Hi Joel
The last few days before surgery can be the roughest. Hope you have plans to have some fun and relaxation this weekend. Did you ever get hold of any ...Read more
Hi Joel
The last few days before surgery can be the roughest. Hope you have plans to have some fun and relaxation this weekend. Did you ever get hold of any relaxation/guided imagery tapes to help? Since I had a 2 1/2 month wait for my surgery I had lots of time to destress. Hope someone will be posting for you during your hospitalization. Lots of people here on the HVJ will be praying for you, including me.
Fran Z
Hi Joel
Just checking up on you to see how the nerves are holding out. Hopefully well. Did you manage to find that blog Adam did where Dr. Gillinov talked ...Read more
Hi Joel
Just checking up on you to see how the nerves are holding out. Hopefully well. Did you manage to find that blog Adam did where Dr. Gillinov talked about the replacements of the tissue valves etc? You haven\'t had much time but sometimes that\'s the best way to go. Less time to fret. Our overactive minds make this worse than it really is.
Wishing you calm and peace as you head into the weekend. Just think, this time next week you\'ll be well into your room and getting fed up with hospital food.
Cheryl, Ontario
Hi Joel
Nice to meet you. I had a mitral valve repair but I did have to have a decision made before surgery just in case so I asked the doctor for his educated ...Read more
Hi Joel
Nice to meet you. I had a mitral valve repair but I did have to have a decision made before surgery just in case so I asked the doctor for his educated decision and he recommended a mechanical valve because of my age - 60 at the time. Dr. Gillinov of the Cleveland Clinic had an internet type seminar of question/answers and he had great information on valve choices. Adam put the entire document on his blog so check out the blog as it might give you some insight. It\'s a tough decision to have to make because you feel so much weighs on making the right decision. Good luck.
Cheryl, Ontario
Joel,
Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. Deciding what type of valve is a difficult decision. Just ask your surgeon to explain the pros and cons of the ...Read more
Joel,
Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. Deciding what type of valve is a difficult decision. Just ask your surgeon to explain the pros and cons of the valve types. Hopefully, that will make your deicison a little easier.
Good Luck!
Elaine
Hi Joel
Glad you found this site and am sure lots of people will chime in.Tim gave you expert advise. Most likely your doctor will leave the option up to you, ...Read more
Hi Joel
Glad you found this site and am sure lots of people will chime in.Tim gave you expert advise. Most likely your doctor will leave the option up to you, but he may prefer one over the other and you\'ll have to consider that since he\'s the expert. One month ago I had a bovine mitral valve and a tricuspid repair at the Cleveland Clinic. Yes, eventually the tissue valve will need to be replaced but my surgeon (Dr Gillinov) felt that when that time comes they will have perfected the technique of not doing open heart surgery, but replacing it thru the groin. Pretty amazing to think about! You may want to ask your surgeon what he knows about that. Good luck, ask any questions you want, there are lots of people to help.
Fran Z
Talk with your cardiologist and the surgeon. They will talk to you about your lifestyle--hobbies and activities--and your occupation. Based upon those answers ...Read more
Talk with your cardiologist and the surgeon. They will talk to you about your lifestyle--hobbies and activities--and your occupation. Based upon those answers they will advise you to the best type of valve for you. Your age also plays into the equation as to your age of a possible second replacement if you choose a tissue valve.
My cardiologist at Duke has suggested a St Jude mechanical valve due to my lifestyle and the fact that my occupation is a GIS Analyst (desk job). After doing my research of reading websites, Adam\'s book and talking to different people, the mechanical valve makes the most sense for me because I don\'t want to have to go through surgery again in 10-15 years to have a tissue valve replaced. I don\'t like the idea of being on warfarin for the rest of my life but that\'s the trade-off for hopefully no more surgery. I haven\'t met with my surgeon yet but that is coming before my May 21 surgery.
Hope things go well for you! You might also want to check out http://www.achaheart.org for more opinions.
Tim in Greensboro NC