harleygirl528
Well-known member
Kandice: Thanks for your input...it always helps to hear reassurance from others who have made the difficult decision go to far from home for surgery. You said that you were able to travel after two weeks...do you mean 2 weeks AFTER surgery or two weeks total from the day or your surgery? I am hoping to get out there, have surgery, get discharged and fly home within a couple days of discharge, barring any unforseen problems of course. Also, just wondering why you felt you had to travel so far for mitral valve surgery? Open heart surgery is the serious and has similar recoveries etc...I am not downplaying it...but I was sort of under the impression that valve repair, replacements were more commonplace and,therefore, probably lots of competent surgeons right here in the Pacific Northwest including Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles? My biggest concern personally is the aneurysm and the fact that it involves the arch, making it a more technically difficult surgery. I have had several surgeons within the military system already decline to even attempt my surgery. I also understand your desire to go to the "BEST" regardless of what is going on. Personally, I met with a surgeon at Univ of Washington that others on this site have used....although he is probably extremely competent I didn't feel I had the time to really get to know him and I sort of felt like he brushed my questions off, like I was getting ahead of myself and that I should just inherently trust him...I didn't even know him and he was trying to tell me not to get ahead of myself...I asked him questions about valve selection....he absolutely refused to even consider ON-X, and he basically gave me no hope of repairing or saving my valve, while surgeon #1 did. At this point, I am just waiting to hear back from Cleveland Clinic to schedule consult. I am not quite sure how I am going to afford a trip back there for testing and consult and then have to fly back for surgery but I just have to trust that it will work out. Thanks for sharing your story! Thanks also to all of you who have sent me PM's offering to talk to me regarding Cleveland Clinic, recommendations for accomodations, transportation, etc. It is greatly appreciated and I will get back with you all as soon as I have heard from Dr. Svensson. I am very anxious to hear how Betsy's surgery went since she traveled to CC and her surgeon is also Dr. Svensson!
