Met with the Surgeon

[ottagal]

Hi Folks,
Sorry I have been MIA this past week. I was having a bit of difficulty coping with the upcoming surgeon appt. and needed to re-group. So...had the consult and very much liked the surgeon and his resident. It looks like AVR surgery will be happening in Sept. as he is booked over the summer. We had quite a discussion on the 'valve' choices. He told me I have up until the day before surgery to make my decision . He also gave me a direct line to contact his nurse if I have any questions/ concerns in the next while. I did not feel rushed and was almost given a full hour consult!

Thanks for all your support and I would not have made it this far without you all!

 

[Eva]

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Ottawagal, I love the above quote in your signature, and challenging these upcoming weeks with good strong spirit and high hopes will make you life more meaningful after the surgery. Good luck and will keep you in my prayers.

 

[Cris N]

I'm sure you are feeling a bit relieved getting past a couple of unknowns. Good that you like the surgeon - I think that goes a long way to relieving some of the pre-surgery stress. And good news about the date - Enjoy your Summer!!!

 

[netmiff]

I had mine Sept 6, 2007; first met him early July ... hows about that for coincidence! good news that you liked him, makes it easier to walk into the hospital when the day comes.

Care to share your valve choice problems? sme of us may have something to say that might help you out.

 

[ottagal]

Thanks very much Eva, Cris N and Netmiff! I do feel a little sense of relief and it is far enough away that I will 'hopefully' enjoy the summer and not obsess too much..

The surgeon uses the ON-X valve for mechanical and the Carpentier-Edwards Perimount valves (new anti-calcification coating) for the tissue. Both sides were weighed out including my lifestyle and other factors. Of course the surgeon said it is ultimately up to me to decide; however, he certainly wasn't against the tissue valve. There is a possibility that I may need surgery for the pulmonary valve in 10 years time (an educated guess on his part with no commitment). He did say he may do a bit of repair on the pulmonary valve during the AVR, but really was not certain at this point. I am trying to digest the whole discussion from today and sleep on it.

 

[Bina]

Yes, that is alot to digest. But it's great that you got it all covered.
I remember meeting my surgeon in April and having surgery the following October.

 

[skeptic49]

Glad to read that the meeting with the surgeon went well.

Best wishes,

Jim

 

[ALCapshaw2]

It sounds like you found an Excellent Surgeon.
Would you care to share his name?

Those are both Excellent Valves he offered you.
Good arguments can be made for either choice.

It comes down to which valve (and which of the negative attributes you can best live with... and EVERY valve has both positive and negative attributes...the Perfect Artificial Valve has yet to be invented).

As he said, Age, Lifestyle, Durability, and other factors all play into the decision.

Have you visited the websites for each of those manufacturers? See www.heartvalvechoice.com and www.onxvalves.com I'm not sure of the Edwards site address but it has been posted in the past, or can be found by Google Search.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Johan]

I am now a few days away from AVR surgery after my initial meeting with the surgeon in February. Also prevaricated between tissue Edwards Carpentier Perimount and the On-X mechanical.
After getting excellent advice from members of this website, such as Al above, and close scrutiny of the manufacturers sites, I settled for the tissue valve as being more suited to my age (66) and my own perceived negative issues with warfaren/coumadin usage in older individuals.
Must admit still sometimes lie awake at night with scary thoughts about re-surgery in my late 70's, enough to decide there and then to go mechanical. Sanity normally returns with daylight and I am back with my tissue valve decision.
Choice of valve is not easy! Johan