Marguerite53
Premium Level User
Hello everyone. What a gorgeous day in the NW. East wind, clears out all the dust. I think I saw Mt. Rainier peeking around Mt. St. Helen's today. WOW.
Had my second visit with a surgeon today. This is the gent who did the triple by-pass on my father 10 years ago. My cousin works with him. I really do like him. Because my cousin is a likeable and wild kind of guy, it made the meeting very relaxed and there were no hesitations about answering questions, etc. BUT I really like the other surgeon, too. Darn!! This will be tough. Glad I have some time to think about it.
He did say some interesting things, so I'll just throw them your way in no particular order......
Once symptoms become present with worsening aortic stenosis, the patient usually has about 5 years maximum before congestive heart failure occurs and then death. Slow, but sure.
One reason for the angiogram is that the surgeon needs to know whether there is any CAD (coronary artery disease). Obviously, if there is enough to warrant bypass surgery, they'll probably opt to do it while they're in there. If they do the bypass, because it is surgery confined to the outer area of the heart.....they will staunchly defend using a mechanical valve with younger patients, not tissue. No surgeon wants to go in later to replace a worn out tissue valve and have to dodge all that intricate bypass stuff on the outside of the heart. The valves are inside. Bypass is on the surface. (I'm sure some of you are like, well, DUH!, but I did not know this).
Therefore, if there is any controversy in your mind, when choosing tissue or mechanical, you might want to schedule the angiogram enough ahead of time so that you can be comfortable with the answers it gives you. In other words, if my angio comes back showing disease, I will not be getting a tissue valve, whether they need to do a bypass now or not. He thought that getting the angiogram several weeks ahead is a good idea, just so you don't have to do everything all at once.
He was very supportive of my leaning toward tissue. He does over 100 heart surgeries a year, his hospital 500, their sister hospital 800. He thinks that with the new valves, there is longevity enough to hopefully meet the development of less invasive replacements and therefore not have to go through the major surgery twice.....maybe.
Second surgeries carry 3 times the risks of the first. 3 times! Because of having to "carve" through all that scar tissue. Takes alot longer, too.
Okay, that's my report. Now how the hell am I gonna decide?? I think I'm good with which valve......but who gets to put it in??
I'll keep ya posted!
Marguerite
Had my second visit with a surgeon today. This is the gent who did the triple by-pass on my father 10 years ago. My cousin works with him. I really do like him. Because my cousin is a likeable and wild kind of guy, it made the meeting very relaxed and there were no hesitations about answering questions, etc. BUT I really like the other surgeon, too. Darn!! This will be tough. Glad I have some time to think about it.
He did say some interesting things, so I'll just throw them your way in no particular order......
Once symptoms become present with worsening aortic stenosis, the patient usually has about 5 years maximum before congestive heart failure occurs and then death. Slow, but sure.
One reason for the angiogram is that the surgeon needs to know whether there is any CAD (coronary artery disease). Obviously, if there is enough to warrant bypass surgery, they'll probably opt to do it while they're in there. If they do the bypass, because it is surgery confined to the outer area of the heart.....they will staunchly defend using a mechanical valve with younger patients, not tissue. No surgeon wants to go in later to replace a worn out tissue valve and have to dodge all that intricate bypass stuff on the outside of the heart. The valves are inside. Bypass is on the surface. (I'm sure some of you are like, well, DUH!, but I did not know this).
Therefore, if there is any controversy in your mind, when choosing tissue or mechanical, you might want to schedule the angiogram enough ahead of time so that you can be comfortable with the answers it gives you. In other words, if my angio comes back showing disease, I will not be getting a tissue valve, whether they need to do a bypass now or not. He thought that getting the angiogram several weeks ahead is a good idea, just so you don't have to do everything all at once.
He was very supportive of my leaning toward tissue. He does over 100 heart surgeries a year, his hospital 500, their sister hospital 800. He thinks that with the new valves, there is longevity enough to hopefully meet the development of less invasive replacements and therefore not have to go through the major surgery twice.....maybe.
Second surgeries carry 3 times the risks of the first. 3 times! Because of having to "carve" through all that scar tissue. Takes alot longer, too.
Okay, that's my report. Now how the hell am I gonna decide?? I think I'm good with which valve......but who gets to put it in??
I'll keep ya posted!
Marguerite
