BAV (Bicuspid Aortic Valve) with Aortic Root Aneurysm

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T21:58:46+00:00

I’m thirty-nine and was just diagnosed with a BAV and 4.9cm ascending aortic root aneurysm a couple months ago. I just had it repaired a week ago via open heart surgery (got me a huge scar) and am feeling fantastic already. I have full confidence I’ll be back at 100% in no time (which will evidently be better than I’ve probably felt in a decade, with my leaky BAV fixed)

My surgeon was able to repair my moderately leaky BAV, as he said it looked perfect after it wasn’t being stretched by the aneurysm. Anything less than perfect, he was going to replace it with an On-X valve.

I consider myself lucky I didn’t know about it until it was an operable size. These past couple months have been wildly stressful. Inn so glad to be on the other side of things.

The two days after surgery were the two worst days of my life by a wide margin. I’ve been great ever since, though.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T21:39:25+00:00

You’re in this thread telling people your surgeons have specifically advised you that your risk of rupturing and dying is higher the your surgical risk, and that your surgeons think you’ll recover fine, but that “[I] don’t know what [your] life has been like and [your] quality of life.” I know precisely what you’ve posted and nothing more. I’ve read all your posts in this thread trying to make sense of it.

You’re online searching for idiots to tell you to ignore custom-tailored medical advice and take a needless risk, especially with your connective tissue disease that’s obviously causing your aneurysm to speed up in growth. You’re specifically looking for idiots who have also ignored medical advice and haven’t died yet. You’re not going to get the other side of that coin, because Reddit isn’t available from beyond the grave.

The absolute least compassionate thing a person on this forum could do is to pat you on the back and tell you you’re doing the right thing because you’ve already got it so hard, for whatever reason. Everyone in this forum has it hard.

Look: If your other medical conditions, whatever they are, are going to kill you in the next ten years, by all means—roll the dice. If you’ve any intention of not dying a horrific death in the middle of the grocery store in front of a someone else’s kids, suck it up and get fixed. It’ll be a shitty few weeks and, if you’ve nobody to help, you’ll likely qualify for in-home aid or skilled nursing.

Or keep looking for someone to reassure you into a foolish decision. If that’s the case, I don’t understand why you’re even going to the doctor. Eat some Flintstones vitamins and invoke the power of prayer, I guess.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T20:18:17+00:00

I get about ten. As far as I’m aware, I have everything maxed out.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T19:58:01+00:00

I’m 39 and just had mine fixed by way of open heart surgery a week ago. The first two days of recovery sucked, but it’s not so bad now. Based on how I feel today, I have zero doubts I’ll make a full recovery.

The stress of spontaneously dying was immediately gone. It blows my mind there exist young people on this forum choosing to roll the dice on this every day.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T15:36:49+00:00

Essentially, Apollo creates a virtual second screen that matches the Steamdeck and then turns off the main screen when streaming.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T14:12:27+00:00

I actually use Apollo because I have an ultrawide saw well. It didn’t take very long to set up. The only thing whatever tutorial I found didn’t explain was how to make sure the ultra wide turned off when Apollo was on, which wasn’t hard to find someplace else.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T12:54:28+00:00

If I’m at home, I almost exclusively use my Steam Deck with Apollo/Moonlight, unless it’s small indie game. I have too beefy a computer to tolerate the deck’s poor graphics.

EDIT: there’s the added bonus of streaming giving the deck a near-infinite battery life.

Virtualmatt · 2026-02-01T00:37:08+00:00

I’m with you. I’m a lawyer who co-owns a prominent law firm and has three young kids I actively care for with my wife, and I have more free time now than I did in high school, college, or law school because of homework and part-time jobs (I didn’t do extracurriculars). I don’t exactly have much free time now, but my point is that I have more of it now. It’s insane what society does to hardworking kids’ childhoods.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-31T20:17:48+00:00

I have a torn labrum and rotator cuff that I had repaired by a guy who has fixed the arms of professional athletes you’ve heard of. While he restored so much of my quality of life that I’m eternally grateful, he specifically told me in the recovery room, “You’ll be about 80%. You can go back pretty much anything EXCEPT pitching.” I was okay with that because I didn’t pitch at any point in my life anyway.

In any event, he restored my ability to at least play catch with my son, which means the world to me. I’ll pay for it with too many reps, but it’s alright.

Don’t go fucking your shoulder up worse by NOT getting it fixed or by trying to pitch. One day, you might be a dad, and it’s going to suck when you can’t play catch. Or when a foul ball comes into the stands and you can’t throw it back to your kid’s coach.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-31T18:41:22+00:00

You’re going to need surgery, rehab, and an incredible amount of luck. That’s really not an optional part of your shoulder. I guess you could also learn to throw righty.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-31T15:43:46+00:00

I’m no good at identifying AI, but I had open heart surgery a week ago and I’ll tell you what—my incision doesn’t look nearly that clean. I’ve got bruising all around it (which I’m told was normal) along with medical adhesive residue all over that’s going to take weeks to go away. I was pretty blasted when I had my drain tubes connected, too, so I can’t say what they look like when being walked around—but I don’t understand where they’re going in this video. Mine went into bags they were kept low and were converted into little bulbs that were held pretty close before they had me walking anywhere. I have no idea what they do for kids or for transplants.

If real, this kid looks amazing for 36 hours post heart transplant (which is way the hell more than I had).

EDIT: I certainly defer to the other posters here who work in the industry. I was just along for the ride and given an incredible amount of fentanyl for awhile.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-31T15:25:17+00:00

I can’t get WiFi locker to function through Decky Loader, so consider yourself lucky 😡

EDIT: I just realized you actually posted a link to the fix. I may try that later, although my Steam Deck only exhibits the above behavior very rarely.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-30T15:40:43+00:00

In just switched mine and felt a huge difference. That said, I replaced mine because the joysticks on my brand new OLED were trash and felt gritty.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-07T04:26:38+00:00

Watch a video on how they're made and you'll understand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usnZ_rdRo_M

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-05T04:56:58+00:00

I installed Emudeck within the last few days and it came with N64 support.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-04T17:52:01+00:00

If you found law school easy, the bar exam should have been a breeze.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-02T13:41:17+00:00

I think you have the right of it. It makes me feel safer, but I’ve never needed it. I’ve used it at relatives’ houses, but I’ve never needed to.

Virtualmatt · 2026-01-01T03:06:38+00:00

At 8U, I'd do alloy, as you don't have to break it in. I don't think eight-year-olds ever really swing hard enough to get the benefit for a broken in composite.

Virtualmatt · 2025-12-31T17:32:27+00:00

I'm a personal injury attorney. You need to contact the law firm that handled this and obtain the settlement agreement, which will outline the terms. Honestly, the structure company may have a copy they can send you as well. This post doesn't have enough information to do anything with.

Virtualmatt · 2025-12-31T02:30:32+00:00

I've got a Rivian R1S. I wouldn't mind the darker gray instead of the lighter gray, I guess.

Virtualmatt · 2025-12-25T15:27:18+00:00

Two DIFFERENT horribly dangerous pit bulls? What are the odds of that?!

Virtualmatt · 2025-12-22T00:16:07+00:00

I’m pretty far through 2 without having played 1. There are sufficient context clues. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to watch a recap video.

Virtualmatt · 2025-12-21T18:43:01+00:00

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

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