The full story is here. I've previously discussed the breakthrough TAVR procedure for aortic stenosis where the new valve is deployed through the groin. This is minimally invasive, does not involve opening the chest, and does not require the patient to be on a heart-lung machine. Clinical trials have shown good results, with faster recovery … Continue reading Great News- Fda approves TAVR for low-risk patients after two successful clinical trials →

I really missed biking outside during rehab. Yes, you can get a good workout on a stationary bike (or in my case a trainer). But for me it is nowhere near as fun as being outside in the fresh air and scenery. And I really missed standing up to pedal which, as I've mentioned previously, … Continue reading Biking Outside Again! →

There are some exciting things coming down the road in heart valve replacement technology. This first is Edwards "resilia" aortic tissue valve. I have a very similar Edwards valve but there are two advances here. The most important is that the tissue does not calcify as quickly. Calcium build-up is the main reason these replacement … Continue reading New Heart Valve Replacement Technology →

On Saturday I went with my meetup group to Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge and Coyote Hills Regional Park, both in the East Bay near Fremont, California. Some good friends that I hike with were there that I hadn't seen in more than a couple of months because of my injury so it was a nice … Continue reading My First Hike After Shoulder Surgery! →

There is an interesting Ted talk on this topic entitled Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far by Cardiologist James O'Keefe. He argues that more vigorous exercise like running (and other aerobic exercise of similar intensity) has an inverted U-shaped curve of health benefit. Doing some exercise confers significant health … Continue reading How Much Exercise Is Too Much? →

I posted on May 17 that I had gained a bit of weight (17 lbs) after my bike crash. I had not been weighing myself nor tracking my food intake for a few weeks, instead trying to eat healthily and intuitively. And there was the unfortunate combination of that and not being able to keep … Continue reading Taking Health and Fitness Up Another Notch →

My repaired shoulder is doing pretty well 6 weeks out. I just had my fourth session of physical therapy and my PT, Rob, says my range of motion is very good so far, about in the 90th percentile. And today after my fourth session I got remeasured, and all the joint angles have improved by … Continue reading Shoulder Rehab Update- 6 weeks Postop →

My last ride during my stayventures. This one was on June 10th. Time for me to start blogging about new adventures. Fortunately I'm healed up enough to go hiking again (carefully!) and should be cleared to ride outside in a couple of weeks (carefully!). Today I rode out New avenue which hugs the eastern foothills … Continue reading Rural Treasures East of Gilroy →

Another post from my Stayventures backlog, this one from June 9th. I talked about one of my favorite places to ride, Coyote Creek trail, in a previous post. Today I went further north on it towards San Jose. Just past Metcalf road you encounter Coyote Lakes, a local fishing and waterskiing spot: The long green … Continue reading Coyote Creek Trail Northern End and Hellyer Park →

I wrote this about a week before my surgery, during my "stayventures" period. This is a favorite local bike-hike of mine. The last mishap I had, along with tearing my rotator cuff, also strained my achilles, so I've been babying it for a few weeks with no hiking. It was nice to be able to … Continue reading Surpentine Trail to Rosendin Point →