needing some advise

[fcarter]

I'm hoping that someone can give me some insight has to having another surgery. Found out last week that I have 3 overian cysts. 2 are small and will probally disappear but the third one is getting bigger. It has grown from the size of a plum to the size of a orange in a week. It has caused me so much pain that I ended up in emergency and had to stay in the hospital for 4 days on morphin(spelling), my heart beat had droped to 29 beats per min. and my blood pressure also fell. The card. at the hospital took me of the amioderone and reduce my metoperol to half. I must say that my heart beat is up in the 70 now. The most it has gone since my surgery last March is 64 and that is after my exercise. The question I'm getting at is --- How much of a risk is it for me to have another surgery because I really don't want the cyst there to continue growing and causing pain. The doctors think that because of the warfarin, mechanical mitral valve and CHF, it is to much of a risk to do the surgery to remove the cyst. I am argueing with them because I feel it is a more serious risk to let the cyst continue to grow. It is fluid filled and they think that I am bleeding into the cyst. I am not familiar with cyst and still learning to deal with the mechanical valve. Do anyone have any insight on this I would really really appreciate it. I have been of the amioderone for 6 days now and I am feeling better energy wise ( maybe a stoke of luck but I think the amioderone was bringing me down). I thank you so much for any information that I can get.
fcarter

 

[tommy]

I'd trust your instincts and keep digging in to getting the cyst fixed. Can you get some other opinions?

Frankly I don't know much about cysts or CHF, but anything that grows that fast sure sounds like a problem. It's already put you in the hospital once.

If warfarin prevented us all from having surgeries to fix other things, we would all have gotten tissue valves. Yes, you must be careful with the rat poison, but that alone shouldn't stop you from doing what needs to be done.

The CHF could be another matter - wish I could help more.

I've had two surgeries unrelated to the valve since AVR. In both cases, I made sure that the surgeon was experienced and comfortable with anticoagulants. My cardiologist insisted on talking directly with each surgeon prior to surgery to plot out the anticoagulant strategy. The strategies were different each time and both surgeries were succesful.

 

[elphie]

HI-
I had a similar situation to yours. I was told I needed valve replacement last August and while I was trying to deal with the reality of that, I had to go to the emergency room because of a leaky 6cm. cyst. I know the kind of pain you're talking about. My cardiologist wanted me to get the cyst taken care of before the valve replacement because, as he put it, it would be a lot easier that way. It's not impossible by any means to have another operation, just more complicated because of being on the blood thinners.
If I were you I would get another opinion about the cyst. I was told by my obgyn that they can sometimes shrink and she suggested giving me a "progesterone only" pill to help. Since you can't take blood thinners with regular birth control pills, she and my cardiologist talked about this and thought it would be o.k. as long as it was the "progesterone only" pill- NO estrogen. The main concern with this however was it can make you gain weight which needless to say, doesn't help your heart out any either.
I wouldn't jump into surgery. I would see if you can talk to somebody else and wait a few weeks and see if it has gone down any in size. It's not likely to act up again right away.
I'm crossing my fingers with mine. I had my valve replacement, but I never did do anything for the cyst- not even the suggested medication. I know it's still there, and it hurts sometimes, but I haven't had the severe pain since August.
Good luck~

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

fcarter

fcarter

Hi
I haven't had any experience with cysts but since my valve surgery. I have had an abess tooth & hand operationand a reveal monitor out of my chest. And I am supposed to have spine surgery on back in the next 2mo. or so. But some times you have to do what ever it takes. I have to go in the hosp. for everthing because of the valve and two strokes and several blood clots.
You have to weigh you options. My prayers are with you. Good luck with whatever you decide.

SHerrin Hutt
Valve repair 5/99
Valve replacement 3/02