Was quite impressed by this particular wizard. He seemed to be the genuine article & did not talk to me from behind a screen. He seemed down to earth, plainspoken and honest.
Best of all, he appeared quite positive about my prospects without trying to minimize that I present some extra risks because of my left ventricle dysfunction. He says there is an 85-90 per cent chance he will be able to do a repair rather than a replacement. (I dunno if that is something he tells everybody.) He's done a lot of mitral valve surgeries, both at Summit & with Scott Merrick at UCSF.
I will be having more tests in January--another echo, a CTscan, etc.
Not another cardiac cath, however! (Thank you, Lord, for small mercies.)
Also, I will have a consult with a hematologist--surgeon seemed very aware of the potential HIT concern.
There IS, according to him (the surgeon) a lab test for HIT (heparin induced thrombocytopenia), and there are, apparently, other anti-coagulants they can use besides heparin if I cannot tolerate it. So far so good.
Surgery in February????
I feel pretty good about all this, much calmer and more positive than I have in some time.
This board has been a great help. Thank you all.
