Surgeon Visit

[kevin21]

Yippee! Got to see another Doctor!!

I went to the TX Heart Inst. to see Dr. Ott. He was very cool and I liked him (half the battle). He said I had a good cardio but he wanted to get some more tests so he could see what my status is.

I "get" to have a TEE (which I am not looking forward to at ALL!!) and a MRI (which isn't a biggie). He was concerned about my aortic root, a little, and told me there's no doubt the valve has to be replaced.

He also said that it might be a couple of years before I actually need to go but not to get to comfortable until he sees the echo and MRI.

Is the TEE as crapy as it sounds? I'm not real fired up about getting sedative and an IV. I guess these 2 tests are pretty common (along with a Cath eventually) to check on my heart, right?

Thanks for the info and responses in advance!!

It was nice to go to a hospital and feel like they can fix you (confidence goes a long way!!). It was freaky that he had just come from surgery and still had his scrub hat on....

 

[Nancy]

Joe's had numerous TEEs. They will give you some twilight type stuff to put into a semi-conscious state and they will numb your throat. You will no doubt have this done by a doctor who specializes in it. They are very fast, maybe a half hour or so, and the results can be known immediately. If they do it this way, the test will be just fine. You might have a minor sore throat afterwards, but maybe not.

By the way, many surgeons squeeze office appts. between surgeries, and then go right back into surgery. So sometimes they don' t have time to change. It's a good sign that he's so busy.

Good luck!

 

[Tom F.]

Don't sweat the TEE. Like Nancy said, they give you some happy juice and you are only slightly aware that you are still connected to earth. You also get shots that numb your throat. The TEE is nothing to really stress over.

 

[Nan]

Hi Kevin, re:the TEE...I was really scared, but in fact I didn't even know that I had had it done. My only reaction was the fact that I was still high on the "happy juice" and talking away like a maniac to anyone who came near me.!

Good luck. Hope you don't need to have anything done right away.

 

[Bryan B]

Kevin,

I come bearing bad news...get used to having IV's!

I had an MRI over 6 days ago and I still have a big bruise on my arm. I've found that once I got used to getting stuck for blood draws and IV's I could handle whatever they did to me. That's because usually if they do anything "scary" it is usually preceeded by an IV full of "happy juice"!

 

[Harpoon]

Well it's not a walk in the park....


Unfortunately, it's something we all have to face at some point really.

I had IV lines in my arms for months. I still have several scars on my wrists and forearms from them.


The MRI isn't too bad unless you're intensely closterphobic. Generally they'll help you through it, maybe even with mild sedation or a "happy drug" that takes the edge off any panicky feelings. Just sit back and try to turn the world around you out, go to that happy place and relax.

The TEE I had is a "fuzzy memory" at best. I remeber getting my throat sprayed with this stuff to numb it before they asked me to try and swallow the tube. I remember saying it tasted like bananas or something even though they said it was cherry flavored.

I also had about a dozen other things being done to me at the same time (I was crashing in avery bad way) and I think at some point they had started a sedation drip of some kind in one of the three or four IV's they stuck into my arms....

I was never scared during that time, I think I was too busy trying to keep up wqith everyhting that was happening to be scared, or notice that someone was about to turn my lights out.

The "lights" stayed out for a good 5 weeks after that, minus some incoherent babbling and conversations with my wife using a alphabet chart and simple phrases she wrote out on a notepad for me to point to.... I don't remember ANY Of this mind you, only know it happened because I was told the stories later on.

I just recently found the notepad while digging for something entirely unrelated. My wife doesn't know I found it. She said it was thrown out while we were in Cleveland....



The best advice I can give is to try not to work yourself up over it. These tests are hairy and can take a lot out of you, but they'll be ten times worse of you worry over them before they're done. Let what will happen happen. The folks that do these things do them ALL the time, that's their job. 40+ hours a week they're wheeling peoplein and out of MRI scanners and such and they've dealt with EVERYTHING. You'll be OK if you just let things go, let them do their work and such.

I know it can be tough, but once you're through it what you went through may seem like a piece of cake.

I found laying in bed for eight hours after a cath to be more frustrating than anything else, thank GOD for TELEVISION and the REMOTE CONTROL!!!

 

[Gail in Ca]

never had a tee

never had a tee

I have had 2 avr surgeries and have never had a TEE,
It doesn't sound like much fun to me.
Gail

 

[medtronic of borg]

let me be blunt

let me be blunt

if you are worried about the iv and meds ...then yes you are in for a ride.
Med

 

[kevin21]

if you are worried about the iv and meds ...then yes you are in for a ride.
Med

Not like I haven't had millions of IVs in the past, but I still hate them!!

Last time when I had surgery they put the IV in my foot to get a good vein. THey missed the vein and had the meds pumping into my foot! Cool!! It swelled up and was black and blue. Thanks for that one nurse.

I also have had my blood drawn several times but recently I passed out from it!! Cool also!!

 

[joy]

I am very picky about who gets to put IV's in me at certain hospitals, like NHB. They NEVER get their IV's in right. It takes them 4-5 times and it HURTS when they miss. Just tell whoever puts the IV in that you passed out recently, they'll probably have you lie down or something. Take care and good luck!

 

[dcpickle]

I'm a new guy here who is in the "waiting room" (waiting for surgery) but I've had several TEEs and esophageal dilations (same thing from a patients point of view; a thing is stuck down your throat.) With one exception they were always no problem. The one exception was a TEE where they didn't give me enough meds, and I was not completely knocked out. I can remember gagging a little during the procedure. Other than that they've been no big deal. The medicine they give you (versed?) is strange. I wake up without the feeling of having been unconscious, so I'm asking when are they going to do it. My wife says, "They just did it!" and I can't believe it. The sore throat has always been very minor.

The catheterization was a litle worse, but only because I had to lay perfectly still afterwards for 8 or more hours. Couldn't even wiggle my toes. The actual procedure was not bad at all. I have to admit that when they finally got me up to walk, it hurt around the incision point, but that went away fairly quickly. I understand they have another method now where that long imobilization is not necessary. If I have another cath, I'm going to ask for that!

David