Off to Aurora (Chicago) this afternoon.

[big_L]

Well, it's been a winding road, but we're feeling a bit more confident that we're on the right path now. I have severe aortic stenosis and will have the valve replaced, likely late summer.

We've been to KU Med Ctr in Kansas City, liked the Drs, good facility, but it's just a bit too far from Eastern Iowa. Shame, as we have a lot of friends and family in that area. My wife is still suffering from her breast cancer surgery and fibromyalgia and long car rides are just brutal.

Then we went off to Mayo. Absolutely loved the cardiologist (Stephen Wright), not so much the surgeon. We found the clinical facilities to be world class, not so with the hospital (St. Mary's). We went over and asked to see a typical room and the waiting area and "You can't go up there without an escort" ?? We persevered and they took us up there. Pretty disappointed, night and day difference from Gonda. Again, this is just too far for us (5-6 hrs) by car. My impression of Mayo is an assembly line. This can be good, as long as you don't ask for anything different. At least they were honest when we asked about "Who does the surgery - you or the students/fellows". Answer is - "I'll be doing two surgeries at the same time and I'll be in the room with you when I need to be". OK - not thrilled with the answer.

Then we talked to Univ of Iowa for awhile. They are 80 miles from us and would be the place most locals would use. When we found that they're set up with 6 of every 8 beds as semi-private, we decided we need to go elsewhere. 25% chance of getting a private room is just too much to accept. They'll try to get you into a private, but no promises. The likely poorer infection control and lack of privacy is a deal-breaker.

After camping out in the "we have no options" place for a day or two, we started looking at the Western suburbs for Chicago, which is 2.5 hours from here. It's an easy drive as it's mostly a lightly traveled toll road (I-88). We're seeing Dr. Juan Bonilla tomorrow am and while excitement isn't the right word, I can say the collective stress level here is better. He's doing his surgeries in Aurora. His credentials look good. His group is affiliated with Loyola University. Here's hoping things go well tomorrow. (and yes - they're all private rooms :smile2

 

[enkaynj]

big_L,
If you have close family living elsewhere in other cities near some great hospitals, check them out as well. Key is that you can not fly for 3 weeks after the surgery and until you get your surgeon's permission. Even though I live in NJ, I chose to go to Baylor Heart Center in Dallas/FW as it was referred by a relative. Their facilities were first-class not to mention the surgeon I went to.
Just make sure you can stretch out your friend's/family's welcome mat
All the best in finding a good hospital/surgeon combo.

 

[Duffey]

Good luck with tomorrow's appointment. My surgery was done at a hospital that only had semi-private rooms, and it caused no problems. My surgeon was one of the top cardio-thoracic doctors in the nation, and he had a team that was first rate. In my opinion, the surgeon and his team are the most important component in successful valve replacement. Top surgical teams make sure infection control issues are minimal, because it impacts their outcomes. Privacy is another issue.

 

[carolinemc]

Well, good luck tomorrow and sorry you could not make it to KUMed. I go there and visit Dr. Hegde, a cardio-vascular doctor. But you have to go where is it better you and on traveling. Just relax and everything will fall into place. Have a good day tomorrow. Hugs for today.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I had my surgery at a hospital that will have all private patient rooms, but not until the new addition opens next January!

Not wanting to wait, I resigned myself to sharing a room. When I was ready to be moved from ICU, my room was assigned and I was lucky to get one of the few private rooms in the Cardiac unit. The ICU nurse, however, was worried that someone else might take it by the time my mandatory transport arrived. She sent my husband over to the room to grab it before anyone else did!

Best of luck in making your decision. I know my stress level went way down once my decision was made -- Suzanne

 

[dwhist]

I live about 15 miles east of Aurora and had mine done at Elmhurst Hospital. If you have any questions on the area of Aurora, let us know as I know there are others in the area full of information.

 

[kimcdougc]

Now being 8 weeks post op. The hospital seems like a long time ago. You probably wouldn't notice sharing a room with someone since you will be all drugged up for pain etc. Pick the best Dr. and team for yourself and the rest will come together. The hospital for me was kinda a fog. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Jkm7]

big_L,
If you have close family living elsewhere in other cities near some great hospitals, check them out as well. Key is that you can not fly for 3 weeks after the surgery and until you get your surgeon's permission. Even though I live in NJ, I chose to go to Baylor Heart Center in Dallas/FW as it was referred by a relative. Their facilities were first-class not to mention the surgeon I went to.
Just make sure you can stretch out your friend's/family's welcome mat
All the best in finding a good hospital/surgeon combo.

