.com is an invaluable resource for people with heart valve problems and/or their families and supporters. It provides information on the most recent development of medical technologies for the diagnoses and treatments of heart valve diseases through timely interviews with distinguished experts in the field, including leading heart valve surgeons, in the country. It also provides research reports and other information related to heart valve diseases. News on the members of the HeartValve.com community and their online conversations about their experiences are very helpful for people with heart valve problems. The leading advocate for heart valve patients and the founder of HeartValve.com, [founder's name], provides even personal help for questions from individuals by guiding them to relevant resources in the HeartValve.com. HeartValve.com is simply the most helpful and valuable, probably only resource and community for people with heart valve diseases.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and diagnosed with aortic stenosis. A few years ago, I stumbled upon this wonderful organization when I was told it was time for my open heart surgery to replace my valve. The information provided on the site is absolutely wonderful. The site is easy to navigate, the community found within it is irreplaceable, and the answers to all my questions have been found within the site. Recently it became obvious that I do need to have my valve replaced and am back on the site, getting answers to questions and becoming educated again about what to expect during this process. Folks have been incredibly responsive and best of all, when I needed support from the administrators I was quickly replied to. This is a wonderful organization and one which I highly recommend without reservation! It has made the idea of my upcoming surgery less daunting and I have felt better prepared to come prepared to speak to my surgeon, armed with great knowledge and questions.

When an individual is facing the prospect of heart valve repair or replacement, it only stands to reason that he or she is very likely to have questions, feel anxious, and be in need of the kind of reassurance that is hard to find anywhere other than in the words of others who have already undergone these types of surgical procedures. Heart-Valve-Surgery.com's Heart-Valve-Surgery.com is an excellent free resource for anyone seeking information pertaining to heart valve surgery. When I learned that I should undergo mitral valve repair surgery, I was (understandably) worried. The cardiothoracic surgeon who evaluated me, and recommended the surgery, told me about Heart-Valve-Surgery com and recommended that I visit the website to find out more about the surgery and recovery from it. I found the website to be extremely useful, informative, and a fine source of the information I needed in order to allay my concerns. I recommend the website to anyone hoping to learn more about heart valve surgery, including information on surgeons who specialize in these procedures.

HeartValveSurgery.com has been extremely helpful to many people who are waiting for or who have had heart valve replacement surgery. There is no better community than the HeartValveSurgery.com website. We all have learned so much regarding Surgeon reviews, Hospital reviews, patient reviews and very valuable information about the newest technology, webinars, and solutions. I could not have survived, or done so well without HeartValveSurgery.com. In addition, people have a platform to discuss day to day issues, problems, and their anxieties when dealing with heart valve surgery. Some of the very difficult issues are not discussed or known by their heart valve surgeons. The patients on the site share their stories, help each other, and cheer each other on when we reach a milestone in our healing process! it basically took me 6 months to physically heal from heart valve surgery, and about 2 years to heal emotionally. This site is the most important website for heart valve patients! HeartValveSurgery.com has done an amazing job and we are all so grateful for this site! Thank you

The Heart Valve Surgery website is an amazing resource for those who discover they need open heart surgery before they can even bring themselves to say the words "open heart surgery". Being in disbelief about needing open heart surgery is a normal part of the process of being diagnosed with heart valve issues, whether congenital or otherwise, and it is absolutely necessary to recognize how many people face the same challenges but took control of the process of preparing for surgery. This site is helpful for medical information due to the access to a multi-media library of materials assembled by the surgeons and medical device companies for the benefit of patients. It is as close to direct access as one can hope for! Beyond that, as a major source of credible and fact-based information, the website is an irreplaceable resource as it is the community one experiences being part of a regular visitor and member of this website. This site helps create "Heart Warriors" out of people too scared to search out help on their own. Credit to the founder for his perseverance and his genius in setting up a website that brings people together in cohorts as they go through perhaps the most challenging and delicate surgical procedures (perhaps multiple times).

