I had a successful valve repair 5 years ago. I get an annual echo just as a checkup. I don't mind getting the echo at all, but I'll admit I'm so paranoid. ...Read more
I had a successful valve repair 5 years ago. I get an annual echo just as a checkup. I don't mind getting the echo at all, but I'll admit I'm so paranoid. The echo technician said a staff cardiologist would prepare a report and give it to my cardiologist before my scheduled appointment with him for 6 days from now -- then she added, "or maybe he'll contact you before then." Perhaps she meant nothing by it, but I don't really like the idea that there's anything to discuss!
Grace Mason Hoping you hear soon for peace of mind and that everything looks great ❤️🤞🙏. Waiting is so ... Read more
Grace Mason Hoping you hear soon for peace of mind and that everything looks great ❤️🤞🙏. Waiting is so hard....
Thomas Brusstar Thanks. I'm just worrying for no reason. Although the only other time the tech said something was t ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar Thanks. I'm just worrying for no reason. Although the only other time the tech said something was the first time I was told I needed to see a cardiologist, which led right to surgery. She said "have you ever had an trans-esophageal echo?" That seemed ominous, and it was!
Rose Madura Usually the techs don't say anything but don't worry until you have to. Worry is the opposite of fai... Read more
Rose Madura Usually the techs don't say anything but don't worry until you have to. Worry is the opposite of faith.
Thomas Brusstar The narrative report from the staff cardiologist was just posted, and I don't see anything bad in it! ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar The narrative report from the staff cardiologist was just posted, and I don't see anything bad in it! Interestingly, my left atrium volume has come down into the normal range for the first time. I know re-modeling happens, but it came down significantly in the last year (now 5 years post mitral valve repair). The measurements are subjective, so I'll ask my cardiologist about that when I see him next week. But for now I'll take the good news. Thanks to all of you for calming me!
Today is my 5th valve-versary! I had a mitral valve repair with a sternotomy at Northwestern early on this day in 2018. It still doesn’t leak at all, so ...Read more
Today is my 5th valve-versary! I had a mitral valve repair with a sternotomy at Northwestern early on this day in 2018. It still doesn’t leak at all, so far so good! Thanks to this community for giving me lots of information and support over the years. It’s hard to feel a sense of control over a process that will happen while you’re unconscious — but this site helps to understand it all better. Thanks to Adam and all of you.
I had a successful mitral valve repair in 2018. This site has been a great resource for information and mostly kind support. So thanks again to Adam. I wish ...Read more
I had a successful mitral valve repair in 2018. This site has been a great resource for information and mostly kind support. So thanks again to Adam. I wish I knew of a site just like this for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Does anybody else have the bad luck of having both genetic problems in the family?
Susan Lynn I have no idea how I missed this post. So very sorry to read this news. I have a close friend wi... Read more
Susan Lynn I have no idea how I missed this post. So very sorry to read this news. I have a close friend with leukemia. Is there any way I can help?
Thomas Brusstar I appreciate your thoughts! I'm in the beginning of figuring it out. I'm learning that heart surger ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar I appreciate your thoughts! I'm in the beginning of figuring it out. I'm learning that heart surgery is kind of helpfully physical, it is plumbing, it isn't chemical or microscopic. I never felt much despair surrounding my heart surgery, because my mitral valve problem, as systemic and dangerous as it can be if UNtreated, is such a solvable problem. Leukemia isn't solvable, I'm afraid. I saw the course of my brother die from the same thing last year, and it was not nice. He had other bad conditions that combined to weaken him; but I got a glimpse of a bad end from leukemia. I just need to get better at turning my mind in a positive direction. I really just appreciate your kind words of support.
Susan Lynn Tom - I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. That must have been awful for your family. But, i... Read more
Susan Lynn Tom - I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. That must have been awful for your family. But, it doesn't mean you'll have the same outcome.
