my echo

[Scott]

Hi all. I got my third echo yesterday. It wasn't good. I was very confused because I thought my doctor was concerned with the root size of my bav. She said it was in the normal range but my regurgitation was severe and my heart enlarged to 67 when it is full and 40 when it is empty. She said I need to talk to a surgon. She recommende Dr Morris Brown at piedmont here in Atlanta. She couldn't say enough great things about him. I think I am going to see Dr. Chan At Emory. Anyway, I had about 3 huge panic attacks and I am being a real wimp about this whole thing. I really wanted to wait until next year to deal with this but, I don't want to have permanent damage. I really thought I had years to deal with this.

 

[Mentu]

Scott, when our Cardio uses the "S" word it is something of a shock even if we are expecting it; that was certainly true for me. I found that the period of indecision and waiting to speak with the surgeon was the most difficult time. It does get better. Perhaps, you want to talk with both surgeons. What ever you choose to do, Scott, for most of us, surgery is not so much of a mountain. We can imagine things worse than they will actually be. You will begin to feel more focused and less anxious when you have spoken with your surgeon and set a date.

Larry

 

[Scott]

Thanks Larry. I will try to keep that in mind. Still sick to my stomach today. I keep thinking that someone will call and tell me that my charts were confused with somone elses! That's just not going to happen.

 

[ElectLive]

Scott - I had much the same experience as Larry. Having a confident top-tier surgeon calmly tell you what needs to be done, how it will be done, and how minimal the risks are can go a long way to put you a little more at ease. From the tone of the conversation with some surgeons, it might just feel more like pulling a tooth, than having heart surgery. They are experts, and do it every day.

Any time I found myself dreading the situation or thinking how unlucky I was to need heart surgery, I tried to remind myself of worse situations. I didn't have cancer, I wasn't in a severe car accident, I didn't have a heart attack. Instead, I got to choose a day to be rolled into an OR, put to sleep, with a 99% chance I'd wake up with the problem solved the very same day. I did and it was.

Now, it won't be easy either. But challenges make us stronger. If you think you're a wimp now, just wait to see how proud you'll be after it's all over.

My BAV condition was known since birth, and based on every yearly echo for over 30 years, I wasn't supposed to face surgery until maybe age 50. As it turned out, it was age 35. So, I tried to look at the bright side of too early. I was young and in great shape, and I had no age related risk factors to deal with.

I'm sure you've seen some of the great success stories here. Long lifespans, multiple surgeries, etc. You've probably seen some problems too. But keep in mind that the vast majority of heart valve patients return in stride to their normal lives. They may not be on here, but they are everywhere around you.

Dr. Chen and Dr. Brown are both worth a visit. If you're still unsure, you could certainly check out St. Joe's and Dr. Douglas Murphy too. If you really want to do some due diligence, you could even be evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic, or another of the Top 5.

Hope this helps. Yes, I'm selling the good stuff, not focusing much on the bad. But in the grand scheme of things, the good far outweghs the bad. I'll leave you with one final thought, actually a direct quote from a Cleveland Clinic surgeon in a webchat a few weeks ago:

"Despite popular rumors, standard surgical replacement of the aortic valve carries a very low mortality rate - sometimes far less than 1%. This is better than many other non cardiac procedures. There is a lot of myth surrounding the risk of cardiac surgery. At this time we have very safe methods to repair or replace valves."

 

[Scott]

Thanks again Electlive. I know what you say is true, but It still scares me.
I haven't forgotten about Guyton or Murphy either. I just need the rest of the week to let this settle. I was really thinking of Cleveland, but it seems like there are good choices here. I was wondering if Guyton talked with you about mechanical valves? I know that a lot of surgeons like certain valves. I heard that Chen likes tissue valves. He might also like the mechanical. I'm just not sure. I don't want someone to push me in a direction. I do love the idea of a tissue valve, but I would be devastated if it only lasted 5 or 6 years.

 

[ElectLive]

Yes, Guyton spent half the time talking mechanical valves, half the time talking tissue valves. If you need something to take your mind off all other things, valve selection would be it. Don't know about Chen specifically, but assume he's an On-X guy too, since Emory is one of the On-X reduced anticoagulation trial centers. I may have chosen tissue, but On-X was a comfortable plan B, for one surgical scenario.

If Chen is anything like Guyton, he won't push at all, just will point out all the pros and cons of both options. Tissue valves definitely come with no guarantees, even less so at a young age. Research as much as you can prior to meeting with surgeons, then see what each surgeon has to say too.

 

[ejc61]

Hello Scott,

I think picking the right surgeon first may answer the question of tissue or mechanical. At least that's the way I looked at it. I'm not sure who's to the "go to guy" at St. Joe's for BAV is. I would be interested to what Dr. Murphy says. Also, I heard J. Alan Wolfe was pretty good at North GA Medical Center I believe it's called. Oddly, during my recovery at St. Joe's for my surgery, Dr. Brown was the Doctor checking up on me. Pretty good bedside manner I thought. This was while he worked at both St. Joe's and Piedmont. I, too, grappled with the idea of a mechanical if it was necessary but I was 47 at the time and mechanical seemed to be the way to go. Oddly, I made this Plan B decision with Dr. Kauten and kept it with Dr. Murphy.

 

[Rebecca]

Hi Scott,

Here is the phone number to doctor Chen secretary at Emory Heart Center 404 778-3484. The phone number for appointments is 404 778-7667. I have a visit this Tuesday with doctor Chen.

 

[epstns]

Hi, Scott,

I'm one of the members Larry (Mentu) mentioned who had some complications. To tell you the truth, they are history now, at 4.5 months post-op. I was one of those patients who didn't want to undergo surgery until I had to, so I waited quite a while. I ran into some difficulties in early recovery, but as it turns out, none were life-threatening. Don't get me wrong -- some of these things can be downright uncomfortable, but at this point life is pretty good. Not quite back to where I was prior to surgery, but I think that is due to meds that need some adjustments. I have appointments for that in a few weeks, and we'll see then. As I've said before, "If this is as good as it gets, it is a lot better than it was before surgery."

The whole intent of my post is to let you know that in spite of the complications, I'm still way ahead of the game and am very happy that I went ahead with it. I think you will be, too.