There are a great number of posts here by members who traveled/flew for their surgeries and flew home within days of leaving the hospital. Cleveland Clinic is one of the institutions that facilitates their many out of town/out of country heart surgery patients transitioning from hospital to on 'campus' hotels to airport and home. It is very common. The precaution of getting wheelchair assistance through the airport and no lifting apply.


Big_L...... I hope your appointment in Chicago goes well and you find the doctors and facility to be what you are seeking. All Best Wishes.

 

[epstns]

Big_L, I am not familiar with hospitals in Aurora, but another location to consider (maybe 30-45 minutes farther from you) is Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, IL. Although I had my surgery at Northwestern Memorial in downtown Chicago, Loyola was a very close second in that race. I did not visit the hospital itself, but I did consult with a surgeon there (can't remember his name, but I could ask my cardio), and they were well organized and seemed very competent and "tuned in" to their patients.

 

[big_L]

We're back. We liked the facility and Dr. Bonilla. I was quite surprised that he's recommending full sternotomy so he can do a mini-maze and left atrial appendage removal at the same time. I have paraxomal atrial fibrillation, but haven't had an episode in 2.5 years. He certainly explained his reasoning well. We're still trying to digest the info.

The facility was recently remodeled and was as nice as anything we've seen.

Thanks for the comments, re - private rooms etc. It's a big deal for us. I realize I'll be out of it, but my wife will be there and fully cognizant of our surroundings.

 

[kfay]

Big L, sorry to hear of your disappointment in the Mayo clinic. I get the whole thing about not feeling the surgeon is a good fit for you, but as far as the care at St. Mary's, I have never received any better care and I have been in the hospital over 100 times now. Sure, the building may not be the newest, but I always had a private room, and actually had a "triple" size room by myself once I was moved out of ICU. I had one on one nursing care while in ICU, in fact, she never left my side, and once on the floor, I was only one of 2 patients my nurse had. Hard to beat those numbers. I only had one nurse I didn't care for and my husband went and ask she not care for me anymore and she never once set foot in my door again. The nurse who bathed me after I got out of ICU was so tender and caring it brought both my husband and I to tears. I never once felt like it was an assembly line there. In fact, when I go for my check-ups, I usually see my Dr. for close to an hour and she always offers to get my surgeon on the phone (I'm 5 years post op) to answer any questions I may have or even asks if I need to see him. I have called/e-mailed probably 2 dozen times since I started going there and have always gotten a return phone call/email in the same day, usually within a couple of hours. So, my advice would be to not judge a book by it's cover.

As far as travel after surgery, I don't get the feeling you are looking to fly, but someone said you wouldn't be able to do that until at least 3 weeks post op. That wasn't my experience at all, I flew out 9 days post op, no problem.

Good luck finding the best facility/surgeon for you. It will click with you when you know you've found it.

 

[Gail in Ca]

I also feel that the surgeon and his team are the most important choice, but having always had a room mate for 3 OHS and many stays from endocarditis, I would've been very happy to have had a private room. I have had excellent roommates and ones that are kind of poopie. After my 2nd surgery my roommate complained about me having too many family members in the room. For my 3rd surgery, my roommate was very quiet, hardly moved from her bed. But, she always wanted it warmer, and I was sweating!!
She rarely walked and her husband was shocked to find out I had just had my 3rd OHS, because I was walking as much as possible. He couldn't get his wife out of her bed or chair.
Actually, having a roommate is somewhat interesting. One can listen in on things going on behind the curtain! Maybe that's why they are building more hospitals with private rooms.
Nothing is private in a shared room. The thing I disliked the most about sharing was the whole measuring urine hats that we each had to put down before using the toilet.
If a nurse didn't come in to see it and clean it, that 'hat' was still there from roomie's use. I started letting the nurse know when I used it so she would come in pretty quickly to change it out. Maybe it's good because then we want to go home!
Good luck finding the right combination of excellent surgeon and private room.