HeartValveSurgery.com is a community and an information resource combined and I have never found a better example anywhere. People who are nervous, uncertain, frightened of impending surgery get support and guidance and helpful suggestions from the patients who have gone before as well as the surgeons who treat us. The website has added interviews with famous heart surgeons on cutting edge topics e.g. "TAVR versus traditional open heart". The website also has a great "Find a surgeon" resource. In fact when I was diagnosed with a regurgitant Aortic valve that was bad enough for surgery but the doctor recommended "watch and wait", I found the website's community and my eventual surgeon, Louis Castro. Such is the community that Dr. Castro and I actually have become friends.
But the heart of the community is the personal journeys: both before and after surgery we are all able to journal our story right into the website. It allows each of us to tell our own story, to be heard and to be replied to. A potent society media benefit results. And even the website founder, himself a valve surgery patient, is quite reachable.
Heartvalve surgery.com is a true goldilocks situation: big enough to have a large community and a lot of information resources, yet small enough to feel personal and connected. Well done to the website founder!

Three years ago my cardiologist advised me that my aortic valve was leaking severely and I would need open heart surgery for a valve replacement. After the initial shock, I started to research my condition and found HeartValveSurgery.com
This site was a Godsend, as it provided and still provides the most current, up to date related medical information from some of the best cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in the world. These experts provide detailed information on heart valve surgeries and repairs, along with the latest advancements in the field. The site also provides a community forum for others who have had, or need to have various heart valve surgeries. These fellow patients in many cases quickly become trusted members who bonded together to form this unique group that no one would ever intentionally join, as you must undergo heart surgery. Needless to say, the entire process is physically exhausting and emotionally challenging. The HeartValveSurgery group provides unconditional support from those who have walked in your shoes, starting with the site founder, [founder's name].
Words alone can't describe this priceless site. If you had or need heart valve surgery, you must visit this site to experience the plethora of information and patient testimonials!
Steve in Colorado

Dear HeartValveSurgery.com,

Words cannot thank you enough for the insights from your super useful HeartValveSurgery.com website and also superbly written book that helped my husband and I navigate through eight nightmare weeks. He had no symptoms and when a routine visit led to the conclusion of an urgent aortic valve surgery we were devastated and had no idea where to go.

The HeartValveSurgery.com website and book giving week by week practical insights was the best possible guidance we could have received complementing the surgical binder the doctor's office gave us. Hearing successful and not so successful stories from patients was also a great source of information and solace.

He was operated by Dr. James Gammie, Chief of cardiac surgery at John Hopkins University Hospital. I thanked him for bestowing me the privilege of being one of his patients and leading such an impressive orchestra of team players. His apt response was "I am honored to lead a team of ballet dancers and a world class orchestra". I am sure we could say this for the many cardiac teams saving lives of hundreds of us.

He got released today and we are preparing for a new regimen of swallowing the many pills as efficiently as his team had provided.

HeartValveSurgery.com, people like you who have given back to society are the real unsung heroes! Please continue the excellent work. God bless you.

Having a heart condition which requires surgery is a very daunting prospect for most of us. This website takes a two-pronged approach to easing that "daunt": Facts and Feelings. First the facts. HeartValveSurgery.com's website is a treasure trove of information on procedures, surgeons and up-to-the-minute developments in the newer, less invasive procedures.

Now if you were a research hound yourself, you could probably do this (at least mostly) on your own. But now comes the second prong HeartValveSurgery.com delivers. How you *feelabout what you're facing.

There's so much warmth and deep encouragement on the website from members who have already been through what you're facing. They know how you feeland they got through it just fine. Many of them had some bumps along the way and they explain them to you. But they got over those bumps and you will too!

