Heart Surgeon (blues)

[zipper2]

Really missing my heart surgeon from 16 years ago,
I know i have to meet soon with a new surgeon for the mvr.
Choosing a surgeons so complicated and confusing,its getting difficult to
set up any meaningful criteria for selection here as im having nightmares
as 16 years was abit ago and Dr's have changed today.
How do i determine if the surgeon im going to see is good?????
Im still glad i have the same cardiologist and i know after the first performance of the surgeon 16 years ago,he wouldnt have junk so to speak
today taking his place. Another thing i was so freaked out 16 years ago
i didn't care about questions or surgeons then and so when i question the fact of how do i determine if the surgeon im having is good,im concerned about complications and can he deal with them in a surgical event???
I dont even know if the 1st surgeon could deal with complications,i was too
traumatized with the whole issue then ,never asked.But now it matters and when i question this in my head the answer to a good surgeon,the answer falls at me that i'll never know if the surgeons good at his work till the surgerys over with . I can ask all the questions i want (right??) but the surgery tells it all in the end.I guess whats got me and maybe iv'e thought too much today is complications so this leads questions to the surgeon's
ability and me thinking wish i had the same surgeon i had back then and i cant and this kinda makes me sad with heart surgeon (blues).
maybe its been my ventful day(LOL)


zipper2

 

[Duff Man]

I understand where you're coming from... I'm not totally decided either. Most people here will tell you experience with your particular procedure is number one, probably followed by track record. Other factors are kind of subjective, but those two are probably the most important.

I personally want the hospital to have a good track record, I want to feel like my surgeon is way smarter than me, and I want my surgeon to have experience with whatever valve I pick.

 

[zipper2]

Plus in Canada with publicly finanaced healthcare
systems we usually have two options when surgery
is concidered they can have the surgery performed
in a public hosp,in which case likely your unable to
choose your surgeon or even the date of surgery.
And you wait ,i recall reading few years ago the
canadian med.journal had ad's promoting surgery
in the U.S. for Canadians whom were frustrated
with the long waits for surgeries. I know i had to
have an echo done in one city and that was my ticket
back to my cardiologist from 16 years ago where it
all began,that echo was my referral and my cadiologist
of 16 years could well refused my referral from family Dr. here.
The pros and cons of healthcare,but i wish you also Aaron
the best in your journey with this GGRRR it's not so easy

zipper2

 

[Duff Man]

If I lived in Canada, I would be trying for Dr. Tirone David without a doubt.

Sounds like socialized health care may not be as good as I thought it would be.

I wish you luck too Zipper. May you have an epiphany.

 

[upchurch131]

I agree with Aaron about the EXPERIENCE factor. That is number ONE in my book and the reason I declined to become the patient of a "referals referal". I either want the surgeon whose background and record I was comfortable with or I would continue shopping. Secondly, and also very important, is the "connection" I will feel with the surgeon. Am I important to him or am I just another "fare". I will feel if that connection is there when I meet him on June 26. I didn't have either the experience I desired nor the connection with surgeon number one.

 

[WayneGM]

If I lived in Canada, I would be trying for Dr. Tirone David without a doubt. Sounds like socialized health care may not be as good as I thought it would be.

My local Cardio referred me to Dr. Tirone David in Toronto. He could have just as easily sent me to somebody in Hamilton, which is actually much closer, as McMaster does heart surgeries. However, he asked my preference and I opted for Toronto. Dr. David was great and I was very impressed with the facilities and care provided at Toronto General. Maybe I was lucky, but the public health care system came through for me. I'd check into Dr. David if I were you, Zipper2. I know he's taken patients from outside the country, so he should be able to take patients from out of province. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Best wishes and good luck.

 

[pamela]

zip also has two wonderful options in Alberta. The Calgary General and the U of A hosp in Edmonton. My doctor in Edmonton is the head of cardio-thoracic surgery and transplants for western Canada and I know the Calgary teams are excellent in several procedures.

 

[Freddie]

I know you don't want to come to Toon Town, but the surgeon I had came highly recommended and he got me in 7 days after seeing me.