All you can do is take it one step at a time and try to locate a center of excellence for your treatment. Just like our OHS journeys, research is key. Please keep us posted. Healing prayers coming your way.
Hello. I just had my 2-year echo checkup, following mitral valve repair in July 2018. Things are generally good: the mitral valve has no leakage at all, ...Read more
Hello. I just had my 2-year echo checkup, following mitral valve repair in July 2018. Things are generally good: the mitral valve has no leakage at all, and none of the valves has any stenosis. The ejection fraction is 64%, so that's fine. The only worse findings are that my left atrium has gone back up in size, to "severely enlarged," at 106 ml. It was at 180 before surgery, then it came down to 90, then 80 a year ago. I don't know why it's gone up. I understood when the mitral valve was leaking, it was putting lots of pressure on the weak little left atrium; but with zero leakage from the mitral valve, I don't know why it's gone back up. This was the written report from a reviewing cardiologist, from the echo on Friday, but I will actually have a visit with my cardiologist in a few weeks. I suspect he'll say it's not ideal, indicative of the huge stress my heart endured prior to the valve being fixed, but that there is nothing to do about it. Does anybody else have a left atrium that's increasing in size, even post-surgery? My right ventricle is mildly dilated, but they say pulmonary pressures look fine, the aorta is fine, too.
Thomas Brusstar Update: I saw my cardiologist yesterday. He actually re-measured my left atrium using the recording ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar Update: I saw my cardiologist yesterday. He actually re-measured my left atrium using the recordings from the echo procedure, and he says the tech was a bit enthusiastic when tracing the LA. He says he and his fellow got a number slightly lower than a year ago. So not bigger at all. That’s good. Given no leakage from the repaired valve, the bigger LA didn’t make any particular sense, from a plumbing/ pressure point of view. My cardiologist also offered to read my mother’s recent echo for her leaky mitral valve, and had recommendations for cardiologists and surgeons at U of M in case she needs to do something about it. He’s a really nice guy. I feel like he’s actually focused when we talk. Jim Thomas at Northwestern.
Today is the two-year anniversary of my mitral valve repair. I just got back from two weeks with my wife and son out west — hiking in Glacier National Park, ...Read more
Today is the two-year anniversary of my mitral valve repair. I just got back from two weeks with my wife and son out west — hiking in Glacier National Park, digging up some fossils on ranch land in Montana (and Lots of driving). Hiking between 4,000 and 7,000 feet was no problem, other than the unavoidable effects of altitude on a flat lander like me (Chicago). In the last six months, the slight ache in my sternum after lifting things has just about disappeared, and for some reason the visual disturbances/ auras that seemed to increase after surgery (from very infrequent a couple times a year to once a week) have also disappeared. So I’m grateful for the inventive surgeons that make these repairs possible, and for this community which makes the valve surgery process less stressful!
Tracy Fallu How wonderful for you to experience hiking with your family.
Susan Lynn Happy 2nd Anniversary!!!! Glad you're enjoying life with your family and feeling great!!! Wishing y ... Read more
Susan Lynn Happy 2nd Anniversary!!!! Glad you're enjoying life with your family and feeling great!!! Wishing you many decades of future celebrations! ❤❤
I'm 14 months post-surgery for a mitral valve repair. I met with my cardiologist yesterday to interpret my recent echo. He says it's all fine under the circumstances. ...Read more
I'm 14 months post-surgery for a mitral valve repair. I met with my cardiologist yesterday to interpret my recent echo. He says it's all fine under the circumstances. I try to understand the echo reports.
The mitral valve leakage is zero, so that's good. There is some "thickening" of the mitral valve leaflets, but that was always there, and the sutures etc add to the thickening. Not a problem.
My left atrium is still "mildly enlarged" at 78 ml, having come down from 180 ("severely enlarged") pre-surgery and 92 ("moderately enlarged") a year ago -- and he bets that's about as far as it will "remodel" toward normal. But that's OK. The ejection fraction and "strain" measures are within normal parameters (strain is borderline), so the function is fine.
