H
happyheart
The 23rd--Tuesday--is my big day. Going in to have my overworked bicuspid valve replaced with an ATC Mechanical. And thanks to the website, I'm ready for the overhaul.
But it occurred to me that some of my support team might not be as ready as I am. While I've kept them up-to-date on the big picture, there are many details about heart disease and corrective surgery that I have not shared.
And so I've put together a three-ring binder of the highlights of my research over the past five months...a scrapbook of news articles, medical abstracts, personal test results and copies of many of the helpful posts I've found at valvereplacement.com.
Come Tuesday--once all the magazines in the waiting room have been read--my family can thumb through my binder and read the details behind my choice of surgeon, hospital and valve replacement. They all know I'm confident about this surgery; the book explains the reasons in fine print.
Near the front of the scrapbook is the question I posted on this website in July: "When to replace it?" You gave me the reasons why it was time for me to press to have this surgery done now rather than wait for the docs to come to a consensus. (And you were right.)
While it might not be quite as interesting to read as the news about Paris Hilton's latest vacation, this personal journal will help my kids and other folk pass the time with the good news about heart repair.
One message that I hope sticks with them: When it comes to medical choices, you've got to learn enough to become your own best expert.
Thanks for helping me become mine.
But it occurred to me that some of my support team might not be as ready as I am. While I've kept them up-to-date on the big picture, there are many details about heart disease and corrective surgery that I have not shared.
And so I've put together a three-ring binder of the highlights of my research over the past five months...a scrapbook of news articles, medical abstracts, personal test results and copies of many of the helpful posts I've found at valvereplacement.com.
Come Tuesday--once all the magazines in the waiting room have been read--my family can thumb through my binder and read the details behind my choice of surgeon, hospital and valve replacement. They all know I'm confident about this surgery; the book explains the reasons in fine print.
Near the front of the scrapbook is the question I posted on this website in July: "When to replace it?" You gave me the reasons why it was time for me to press to have this surgery done now rather than wait for the docs to come to a consensus. (And you were right.)
While it might not be quite as interesting to read as the news about Paris Hilton's latest vacation, this personal journal will help my kids and other folk pass the time with the good news about heart repair.
One message that I hope sticks with them: When it comes to medical choices, you've got to learn enough to become your own best expert.
Thanks for helping me become mine.