 

[zipper2]

Okay i'm struggling with this in my head so much,not sure why??????
I haven't even met the surgeon in Regina yet and hey it may be alright
If hes done 100 surgeries and 99 didnt make it,im looking for other options
believe you ,me.Freddie and Pam when I had a cardiologist in Calgary and he left 2 years ago i didnt want to start over there the trip 8 hrs away and con
i had no surgeon there ever,no surgeries done there. The first surgery 16 years ago was in Regina where i dicussed with my family Dr.either Regina or Edmonton. I chose Regina for shorter distance and cus i know this cardiologist
from first avs only thing my first surgeons not there since 2000 he left to teach surgeries not do them anymore.He was the greatest surgeon at that time for Regina and my family dr said there are 2 good surgeons left in Regina,so i chose to go there1) being closer to home
2) concidering my cardiologist of 16 yrs. there
3)thinking after what a great surgeon he had in
1992 ,he wouldn't have an unexperienced heart
surgeon now to take place of what i had 16
years ago.
4) my family Dr. decided after Regina would be
the route to go and so did I
5) cardiologist from 16 years ago i really did
like,he was and is very experienced still.
Toon town wasn't an option for me Freddie my family Dr.said to stay away from there and he wouldn't concider sending me there as some patients made demand they go toon town and never pulled through the vs they had.i mentioned your Doc's name ,my Dr. didn't know them and sides with City
Hospital in 1996 shutting down my organs by feeding me 3x the warfarin and they posted me at each hospital saying i was high risk to go to the States
where they had equipment to keep me alive there,this was a simple laparoscomy surgery,I nearly died,sent me home in an ambulance and i got stuck with the bill and they are clear,shoulda sued them with great pleasure
but im too kind a person,and hell i was sick for 2 months after that and in hospital at hometown for 2 months.
Well i dont know why im feeling like i am about the surgeon in Regina
but i am feeling blue and cant tell any of you why,why this feelings with me
Maybe once i get there and meet,and if alls okay,i will be alright.
Maybe it's the waiting and the thinking I just dont know
and worse is i was suppose to phone my card.in Regina in 2 weeks ofter my echo i called fri. hes away till today tues and will contact me asap the desk
reps said so im waiting for his phone call.He said if id not heard from him to call him in 2 weeks and i've done my part.
gut feeling ill likely hear from him this week according to recept. and i'm to have angiogram yet and meet with a surgeon before surgery,when i was told i had to meet with a surgeon i started feeling blue....humbug,maybe if surgeons not too promising to me then i gotta look for Dr.Tirone David or go to Edmonton and start over and it's so time consuming when i've got all these symptoms and getting pretty sick already with the mitral valve.
im down at the loss of my clicker too on the aortic valve that ticker was like
a pacifier it put me to sleep at night,scarey that it's gone till the mitrals replaced,then my cardiologist said it would be back.

K sorry for the long winded here of a post everyone,but thats where i stand for now and how i'm feeling i do better at keeping busy not as much Thanks again for letting me sound off



zipper2

 

[Jkm7]

Zipper.... I'm so sorry to read the stress you are enduring.
There is great hope that when you meet this surgeon, you may feel confidence with him and feel satisfied to have him do your surgery. You sound like you are keeping your mind open to him impressing you and that is good.

After all you have been through, you need to feel secure with your surgeon. Take it a step at a time. Sometimes the whole picture is too big to cope with at once and if we break it down to smaller steps, it is more manageable for us.

Wait to hear from your cardio about the echo. Then see what he says about scheduling the angio and the meeting with the surgeon.

We all can feel for you and understand how stressful the procedure is. You're doing fine and will continue to. One step at a time....one decision at a time.

PLEASE keep us updated as you go through the process. Like is said here everyday, the waiting and lead up to the surgery is the worst.

We're here to help you through in any way we can.
Try to stay as calm as possible and you'll do fine.

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Heart surgeon blues

Heart surgeon blues

Zipper2, Ross, fellow VRers, please forgive me if this is too frivolous and remove. As we all know it helps to see the funny side of misfortune so ...........

The topic title is demanding of blues lyrics. With apologies to BB King, Muddy Waters and all. Please feel free to add verses


Since I woke up this morning
The world turned upside down,
Thing's ain't been the same
Since the Heart Surgeon Blues walked into town.

Blues has got me, there is teardrops in my eyes
Yes the blues has got me, there is teardrops in my eyes
Well dark is the night,
Since my surgeon said his goodbyes

 

[pamela]

Zipper, I am happy that you have the Regina option. It's always better to stay close to home (provided the new cutter has a good record and level of experience). I think your blues could be related to your condition. It's not easy facing OHS once never mind three times. You're doing marvellously.

Have you heard from Regina yet this week?

Take Heart,
Pamela.

 

[MaryC]

Zipper2,
I have also been concerned about having my same surgeon if I need another surgery and I just had my MV repair in Feb '07. My sister came in behind me and also had an MV repair with the same surgeon, Dr William Ryan, in June '07. I went with her to her follow-up appointment and mentioned to Dr Ryan by the time I needed another surgery he would probably be on a beach somewhere, retired. He looked at me and said 'I hope you are on a beach somewhere retired, too!'

