Aortic Stenosis

[Ellie51]

Hi,
I'm new to this site. My name is Ellie and i'm having aortic valve replacement surgery on July 17th. Due to the fact that i'm a very high level paraplegic also and have severe scoliosis due to my paralysis, i'm VERY high risk for this surgery as i have ZERO ability to cough or deep breathe after surgery. My doctor told me the other doctors in his practice thought he was crazy to even operate on me, and he said i have "slim to no chance of getting off the ventilator". The problem is that without the surgery my bicuspid aortic valve has so much stenosis that i shouldn't wait much longer to have the surgery.

What i was wondering is if there is anyone else out there who had been a very high risk patient and still survived?

Ever since he told me that i probably won't get off the ventilator i have been scared to death, since i DON'T want to spend the rest of my life laying in a nursing home with a machine breathing for me. All i've been doing is sobbing every day on and off. I have no family to support me and it's been so scary!

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who may have been high risk and still survived. This might give me some hope.

Thank you very much!