Surgeons give facts, which are very important. But only people who know what you're going through, because they've gone through it themselves, can give you the *equallyimportant feelings. Imagine going into surgery with a whole community cheering you onand waiting to help you as you go through your recovery. You can't buy that. (And yes, everything on HeartValveSurgery.com's website is free.)

HeartValveSurgery.com's website is a major blessing to all who are facing heart surgery. I can't recommend it highly enough and I'm so grateful to himand my fellow membersfor all they've given me.

Replace all *(asterisks) with appropriate text in review about HeartValveSurgery.com:
Imagine being told by your doctor that you now need heart surgery for a dysfunctional valve (or valves)the sooner, the better. If you're like most people (myself included), you'll feel a range of emotions from worried to frightened to terrified. But if you're fortunate enough to have a cardiologist who knows about HeartValveSurgery.com's site and refers you to it, you'll immediately find yourself surrounded by a very large group of people who have already gone through what you're facingand can give you more reassurance than even your doctor and surgeon could. Plus you'll have the most up-to-date information on your procedure and selecting the best surgeon, based on user reviews and in-depth interviews on-site with various top surgeons. Add it all up and you get: (1) warmth, encouragement and first-hand knowledge from a large group of fellow "valvers"; (2) a treasury of resources in finding the best provider for you; and (3) all the latest updates for your procedure (I get at least one email a month announcing another podcast with a top valve surgeonand there's *nevera charge for tuning in and asking questions). HeartValveSurgery.com's site is like taking a powerful tranquilizer after one of the most anxious days of your life. Iand, I'm sure, all his other memberscan't thank him enough for this phenomenal resource. As he always says at the end of each message, "Keep on tickin'". And thanks to people like him, I still do.

I was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis in 2012, and told I needed surgery immediately! I was quite upset, to say the least. I saw HeartValveSurgery.com's book mentioned online, and purchased it, read it, and it Saved my life! His book took all the fear and angst out of the equation for me. I learned how to assess doctors, and the different types of surgery to choose from, and what the recovery and life after surgery would be like. While I could have had a minimally invasive procedure, I chose full open heart, and a tissue valve, rather than an artificial valve. I was operated on, on a Tuesday morning, and back home the following Friday. Recovery was not too bad, unless I laughed, coughed or sneezed, but my trusty heart pillow helped to soften the pain! HeartValveSurgery.com, through his book put me 100% at ease, I went into surgery as calm as if I were going to the beach, my wife was much more worried than I was, all thanks to HeartValveSurgery.com and his thoughtfulness in writing his book. His continuing to teach people through his videos and Zooms are the best thing to happen in the field since medicine was invented. He greatly helps to pull back the curtain, and the speakers explain to us lay people in terms we can understand all the options available, and gives us a venue to speak with the professionals who do the actual surgeries we would be getting. I thank him for my life, and so does my wife, and I can only hope he continues his work for many years to come.

I stumbled across Adam's heartvalvesurgery.com website while combing through the internet for any and all information I could find on my upcoming double valve (mitral and aortic) replacement & single bypass surgery. Every link I came across that had significantly helpful information was Adam's site. I decided this was the best place to start.

When I first was told I needed this surgery, I was extremely anxious and scared to say the least. Everything I was given to read from my cardiologist and surgeons office was about the medical side of the surgery. What I really wanted to know was how I will get through this, and how will I cope with what is to come. I started reading some of the patient stories on heartvalvesurgery.com and found this was exactly what I was looking for. Real stories from real patients like myself. I purchase Adam's book, at around 10:30 at night. Downloaded it and started to read. Needless to say, I didn't put it down until I was literally 3/4 of the way through the 200 pages.

I have to say, his book was exactly what I needed. The information found on the website and in the book is a great source of extremely useful information. The reassurance that I found by reading the stories and blow by blow experiences of Adam's surgery really calmed my nerves by taking the unknown out of what is to come.

I am scheduled for my surgery in less than 2 weeks, and I'm sure I will be coming back here to add to my review after I have gotten further along in my recovery.