He mentioned something I hadn't understood before, namely that numbers for left ventricular ejection fraction with severe mitral regurgitation (which I had) are misleading. The EF number seems so important, but it can be misinterpreted. The EF measures the percentage of blood that the LV chamber pumps out every beat, BUT it doesn't measure whether the blood goes in the right direction. With severe mitral regurgitation, a lot of the blood is going the wrong direction, back into the left atrium instead of down the aorta and off to feed the body. So an EF that looks healthy with mitral regurgitation might be misleading, because the blood is not being pushed the right direction. So in the past my layman's look at my EF in pre-surgery echoes said "Oh, the EF is still ok;" but now I know it wasn't really ok.
Before surgery, my right ventricle was "mildly dilated" and had extreme pressure, as the mitral valve failure pushed blood backwards into the lungs and backed up pressures into the RV ("severe pulmonary hypertension"), which was a real point of concern before. Two months after surgery, the RV function was still "mildly decreased." Now he says those RV pressures and function all look normal now.
He said any wet cough lingering after a cold isn't because of cardiac insufficiency. As to any visual disturbances/ auras, which I have more frequently after surgery (1 a month after exercise or under stress, compared to 1 every two years before), he says no idea, maybe anesthesia or the pump? There's nothing to do about it. He spent as much time with me as I wanted, and he says he can see me in "1 or 2" years, because I'm doing as well as can be expected. I'm happy with that, of course.
No point to this, really, just wanted to get it off my chest, so to speak.
Jill Mullikin Great to hear you had a good report! I think every cardiologist and surgeon interprets the data diff ... Read more
Jill Mullikin Great to hear you had a good report! I think every cardiologist and surgeon interprets the data differently which makes a stressful, confusing situation even more stressful and confusing! Keep on keeping on!
LINDA ROBERTS Thanks for sharing the information about your report. I found it informative and interesting. Sound ... Read more
LINDA ROBERTS Thanks for sharing the information about your report. I found it informative and interesting. Sounds like a good report-everything is improving.
Susan Lynn Thomas- This was tremendously helpful. Glad you're doing so well. I'm just shy of 2 years from my ... Read more
Susan Lynn Thomas- This was tremendously helpful. Glad you're doing so well. I'm just shy of 2 years from my mv repair. I had an echo to measure my left ventricular strain (more detailed than the EF number) and a stress echo, today. I'm anxious to see what my cardiologist has to say, but I will be ecstatic if I don't have to go back for two years. All the best! ❤
Thomas Brusstar Susan, post whatever you hear. I'm interested to hear what your doc says, and what your echo says.
Susan Lynn Thomas - I'll let you know. I received an email from my vacationing cardiologist at midnight last n ... Read more
Susan Lynn Thomas - I'll let you know. I received an email from my vacationing cardiologist at midnight last night to tell me that I don't have any significant leak at rest or under exertion and my stress echo was normal. I'm sure I'll get more info when he returns. This physician amazes me with his responsiveness! He's definitely a keeper! ❤
Adam Pick Great share Thomas! Thank you! Sounds like you are on the right path. Having zero mitral valve lea ... Read more
Adam Pick Great share Thomas! Thank you! Sounds like you are on the right path. Having zero mitral valve leakage is pretty darn amazing. Like many patients, I've had trace regurg since my operation. Once again... Another great job by Dr. McCarthy at Northwestern. I'm glad he was able to help you! https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/surgeons/dr-Patrick-McCarthy-Chicago-Illinois.php
See patient reviews, physician biography, videos and contact information for Dr. Patrick McCarthy, heart surgeon, in Chicago, Illinois.
