So Much Knowledge Here.......

[Jkm7]

I am so appreciative for the wealth of heart knowledge on this site and the willingness of those with this education to share it with all of us.

It got me thinking........

How many here are medical professionals? Do we have many nurses, doctors, EMT's, technicians etc among us?

Or are most self educated as pertains to cardiac matters from miscellaneous sources?

Whichever, thank you to you all.

 

[Tom F.]

While I think that there are a few medical professionals here, for the mostpart I would think that any doctor would hesitate to pose here for malpractice reasons. For the most part we are common folks who have had to face heart valve or aortic aneurysm issues. Some of us have had great docs that have taught us much, some have had local quacks may not be on top of their game. But no matter what, no doctor in the world can speak to the experience of haveing OHS as well as someone that went through it themselves. They know the technology, god bless them for that, but until you wake up in post-op, you really cannot convey what its all about. I think that is the true value of the VR community.

 

[kbheart]

My degree is in sociology so I knew hardly anything about cardiology before being diagnosed with an aneurysm in 2006. I surfed the net for answers and bought some used cardiology textbooks on Amazon.com. I teach community health courses at a med school so some of the terminology was familiar. I spent a lot of time looking up terms in medical dictionaries. I really admire the level of knowledge here on VR.com. There's nothing like OHS to motivate people to learn a new subject!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

We have 4 Medical Doctors that I recall, all Valve Replacement survivors. They are known to contribute their expertise from time to time, especially when it is relevant to their specialties.

We have also had several nurses amongst our membership, some patients, some not. The non-patient nurses seem to drop in for a while, then disappear.

Our most prolific Medical Professinal is Al Lodwick who is a Certified Anti-Coagulation Care Provider and Coumadin Clinic Director in Pueblo, CO. He has written a book on the subject, "Have you had your Rat Poison Today" (I hope I remembered the title correctly) and maintains the www.warfarinfo.com website. He also monitors the Anti-Coagulation Forum and provides feedback either via the Forum, or Private Mail on VR.com, or e-mail. THANK YOU Al Lodwick !

I think Kris said it best: "There's nothing like OHS to motivate people to learn a new subject!"

Several of our members have researched various Heart / Valve issues in depth and report regularly from their experience and / or learning.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Jkm7]

I think Kris said it best: "There's nothing like OHS to motivate people to learn a new subject!"

Yes.....that part I get. Having survived one OHS and being in the Waiting Room for a second.......

It was surviving the first (emergency) OHS that set me to researching and how I found this amazing site.

Thank you to you all.

I

 

[hensylee]

Harpoon is also in the medical field - via the fire dept.

We have a long time dr that we all know and love plus some others. We have all sorts of professional people, not just the medical field. I don't know that we have had a dentist, tho. If there is, she/he didn't tell us. Might be nice since we have lots of dental subjects come up, especially when to or not to stop coumadin for dental procedures.

 

[Trinityheart8891]

hey,

well, both for me.....

Im on my way to becoming a medical proffessional (a Respiratory Therapist) which has given me the opportunity to use my health issues as research topics.

but, on the flip side of that, you cant deny how much living with heart issues all my life has affected my knowledge base. living 20 years with congenital heart issues and having had 2 open heart surgeries has really gotten me into researching stuff and having a really good grasp on things. I tend to deal with things alot better if I can understand them, and being able to understand how my heart works (the pathophysiology) has really helped me understand the symptoms and have a halfway decent grasp on when things need to be dealt with and when everything is ok.....

I agree with everyone here, having something affect your life as much as valve issues affect the people on this site is a really good motivator for research and stuff.....

and I do see where medical proffessionals would be afraid of malpractice, but I am really careful about giving advice, I usually leave a disclaimer when I attempt to give advice, and I am only comfortable about giving advice when I really know what I am talking about.
anyways......
later
morgan

 

[Jkm7]

I agree it would be good to have a dentist here.

Went for a dental cleaning today and premedicated despite the latest announcement I heard on the news that it is only necessary for a very small class of people such as those with a heart transplant.

I think it terrific when knowledgeable people share information and answer questions and always add.....consult your cardio or your surgeon or your PCP. Qualified answers are very helpful to those like me with so much to learn.