Ever have one of those days...

[buffhughes]

Well, the cath was supposed to be Monday morning at 7 at Robert Packer Hospital; about a 40 min. ride on a good day. Sunday dawned already snowing and by the time it was done we had 18" of snow. Watched the 11pm news but no cancellations so planned for a very early departure to be sure to get there on time. Arrived at 7 on the dot to find that the clinic had closed due to a state of emergency and that neither of my cardios could be there. They were in awe of our Honda Pilot and offered to have a different cardio do the cath. I found this quite odd; I am sure the guy was good but how the heck would he know what I had going on?

Anyway, opted to reschedule (DUH) and returned home to dig (or should I say plow) my way out of our home. Our drive is 900ft long and I also plow my neighbors; as I was finishing my truck suddendly stopped going in reverse. :eek2: Found out today its the tranny.

On the plus side think I have chosen a surgeon to meet with. My healthcare advocate provided 3 names from nearby cities (Rochester, NY New York City, Philadelphia). I have decided on mechanical valve and want an On-X (its a techie thing) ; Dr. Bavaria at Penn Medecine Perelman Center was the Phila. doctor and implants the On-X valve. Anyone here have any experience with Dr. Bavaria?

Philadelphia is about a 4 1/2 hour ride for us and besides the trip through PA gives us a chance to stop at Cabelas.

 

[Jkm7]

Sorry for the disappointment and delay.

Only interventionalist cardios do caths and not all cardios are interventionalists. It is very common for cardios do caths on patients they've never seen before. Only some do TEE's and pacemakers and other procedures. That is not unusual.

Sending all best wishes your cath goes smoothly and you get the information you need.

 

[Greg a]

Mom always said "tomorrow is another day"...I said "IT BETTER BE BETTER THAN TODAY"

All the best

 

[Lynlw]

Hi, Sorry about the drive there and back in the snow for nothing. I'm surprised they didn't make it well known there was a state of emergency. My son, Justin goes to CHOP (Children's Hospital of phila) right next door and even tho they are different hospitals, the Adults with Congenital Heart defect clinic is a partnership between both hospitals so many of the staff work at both places. Justin has Dr Spray as his surgeon, but Dr. Baveria is a very good surgeon, If I needed Valve surgey, he'd be at the top of my list. I know there are a few member here who Dr. Bavaria operated on. You can do a search for his name

 

[normofthenorth]

The two MDs who ran my cath/angiogram were both new to me and my case. I met one shortly before I was wheeled in, and the other one shortly afterwards. I assume they reviewed my file. I don't think I would have turned down the substitute cath Doc, FWIW.

Also FWIW, I'm also into techie things, and I've been urging people to review the ATS mech-valve web-site before choosing between the ATS and the On-X. Especially about noise and about thrombolic activity and ACT, etc. (If you're EVER going to read it, you might as well read it PRE-op, right?)

 

[Jons101]

Larry,

I live in the South Jersey area and went to Dr. Bavaria 8 years ago for AVR surgery using a bovine tissue valve. I’m actually seeing him again now because my tissue valve is wearing out and I will need a redo in the next couple of months to get a mechanical valve. I was 32 at the time of my first surgery and wanted to not be on Coumadin for the 15 years I thought the valve would last while I started a family, but the valve only lasted 8 years.

Dr. Bavaria is an excellent surgeon, one of the best in the area. My whole experience at University of Pennsylvania hospital was very good. So now I’ll be getting a redo from him, probably with an On-X valve also.

Jon S.

 

[JUST-WAITING]

Some days are just as well spent in bed- About a month ago my dog died, mother fell and broke her hip and my truck would not start. I am planning to write a country and western ballad. The devil was busy that day. And two weeks later I find out my 6 month old valve is leaking "real bad".