Cynthia Clough Thank you so much for your thoughtful, detailed update. I have been trying to decode the results from ... Read more
Cynthia Clough Thank you so much for your thoughtful, detailed update. I have been trying to decode the results from my one-year post-op check up for aortic valve replacement and aneurysm repair. Having someone else's report as a point of comparison is truly helpful. Do you know anything about the evaluation number-scale used (or do they even use it in the States?). I'm in Italy and, even though I am fairly fluent in the language, there are somethings I just don't get. I had a "2" rating and didn't have presence of mind enough at the appointment to ask what that meant. At any rate, congratulations on your recovery.
Rob Sparling Thomas, excellent post and great to hear you are well. Susan, hoping all results are excellent for y ... Read more
Rob Sparling Thomas, excellent post and great to hear you are well. Susan, hoping all results are excellent for you, too! Fingers crossed!
Thomas Brusstar Cynthia, I don’t know what a 2 means. I haven’t heard that scale used for me.
One-Year Echo
I had an echo this week, about a year (13 mos.) after my open heart mitral valve repair. Good report generally. Before the surgery, my mitral ...Read more
One-Year Echo
I had an echo this week, about a year (13 mos.) after my open heart mitral valve repair. Good report generally. Before the surgery, my mitral valve with a "flail" leaflet had severe regurgitation, and my left atrium had dilated to a severely enlarged 185 ml. The surgery brought regurgitation to zero. The left atrium volume was down to 95 ml just two days after surgery, and 92.8 ml two months later. This week, regurgitation is still zero (yippee!), and left atrial volume is 78.7 ml. Closer to normal on that volume, so it has re-modeled a bit more (it lost 15%) since last September. (Ejection fraction was 60% before surgery, 55-58% in the months after, and was 63% this week. No stenosis on any valves.)
There is a new metric on this echo report, one I haven't ever seen in past reports. It says "Global LV myocardial strain is borderline abnormal at -17.03 %." My Googling skills say strain is a measure of physical contraction of the chamber, and is another way of expressing ejection fraction. I intend to ask my cardiologist what this "borderline abnormal" measure of strain means. Does anybody else have experience with how important "strain" calculations are? It sounds like it's a new way of predicting cardiac weakness.
One Year Anniversary
This week is my 1-year anniversary of OHS to repair my mitral valve. I have been very fortunate in my recovery. At this point I take ...Read more
One Year Anniversary
This week is my 1-year anniversary of OHS to repair my mitral valve. I have been very fortunate in my recovery. At this point I take one baby aspirin every day, and that’s it. I feel better than before the surgery, and the only negatives would be that there is still sometimes a slight ache in my sternum when I am particularly active, or right afterwards ( I am told that might go away in the next year); and it is true I have more visual disturbances, especially after strenuous exercise. But overall I have done really well, and I’m happy we identified the need for surgery when we did. It had gone too long, with my valve being a “flail” valve (meaning partially torn); but I hope to find out at my next ultrasound in August that my enlarged left atrium continues to go down in size, hopefully approaching normal by now. My scar is hardly noticeable at all. I’ll post a picture. Thanks so much to this website and all its posters for guidance and support!!!
I used to donate blood all the time, just because it seemed like a nice thing to do. I'm coming up on 1 year post-surgery for a mitral valve repair. I'm on ...Read more
I used to donate blood all the time, just because it seemed like a nice thing to do. I'm coming up on 1 year post-surgery for a mitral valve repair. I'm on a baby aspirin every day, that's it. Feeling fine. Is there any reason I couldn't start donating again if I want? Has anybody else done it?
Rose Madura Unsure. I was told all my life not to donate blood because of my "bad heart". Interesting question th ... Read more
Rose Madura Unsure. I was told all my life not to donate blood because of my "bad heart". Interesting question though. I'll be interested to see how others respond.
Marie Myers Good question! One call to the blood bank should answer that question.
As someone who received a unit ... Read more
Marie Myers Good question! One call to the blood bank should answer that question.
As someone who received a unit of Blood during surgery, I would like to thank you for donating, Thomas!
