Hello all.
I am posting this for all the people considering, or having to consider, heart surgery including a valve replacement. This is an anxious time, I ...Read more
Hello all.
I am posting this for all the people considering, or having to consider, heart surgery including a valve replacement. This is an anxious time, I know, this is a major life decision. I had to make this decision myself two years ago.
I have posted my story on this blog during my “adventure.”
But this post is not about me, it is about Brent and Carolyn, who are friends of my sister who lives in Ogden, UT. Brent was very sick but the specter of major surgery was so daunting that he continually put it off. (Does this sound familiar?) As you can imagine his fear was immense, as was mine at one time.
My sister and I talked on the phone about Brent’s position and his concerns, which were major. I advised my sister to have Brent or his wife check out this website and the support it offers. Action reduces fear. Know as much as you can. See what other people went through and what they are saying. Read my journal and everyone else’s that seem to apply to your situation.
Eventually, Brent and Carolyn did visit this site and read a lot of what everyone was saying. Brent decided to have the surgery that was advised by his surgeon. A bit of his post-surgery story is recorded below.
I hope that Brent or Carolyn will start a journal of their own and share their story more thoroughly. As you know, part what this site does is to help reduce your fear.
Brent and Carolyn, thank you for your courage. Gerrine, thank you for sharing this story on their behalf.
==========================================
Joe
We had lunch with our friends, Brent and Carolyn last week, so I thought I would update you on the results of his surgery. I think I told you before that after seeing the website you had sent regarding the minimally invasive aortic replacement surgery, Brent did call a surgeon in Salt Lake listed on the website as performing that surgery. He already knew he needed the aortic value replaced, but had been worried about doing it.
He made an apt for Tuesday, 4 weeks ago. He was sent out for tests the next day. We test results in, the surgeon told him that he needed four bypasses and that one of them was on the back side of his heart. That would mean the minimally invasive surgery would not work for him, they would need to do the full chest open, open heart surgery to be able to reach the bypass behind the heart.
The surgeon leaned forward and said to Brent, “I know that you’ve known for a long time that you are in need of this surgery and you’ve put it off now as long as you possibly can”. Brent agreed. The surgeon then spent some time putting fears to rest and informing them of what he would do, what they should expect from the process…and he told Brent he would have little or no pain in his chest after surgery.
Then he offered Brent a spot on the following Monday, and Brent took it.
Tests had shown that both of Brent’s carotid arteries were at least 85% blocked, and they would clear the worst one along with the aortic valve replacement and the 4 bypasses on that Monday.
The surgery lasted for 10 hours, a lot of the time being spent on the carotid artery which I think was actually 95% blocked. Brent had been told to expect 3 days in the ICU, and the first night there Brent was gotten up to walk. He walked to a recliner where he was more comfortable. The next day they actually moved him to a regular room. He was at home again by Saturday morning.
Brent looked absolutely great at lunch. His complexion is pink and healthy. And he told us he has not had any pain in his chest. He has been in physical therapy, and will have the other carotid artery unblocked in his 6th week.
Carolyn has read your journal. They would like for you to publish Brent’s story so that other people can see that he was a person who did not want to have surgery in a very big way. He waited a long time. The surgeon told him he needed even more done than he had thought (carotid arteries). But he also took time to give Brent encouragement of what he could expect and what he wouldn’t have to live with any more. And he relieved his fear of pain from the chest incision. So, Brent went from insurmountable heart health problems a month ago, to walking around the block, physical therapy and Christmas shopping.
Next summer his physical therapy will consist additionally of golf and lots of it. He looks like a happy camper to me.
Gerrine
Fifteen months after surgery, AVR.
I am healthy and happy. I\'ve just been to a Dr Fuhrman\'s Seminar on healthy eating. Stopped at McDonald\'s on the way ...Read more
Fifteen months after surgery, AVR.
I am healthy and happy. I\'ve just been to a Dr Fuhrman\'s Seminar on healthy eating. Stopped at McDonald\'s on the way home (Just kidding). Got some good information there.
Anyway, the number one positive result I have had is that I am not dead. That, all by itself is enough and I am happy for it. But on top of this, I still feel better, physically and mentally, than I have in a long time. By a long time I mean decades.
Anything negative? Well, yes, but it is a trade off that is well worth it in my opinion.
I still have visual anomalies. I still see shooting stars from time to time and have learned to ignore them. It looks funny if you don\'t. There is also, from time to time, an electric looking orange blob that crosses my vision. It lasts for about two minutes and then is gone.
I still get, from time to time, an odd feeling in my chest when I drink something real hot of cold, mostly cold. It does not last long. At one point the esophagus runs right past the aortic valve and I\'m probably giving it a \"brain freeze\".