Thank you a million times, Adam. You are a godsend!

In 2012 I was given a frightening and urgent diagnosis that my aortic valve was nearly functionally closed. I was advised to schedule immediate surgery. I immediately went online to get a better understanding of what type of valve would be needed, the risks and benefits of each, etc. it did not take long to find a link to HeartValveSurgery.com and wow what a godesend that was for me and my family! I immediately joined their online community, got a copy of Adam Pick's amazing book - and I remain with that community today and also on the email list for frequent updates. Through the advice and information on the site I was able to get past my fear and actually prepare for the surgery. I found information on physicians and types of surgeries, the pros and cons of different valves. I went into my surgery with a high level of confidence. In surgery they found my valve nearly closed and also an aneurysm at a very dangerous stage. Both were repaired by the exceptional surgeon and staff of the hospital I found recommended by several people in the forum. I continued to learn and regain strength by following good information available in the many interviews of knowledgeable scientists and physicians who were able to provide the latest research information and who also could dispel rumors and faulty science. I will be forever grateful to Adam Pick and to this site and forum. Any person facing heart valve surgery, their friends and family will benefit from accessing this site as early in their journey as possible. It has my highest rating and complete vote of confidence.

HeartValveSurgery was the essential patient driven tool I used to prepare myself for heart surgery, a surgery that came out of the blue as I had no prior health problems.To say that this business provides a wealth of information is an understatement. The communication is comprehensive from diagnosis to post-surgical rehabilitation. Whether to have surgery or continue watchful waiting? You can learn what to consider here. Should I travel for surgery? What procedures might be available to me? How do I prepare for surgery? What is it like in the hospital, when I get home, and during rehabilitation? It's all here. And the wealth of information from a community of heart surgery patients is indispensable. It's one thing to hear from the doctor that everything will be fine, or your recovery is "normal." It's quite another to have shared experiences with people who have gone through what you are going through. We hear very often that the medical community needs to empower patients and hear their voices. At HeartValveSurgery patients make this happen. We gain confidence in asking our doctors the right questions. We learn that, while every recovery is different, our experiences are not isolated, are concerns are not frivolous, and there is a path to recovery. There is a wealth of information here. The videos of surgeons and other practitioners describing surgery options, advancements in the field, and what to expect are essential for the heart surgery candidate. Everything is communicated so clearly, without unnecessary jargon, and, most importantly, with care and compassion.

My name is Sunney Smith from Toronto, Canada. I was diagnosed of Aortic valve disease in 2010 and it was at an advanced stage. Also my Aorta was very badly dilated. My surgeon Dr. Mark Peterson at St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto, Canada was very much concerned and wanted me to go for the surgery right away. He is such a fantastic surgeon and I was so blessed to get him do my surgery. God Bless him and his family. He is an amazing doctor, humble and kind and very caring for his patients. He came to see me several times just after the surgery and was so concerned about my progress. I was feeling fine the next day itself except for the pain.

When I was diagnosed I was so nervous and wanted to do more research. I have 2 girls who were 9 and 5 at the time. I avoided my surgeon for 5 years and luckily nothing went wrong. I could feel the difference when I walked and I had to finally do the surgery. It was on May 14 the surgery was performed and all is good as of now. So far I feel great and my family doctor said to me that my surgeon did a fantastic job.

Thankfully I came across HeartValveSurgery.com website where I got all my encouragement from. All the heart community members were so encouraging that I picked up the courage to go ahead with the surgery. I did a lot of research through HeartValveSurgery.com's website which was so educative. I got to know the success rates of all the members of the community. This community is so caring and sharing. We should be very grateful to HeartValveSurgery.com for taking the initiative to start this website. It's a wonderful family he has created and I would always like to be a part of it as long I can. God Bless HeartValveSurgery.com and his wonderful family for guiding us all. Let's keep on ticking and the good Lord will always be by our side.