I am just back from a 12-day trip to Ecuador/The Galapagos Islands, one which I postponed from last summer due to my urgent valve repair last July. It was ...Read more
I am just back from a 12-day trip to Ecuador/The Galapagos Islands, one which I postponed from last summer due to my urgent valve repair last July. It was a great trip, with a very busy schedule of sea kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking every day while at sea, and some hiking at 9,000 feet near Quito. I did great. Baring my chest to put on a wetsuit had me telling my heart story (and also claiming the scar was from a close call with a shark...), and, as usual, finding people who know others facing heart valve problems. I'm always happy to de-stress the process of diagnosis and treatment for others. One other vacationer pulled me aside to tell of her heart problems (cardiac arrest and some stents 2 years ago), which she didn't want to share publicly; but she was glad I talked about my heart recovery so openly. So 9 months after surgery, I "cashed in" the rain check on my vacation of a lifetime and did great. Thank you to this site for all the support!
Dan Vechiola So glad you enjoyed your vacation Thomas! That's a great accomplishment!
Mike Roskowinski Awesome stuff Thomas! That sounds like a blast and you did a lot of hardcore activities. Glad to se ... Read more
Mike Roskowinski Awesome stuff Thomas! That sounds like a blast and you did a lot of hardcore activities. Glad to see you are doing so well in recovery
Susan Lynn Wow! That sounds like a fabulous trip! I love the shark story, too. There truly are great adventur ... Read more
Susan Lynn Wow! That sounds like a fabulous trip! I love the shark story, too. There truly are great adventures after OHS. Thanks for reminding us, Thomas!
Today is 8 months from my OHS for mitral valve repair. Doing great. Tomorrow I fly to Montana with my wife and 13-year-old boy for my third ski trip out west ...Read more
Today is 8 months from my OHS for mitral valve repair. Doing great. Tomorrow I fly to Montana with my wife and 13-year-old boy for my third ski trip out west this winter. I'm not a great skier, but it's great fun, and I love I'm able to spend with my son before he gets too busy for dear old dad. Feel better than ever, no limitations skiing (other than my poor athletic ability). So for those in the pre-surgery or immediate post-surgery stage, it gets better fast.
Louanna Miller Awesome to read about your progress and healing, Thomas!!! Enjoy your trip, skiing, son and family! ... Read more
Louanna Miller Awesome to read about your progress and healing, Thomas!!! Enjoy your trip, skiing, son and family!!!
Susan Lynn Great update and progress! Enjoy your trip! ⛷
Mike Roskowinski Awesome to here Thomas. Keep it up and I am sure your son wont get to busy for you! Sounds like you ... Read more
Mike Roskowinski Awesome to here Thomas. Keep it up and I am sure your son wont get to busy for you! Sounds like you are good to that kid and spend time with him and that is all they want. Enjoy your trip out to Montana! I head to Florida myself tomorrow far away from any snow had enough off that for one year. On to swimming pools and sandy beaches!
Dan Vechiola So glad to hear your report Thomas. Keep moving forward and enjoying life! You put in a lot of hear ... Read more
Dan Vechiola So glad to hear your report Thomas. Keep moving forward and enjoying life! You put in a lot of heard work so its great to see you reaping the benefits!!
My 13-year-old son drew a Valentine Day card for my wife. Maybe because the last year has taught us all a lot about hearts, this one is anatomically correct! ...Read more
My 13-year-old son drew a Valentine Day card for my wife. Maybe because the last year has taught us all a lot about hearts, this one is anatomically correct! So happy Heart Day to you all!
Susan Lynn I love it! Happy Heart Day to you, too!