Since my surgery, and going through what I have, I do not suffer fools as easily as I did in the past. I will not put up with this and will tell them so. Hey, I am on, not borrowed but special time. Extra time that I was not originally allotted and I mean not to waste it. My analogy is from \"The Lord of the Rings\" when Gandalf wakes up after defeating the Balrog. He is now Gandalf the White and will not put up with a \"Fool of a Took\"!
I seem to be a lot more philosophical now too, and more emotional. At least emotions come on quicker and with less motivation. Like getting all misty eyed at movies, \"No I was not crying\"
See ya,
Joe
It\'s been about eleven months since my AVR surgery.
After I finished my cardiac rehab last January I started exercising at the gym at work. At that time ...Read more
It\'s been about eleven months since my AVR surgery.
After I finished my cardiac rehab last January I started exercising at the gym at work. At that time I mentioned that when the new YMCA by us opened that I would join that too, so I could continue exercising over the weekends and at home. This would help especially during the winter months.
Well it finally opened and I signed up on the family plan.
Now I have to make use of it!
Over the summer I went through a six week period with with what turned out to be antibiotic resistant bronchitis. It took a while for the docs to finally give me the correct antibiotic to get rid of it. This was pretty wearing and I am still trying to get back to where I was in May.
I also just got back from a week in Bogota, Colombia. It\'s a fascinating city. It\'s also at 7,500 ft. The altitude did affect me if I did anything strenuous but for normal activities I was just fine.
Next month is my one year anniversary and I am looking forward to it.
Health to you all,
Joe
I am very glad to be here. I feel like should change by birthday from June 5th to October 10th, the date of my surgery!
Virtually no remaining symptoms no ...Read more
I am very glad to be here. I feel like should change by birthday from June 5th to October 10th, the date of my surgery!
Virtually no remaining symptoms no even the visual ones that I had like \"shooting stars\" and such. Even my small scar is getting hard to notice.
The new thing that I learned since my last post was that prior to all the medical devices that they have to diagnose you now, the doctors had to rely on a physical examination. This is from my GP. He said that they would look for things like the condition of your toenails, or hair getting thinner, or the skin not rebounding when they would press their finger on the inside of your shinbone. Mine would take more than 3 minutes to rebound.
Anyway, what he said was that the lack of oxygen from the bad heart valve caused conditions in you body that are similar to what people feel when they are undergoing chemotherapy. The cells and tissues in your body that rapidly replicate are most affected.
Hair, nails, lining of the digestive tract, skin texture, etc are affected. Sound familiar?
For me a lot of these things are reversing themselves now that I have an adequate supply of oxygen to all parts.
Best of luck to you all,
Joe Gimbel
During this past warm spell I fount that I was able to ride a bicycle again. this was a surprise to me not only because I had the strength to ride but the balance. ...Read more
During this past warm spell I fount that I was able to ride a bicycle again. this was a surprise to me not only because I had the strength to ride but the balance. It has been a long time since I have been confident enough about my balance to make the attempt to ride a bike.
I rode on a bike path that was about a mile long and had small hills and valleys.
It was so cute, my son Joey, who is seven, chased after me on roller skates to see if I was OK. He fell twice trying to catch up with me. Joey skated up to me in the parking lot where I stopped, breathless, and told me the story. I had never looked back and did not see him.
Five months out and I\'m still doing well. I found that, even though I felt good at home, taking on work full time was difficult. That difficulty is now behind ...Read more
Five months out and I\'m still doing well. I found that, even though I felt good at home, taking on work full time was difficult. That difficulty is now behind me and work is much easier, but still work. I am finding that I am actually able to take on more work at one time and keep it all straight.
I\'m still exercising every weekday, usually over lunchtime. It has not yet become \"fun\" yet but maybe that is still in the future.
We took the kids to Springfield, IL this weekend. They had a good time but I saw a bronze bust of Lincoln that I connected with. It was Lincoln with his head bowed down and a look of grief on his face. I felt like this prior to my surgery and periodically since. These periods of disconnection are occurring less often and do not last as long when they do occur.
Slowly the remnants of problems from my valve and valve surgery are fading. If you can please excessive. It really helps!
The best to you all.
Joe Gimbel
My first quest was to find a convenient place to exercise and the second was actually to do it.
For the last two weeks I have exercised every weekday. This ...Read more
My first quest was to find a convenient place to exercise and the second was actually to do it.
For the last two weeks I have exercised every weekday. This includes three sessions with an exercise physiologist. My general fitness level came back as \"very poor\" so I have nowhere. To go but up!
On Another subject, last week my friend and neighbor Chris Malik had a stroke. (He has a journal on this website) At first he could not talk or read but he is slowly regaining some of these abilities. So, in seven months he has had a heart valve replacement and a stroke. He is a career police officer and a father of two young children.
