Chris's Heart Valve Journal

Valve Surgery, Take Two

April 29, 2012

For those of you who don't already know, my re-operation is scheduled for June 20th. I will be returning to Cleveland and Dr. Gillinov for the procedure. He is still hopeful for a repair. This time the procedure will be performed through a full sternotomy. Samantha and I fly into Cleveland on Sunday, June 17th. My pre-op tests are on the 18th and we talk with Dr. Gillinov on the 19th. I've heard people that have been through both the robotic repair and the full sternotomy say that the sternotomy was less painful. I hope that's the case, although the robotic procedure wasn't as painful as I feared it would be.

I'm looking at getting a wedge pillow for sleeping after we return home. Does anyone have experience with them and if so what height seemed to be the best?

Chris

News from Cleveland

February 17, 2012

Well, I heard from Dr. Gillinov this week. His assessment was basically the same as my cardiologist's. Since leaving CCF last September, I have developed a "significant" leak in my mitral valve. They can't tell from the ECHO or TEE what caused the leak, but Dr. Gillinov recommends a reoperation to fix it. This operation would be via a sternotomy. He thinks the probability of a re-repair is high, about 70%. I wonder though if a replacement would be the way to go. I don' know how I would handle another failed repair.

I haven't set a date for the surgery yet. Dr. Gillinov said it should wait until at least 6 months have passed since the initial operation. It's been about 5 months now. I'm thinking maybe sometime in May or June. I also haven't decided if I'm going back to Cleveland. It seems like the most likely scenario, but I'll probably get another consult or two before I make a final decision.

Chris

Waiting...

January 12, 2012

Greetings all. The results of my TEE confirmed a leak due to a prolapsing posterior leaflet. It appears to be moderate at this point. The test also showed my ejection fraction to be low, 35% - 40%. Ideally that number would be 55% - 70%. It was 65% before I had surgery. I'm told that a low EF is somewhat common for patients with an annuloplasty ring and a post surgery leak. I've been prescribed Coreg to help with this.

I will be sending my echo and TEE results back to Dr. Gillinov to see what he has to say about all of this. I think that I'll also seek an opinion from Dr. Sam Balkhy at the Wisconsin Heart Hospital here in Milwaukee. I would have liked to have had this done by now but I've been waiting for my cardiologists office to get me copies of my echo. It's been over three weeks and still no disc. Very frustrating. I have an appointment with him on Monday so maybe I can get something done about it while I'm there.

Chris

The Hand You're Dealt

December 20, 2011

Well, it's been a day since I was told that my newly repaired valve is leaking again and I think I'm ready to come in off of the ledge now. What a punch to the gut that was. I would like to thank my friends, family and HVJ family for the encouraging words, it means a lot to me. Hopefully the TEE on Monday will provide some better news or at least give us a more clear picture of what's going on. Then, we'll take it day by day and do what we have to do to make it right. Not an ideal situation by any means but you have to play the hand your given.

Wishes for a better year in 2012.

Chris