I got the results of my 8 week post-surgery echo. Looks good. My mitral valve shows "no" regurgitation, so that's good! The annular ring they implanted is ...Read more
I got the results of my 8 week post-surgery echo. Looks good. My mitral valve shows "no" regurgitation, so that's good! The annular ring they implanted is well seated, of course. I'm interested in the left atrium size, because my mitral valve failure had my left atrium severely enlarged: pre-surgery, it was 65 mL/m2 in Feb of 2017, then 91.5 mL/m2 in May 2018! Post-surgery, it was 47 two days after surgery, and 46.8 eight weeks after. Those are still larger than normal, but I'm happy with coming down to HALF my pre-surgery size! My right ventricle was getting mildly dilated pre-surgery, but it is back to normal. Ejection fraction is 58%.
Dan Vechiola Great news Thomas! All good stats. Sounds like the left atrium size will take a little time to get a ... Read more
Dan Vechiola Great news Thomas! All good stats. Sounds like the left atrium size will take a little time to get all the way down and its nice to see it moving in the right direction. Keep up the great work!!
Louanna Miller Awesome news. You are doing great!!’ I like follow your progress. Hoping my echo looks this good ... Read more
Louanna Miller Awesome news. You are doing great!!’ I like follow your progress. Hoping my echo looks this good. We both had severe regurgitation of the mitral valve and enlarged left atrium. Keep up the good work!!
Debbie Chatzky My left atrium was also enlarged before surgery. I was told it wouldn’t go back down.
Does anybody else have any weird recollections about anesthesia? I woke up from a nap yesterday, sitting in a chair at home, and I could see the ceiling but ...Read more
Does anybody else have any weird recollections about anesthesia? I woke up from a nap yesterday, sitting in a chair at home, and I could see the ceiling but I felt paralyzed for a second. Then I was fine. But it was weird, like my mind recalling feeling paralyzed (which is was 4 days before). Just curious.
I've also been having tons of vivid dreams, mostly just bizarre, some funny (one made me wake up laughing, which hurt, of course), lots of long lost names and friends from my past making cameos.
Kelly Stoll Hi Thomas. I remember nothing from the moment they finally found a good vein in the pre-op OR prep ar ... Read more
Kelly Stoll Hi Thomas. I remember nothing from the moment they finally found a good vein in the pre-op OR prep area, until almost 24 hours later... minus a visit from my spouse and a lot of stomach upset. The next memory after that is walking the hall to my step-down unti (26 hours post-op).
Enjoy the dreams that make you smile and try not to laugh too hard. The nightmares will pass with time. May you heal well.
John Lant My memory is the same as Kelly, I remember getting the IV placed into my arm and the anesthesiologis ... Read more
John Lant My memory is the same as Kelly, I remember getting the IV placed into my arm and the anesthesiologist saying time for the happy juice and the next thing I heard was the nurses yelling "wake up john & them pulling the breathing tube out of my throat" then I must of went back to sleep untill the next day. But I had no ill effects from the Anesthesia at all.
Rose Madura Nothing like that but when I took Opioids, people seemed like giants to me. It was really weird bu ... Read more
Rose Madura Nothing like that but when I took Opioids, people seemed like giants to me. It was really weird but went away when I got off them and took Tylenol only.
Marianne Charters Pump head. I remembered pretty much everything but one night I woke up in the hospital and totally h ... Read more
Marianne Charters Pump head. I remembered pretty much everything but one night I woke up in the hospital and totally had to figure out where I was and what happened
Susan Lynn It does take awhile before anesthesia is out of your system. These symptoms will probably dissipate ... Read more
Susan Lynn It does take awhile before anesthesia is out of your system. These symptoms will probably dissipate in a few days. No worries.
Rita Savelis Vivid strange dreams can be caused as well by betablockers (perhaps you're on one short term after su ... Read more
Rita Savelis Vivid strange dreams can be caused as well by betablockers (perhaps you're on one short term after surgery as many are).
I have lots of memories of my 5 days in ICU where anasthesia and morphine had their various effects. I'm still not sure if some of those memories happened or if they are just a dream.