I decided I would take a more positive approach and hope if I ever have to have another surgery it WILL be years out and Dr Ryan will long be reitred. But it has occurred to me that he has a son in the medical profession.....not sure what his specialization is.........

You can use the internet to do some research - that's how I found my original surgeon. If you have friends or family in the medical field in your area, they can give you advice. Good luck in finding the perfect surgeon for you.

 

[zipper2]

Bonzo..luv your blues lyrics..(LOL)
JMK7 your posts bring me to reality and yes this surgeons
gotta impress me or im outta there.I feel this is the worst part
for me and a slow process.My one step at a time doesn't feel
like im walking anywhere,just times standing still.Pamela yes this could definately be related to my condition,i agree 100% with that also.


I cotacted the cardiologists office today as the 3rd of june was my echo
he told me and i taped the whole visit on a small recorder,told me to phone
him in 2 weeks if i hadn't heard from him and i did phone,the receptionist
said he's aware im to phone and he isnt in,checked my contact phone
numbers to reconfirm and said he would be contacting me asap.Iv'e not heard anymore since the conversation with the receptionist at 1 p.m.today.
So that steps done and over with for phoning him as of 2 weeks time of the echo.Last fri he'd forwarded a copy of his echo to my family Dr. and my Family Dr. phoned me to come in as the echo wasnot good and i would require
surgery and cardiologist will be contacting me from Regina.I got a copy and feel probally he will contact me ....just my feeling it'll be done by letter as i know he wants to do an angiogram on the family history side of this for the coronary arteries as safety measure on my part like he did 16 years ago...and great lets do it I dont have a problem with any of this or surgery or anything.
The part that keeps hitting my mind is complications...WHY?????
maybe cus of the bad experiences iv'e had in past with other simple surgeries
and bleeding and inexperienced Dr's scared outta their mind not knowing what to do when complications did occur and then my organs stopping due to misread amounts of warfarin...all this is haunting me so i turn around and am questioning the experience of the heart surgeon in Regina.Because of past incidences which could have been avoided in reality.

I guess it's stuff i gotta get over and be able to regain the trust in Dr's
and it's not easy.This was my life they dealt with ,this was their screw-up
this wasnt my screwups my family was put through hell and it just me
I mean they are only human it happens but then i question why so many times?and always in one city and always me?I find it so hard to go back to any hospitals in Saskatoon sure woulda been nice to have vrs there but ive lost my faith in the whole health care in any hospital there.
now i need surgery again and doesnt matter where i guess the trust has been wrecked for me,my grandaughter is the luv of my life,and when i got back from my echo i snuck some shopping in for her,she came over and didnt care bout material things she's 8 and she ever so gently put her arms around me and said grandma,i dont want new stuff i want you are you and your heart gonna be okay,she wanted me to just lay down with her and she'd read a book to me ,she luv's to read to me and i listen
Shes i kid you not even cared to open the things i brought her back as long as mom and dad bring her over,thats her delight after this episode with her the fear of complications came to my mind again and i guess trust in Dr's
thinking after i'd likely be fine if they didnt always screw up so much,how can you promise an 8 year old its gonna be alright,i felt like i was lying to her.

Maybe this is outta me and ill feel better i dont know?????
once again iv'e vented here and its again long.im gonna close with Maryc
research all good but i cant find heart surgeons without names and i don't know the names of any in Regina yet,believe me iv'e tried


sorry this is so long and was at work till 11 showered and here i am,i luv it at work,keeps my mind off things such as Dr's


zipper2

 

[pamela]

Whew! I'm sure glad you got your vent over with. I searched the web for cardio-thoracic surgeons in Regina and couldn't come up with names. I really recommend asking your cardiologist to lay it out for you and boldly confront him with: "If you were facing a third open heart surgery and had to choose a surgeon from the public sector, who would you look for to perform the operation?"

You need help and he should be happy to give you a name, without excuses or explanation, just simply what surgeon would he want to have the rights to his chest if the decision were his to make.

Otherwise, the Drs at the University of Saskatchewan Cardiac Surgery Division sound good. The head of the division has quite a few credits wrt aorta and valvular disease treatment improvements.

Take Heart, doll
Life is too short to be afraid of the people who can prolong it.

 

[zipper2]

called cardiologist in Regina,....receptionist said she wasn't aware
of who's doing surgery and i need to talk with dr.garbe regarding this
if he ever was in and would return my calls ...yeah
Phoned my family dr. at home here and he called my cell however i was at
work busy with a client and didnt answer soon enough,so wait till tomorrow
i know somebody has to return my calls.....hopefully


zipper2