avr replacement

[Bill Hall]

Queenie - To answer your family question, yes there are heart problems on my mother's side of the family. However, I don't know much about them.

About Cle/Hou or local, I made the decision to go to Cle. I think I had an excellent surgeon in Cosgrove, however, I found them impersonal. I never met the surgeon and once I was gone they really didn't want to continue service. While I was there, I had plenty of attention, just not that famous surgeon. I would probably go local unless there was something special about my condition.

I think you need to find someone who had surgery under your proposed surgeon. At least find out how many they do per year in that hospital. Duke is one of the best, so you should have no problem there. I looked at the age of the surgeon as an important factor, not too old, not too young.

 

[queenie61]

avr replacement

Dear Bill,

Thanks for telling me about cleveland. It would be very important to me to look into the eyes of my surgeon beforehand. I am just as interested however in the quality of the care after the surgery as I had a friend left unattended in the ICU for 40 minutes without oxygen. I know this is rare but you can't help but worry. Duke is really beginning to sound tempting expecially after I saw it is #6 in the nation for heart centers one above Houston. This makes me feel a lot better. I appreciate you responding, I have an appointment Thursday with another cardio for his surgeon recommendations. I'm hoping to feel better then. Take Care, Queenie

 

[Sunshine susan]

When to replace

When to replace

Hi! Like you, 3 years ago I had a bicuspic aortic valve as the result of a congenital heart defect. I did not know about it until about a year before that as I had always been told (since a small child) that the murmur I had was "functional" and no big deal. I got a new internist who wanted the murmur evaluated and, viola!, I had severe aortic stenosis. Got a cardio who said it would need to be replaced probably within in 5 years most likely. I said, so I spend 5 years waiting? No way, if this thing is no good, why do we wait--I want to get on with life. So they did a heart cath to get a better and closer view, coming out of it saying, right, NOW is the time--it's worse than we thought, but the good news is you have no arterial blockages otherwise. So six months later, I became the proud owner of a shiny new mechanical St. Judes valve. I was back at work in 6 weeks and haven't stopped or had a sick day since. I recovered very quickly but exercise is very important. Even now, I can really tell when my exercise regimen slows (or stops altogether). I guess the main point is that you have to have a certain level of control over the process yourself as you know how you feel, physically & emotionally, and what you want out of life. The doctor's only have an educated guess. When I said "Why should I wait?", they were all over it. I guess it is my level of faith, but the thought of the iminent surgery just didn't bother me as much as the thought of pending surgery who knows when. And considering that the most common symptom is sudden death, what was there to wait for? I don't know if I am being much help, but the basic point is that you yourself do have some say in the matter as it is your life. If you may never need the surgery, then perhaps waiting is a good thing (why go through it if you don't need to and feel good), but if they say you will in some defined time period, then why push the envelope--you can be a new you by the time "they" say "go"! If you hvae any specific questions, please ask--I've been there, done that and glad to ease someone else's concerns if possible. Good luck! Sue

 

[queenie61]

avr replacement

Sunshine Susan,

Thank you for your reply, when they said you had severe aortic stenosis, what numbers were they using? I thought if it was severe, that was the time for surgery. This can be so confusing but I am getting the understanding that they are making educated guesses. What measurement did they get when they did the cath? What told them it was time, if you didn't have symptoms or did you? Please write back ASAP. Thanks, Queenie61