Bonnie Stone-Hope Hello Thomas,
The anesthesia can certainly take a while to complete get out of your body. My most we ... Read more
Bonnie Stone-Hope Hello Thomas,
The anesthesia can certainly take a while to complete get out of your body. My most weird experience post op was delirium, which is apparently quite common after major surgery. If you are interested, I shared it on my journal.
Bonnie Pearson You are a rock star walking 3 miles a day at Day 17!! Gets me motivated.
LINDA ROBERTS When I was in intensive care I did not sleep for two days and had all kinds of hallucinations-some li ... Read more
LINDA ROBERTS When I was in intensive care I did not sleep for two days and had all kinds of hallucinations-some like a horror movie. By the third day when I was in stepped down I improved after a good night's sleep and things were back to normal.
OK, I am doing really well on day three after my open heart mitral valve repair. I was awake in the ICU when they pulled my breathing tube. The less you remember ...Read more
OK, I am doing really well on day three after my open heart mitral valve repair. I was awake in the ICU when they pulled my breathing tube. The less you remember about that the better. By about 24 hours after the surgery, I was having a hard time with pain (I said eight out of 10). They gave me a Toradol, which is an opiate, and that solved my problem for a while. I think we only use one of those, then moved down to tramadol. That is another opiate.
I was simultaneously on Tylenol by then, because the tramadol made me feel so exhausted and flaky, my last tramadol was about 48 hours after surgery. I have been on Tylenol since, managing the pain adequately.
Getting tubes out as a real highlight. Some, like the breathing tube and the chest Drainage tubes are kind of a big deal and don’t so much hurt as just freak you out. The catheter in your neck just slides out, and the pain pump at the incision just slides out. I just got my temporary diagnostic pacemaker leads taken out also so at this point I’m not connected to anything anymore. Just wireless EKG leads that get displayed on a monitor.
So I will be discharged this afternoon on the third full day after surgery. I’m looking forward to sleeping at home tonight.
Anna Jones You're doing really well. Very glad you have everything out and are ready to go home. Sending praye ... Read more
Anna Jones You're doing really well. Very glad you have everything out and are ready to go home. Sending prayers and best wishes for a continued easy recovery.
LINDA ROBERTS Very good news. Know it will feel good to be at home.
Louanna Miller Wow, that is wonderful and encouraging as I await the same process. Take care of yourself.
Dan Vechiola Great news Thomas! Congrats on going home today! I will take the baton from uoi. I am heading there ( ... Read more
Dan Vechiola Great news Thomas! Congrats on going home today! I will take the baton from uoi. I am heading there (Northwestern) Wednesday for an echo and then meetings with Dr. James Thomas and Dr. Patrick McCarthy. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Its great to hear your progress.
My open heart mitral valve repair was a complete success yesterday morning! The rest of yesterday and the night was occupied with pain management. This morning ...Read more
My open heart mitral valve repair was a complete success yesterday morning! The rest of yesterday and the night was occupied with pain management. This morning I had chicken soup and Jell-O and some juice for breakfast, and just walk down the hallway for a while. Thank you all for your support!
Susan Lynn Wow! You're doing great! Thanks for the update! Keep up the momentum - you'll be out of there in n ... Read more
Susan Lynn Wow! You're doing great! Thanks for the update! Keep up the momentum - you'll be out of there in no time!
LINDA ROBERTS Congratulations to you to now be on the other side of surgery. So happy for you that is was a comple ... Read more
LINDA ROBERTS Congratulations to you to now be on the other side of surgery. So happy for you that is was a complete success and you already feel good enough to post.
Mary Woods Thank you - I am pre-op and love reading positive stories.
Dan Vechiola Way to go Tom! Keep up the great work and keep grinding one day at a time! You are in great hands a ... Read more
Dan Vechiola Way to go Tom! Keep up the great work and keep grinding one day at a time! You are in great hands at Northwestern and with Dr. Patrick McCarthy.
I have a pre-surgery angiogram scheduled for Friday 6/29. I guess they'll map the mitral valve flows and also check for any coronary arteries that need touching ...Read more
I have a pre-surgery angiogram scheduled for Friday 6/29. I guess they'll map the mitral valve flows and also check for any coronary arteries that need touching up. I hope it all looks good so the repair surgery can be simple -- but if there are borderline blockages, they might as well fix them while they're in there. From some studies, it looks like maybe 1/3 of valve surgeries also have some coronary artery bypass work done. I assume that increases surgery length a lot, and recovery time as well. I don't see people here talking a lot about that. Have others had bypasses done during valve surgeries?
Phyllis Petersen I've seen others mention it. I'm fortunate to have very high HDL and so no build-up in the arteries.
Nancy LeClair Gottlieb Did you have a stress test? I have one July 19. But the plan is the fix my mitral valve.
Thomas Brusstar I have an angiogram set, that’s it. I’m told that will let them assess the arteries. We have no ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar I have an angiogram set, that’s it. I’m told that will let them assess the arteries. We have no reason to believe I’ll need it (my HDL is pretty high, too), but while the “hood is open” they want to do whatever could use it. Just don’t yet know much about how it would change recovery etc.
Kelly Stoll Thomas, through my own experience and that of my mom's, I discovered that most doctors want to take c ... Read more
Kelly Stoll Thomas, through my own experience and that of my mom's, I discovered that most doctors want to take care of what they can while the "good is open." It seems to be a heart surgery protocol to tune-up whatever they can. Speak with your doctors office and hang in there. Hopefully all of your answers will come sooner versus later. Best wishes to you.
Chris Purvis Hey Thomas wish I could help but I only had a valve and aneurysm fixed. I’m sure some friends on he ... Read more
Chris Purvis Hey Thomas wish I could help but I only had a valve and aneurysm fixed. I’m sure some friends on here have had both so hopefully you’ll hear something soon.
Julie Gerard I’m hopeful you found out today that your arteries are fine and it’ll be mitral valve repair only ... Read more
Julie Gerard I’m hopeful you found out today that your arteries are fine and it’ll be mitral valve repair only!
Thomas Brusstar Thanks, Julie! Yes, I had my angiogram this afternoon and they say coronary arteries are normal! T ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar Thanks, Julie! Yes, I had my angiogram this afternoon and they say coronary arteries are normal! That simplifies things. They went in through my right wrist, which all went great. I couldn’t really even tell i was sedated, it was very light. I was light-headed near the end of the recovery a few hours later, and kind of blacked out sitting in a wheelchair for a second — I think from the light sedatives — but there’s no better place to faint than a hospital.
Thomas Brusstar And they don’t map any mitral valve flows. The angiogram is all about the arteries.
Julie Gerard Our histories are incredibly similar. Weirdly so. Dx at similar points in our lives, etc. I also had ... Read more
Julie Gerard Our histories are incredibly similar. Weirdly so. Dx at similar points in our lives, etc. I also had a near-pass out after my angiogram. And, I was supposed to have had surgery by Dr. McCarthy at Northwestern in February but due to a crazy, stupid insurance issue, could not. I ended up at UW Madison in April and fortunately it all worked out very well. You will be amazed at how well you do, how well you recover, and how quickly (relatively speaking) you start feeling like yourself, only better.
Thomas Brusstar Thanks! It’s seriously helpful to hear that kind of specific experience! Glad you are doing so we ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar Thanks! It’s seriously helpful to hear that kind of specific experience! Glad you are doing so well so soon after. I’m looking forward to 3 weeks from now when I’m home with a new scar.
John Lant I had my Aortic Valve Replaced, my Mytral Valve repaired and a double bypass... The surgery was 6 hou ... Read more
John Lant I had my Aortic Valve Replaced, my Mytral Valve repaired and a double bypass... The surgery was 6 hours long, so if they have you open the table, the surgeon might as well do what he needs to do to repair your heart.