Please, if you have some time, leave him a message on his journal. I\'m sure he will appreciate it very much. I will read them to him when they come in.
Joe Gimbel
I finished up my 36 cardiac rehab visits Wed (Jan 18). Disappointed, no cap and gown. Fell stronger than I have in years. Need to keep this going. There is ...Read more
I finished up my 36 cardiac rehab visits Wed (Jan 18). Disappointed, no cap and gown. Fell stronger than I have in years. Need to keep this going. There is a fitness center in the building where I work and I have signed up there. Company subsidized down to $20 bucks a month. At that rate I can get a secondary membership near home. There is a new YMCA going up a mile from my house. I think I\'ll sign up there for the weekends and other time off work.
After three months of recovery I am feeling better than I have in years. I can do more physically and I am more mentally alert than at any time in recent memory. ...Read more
After three months of recovery I am feeling better than I have in years. I can do more physically and I am more mentally alert than at any time in recent memory. (Twenty years?)
I have no physical pain or any self imposed restrictions due to any inabilities physical or mental. This is not to say that I don\'t still have times when I would like to sit quietly on the side for an hour or so. What the name for this feeling is I don\'t know but it is not being \"tired\". It\'s just a need for a pause in the hustle and bustle for a little bit.
I really do feel good. Gone is the tendency to over think every thing in terms of my heart. The feeling of Living life as a \"heart patient\" is falling away and being replaced by just my life as me. I guess I can\'t explain this feeling well either. It\'s almost like having a limp that outlasts the leg injury. You limp because you DID have an injured leg. The limp is the last part of the injury to leave.
In any case I am \"limping\" a lot less these days.
I went to rehab on Friday, January 6th and the nurses questioned me about the dizzy spell. They ended up calling my Cardiologist\'s office and making an appointment ...Read more
I went to rehab on Friday, January 6th and the nurses questioned me about the dizzy spell. They ended up calling my Cardiologist\'s office and making an appointment for me for a little later that morning.
After examining and questioning me she told me that these types. Of things are pretty normal experiences after surgery. They need to be lived through but they are not concerning. A few things contributed to the experience. I had bent over, to pickup my shoes, and then stood up. I was probably dehydrated, from my CPAP machine, overnight and the surgery itself.
The surgery cuts small nerves that take time to reconnect. Signals become misrouted. When bending over and standing the body has to compensate for blood pressure and flow needs. Some nerve impulses end up activating the wrong things. Some deadhead and go nowhere.
I have had all these experiences before but just not all at the same time or with this intensity. That is what made it concerning. Anyway according to my Cardiologist they are not a worry.
OK, I\'ll drink more water too.
While dressing to go to rehab today I bent over to pick up my shoes and experienced a bout of vertigo. I ended up have to lay back down in bed for about 15 ...Read more
While dressing to go to rehab today I bent over to pick up my shoes and experienced a bout of vertigo. I ended up have to lay back down in bed for about 15 minutes to let it subside.
I have had some residual effects on and off for most of the day today. Along with the dizziness I have had visual disturbances too. I had these before the surgery too. They are migrant warnings or precursors.
In the past I have had them once or twice a month but today I had them five or six times in one day. Maybe by tomorrow, after sleeping it will have cleared up.
The week before the Christmas I took as vacation as part of my original recovery plan. That Friday I ended up with a sinus infection that ended up in my chest ...Read more
The week before the Christmas I took as vacation as part of my original recovery plan. That Friday I ended up with a sinus infection that ended up in my chest (lungs). The cough was bad enough that I ended up pulling muscles in my chest, although I didn\'t know it at the time.
That chest pain was concerning to me. I couldn\'t breath without pretty strong pain. Eventually went to the doctor and ended up with antibiotics and cough medicine and things are getting better.
This was the first episode that I have had since the surgery that really scared me. Another note, when you go the ER or \"prompt care\" and tell them you have chest pain and recently had open heart surgery, you go straight to the front of the line. It really gets their attention!
Anyway, I\'m doing much better and can enjoy my time off.
I hope that all of you are enjoying your Holidays and feeling better.
Friday was the first time I had cardiac rehab and work on the same day. This was much harder than work or rehab alone. By two o\'clock in the afternoon I was ...Read more
Friday was the first time I had cardiac rehab and work on the same day. This was much harder than work or rehab alone. By two o\'clock in the afternoon I was ready for a nap. The rest of the afternoon took forever. I suspect it will get better as time goes on.
Yesterday (12/1) was my first day back at work. I was more concerned about the drive in to work than the work itself. It’s about 62 miles one way. Racine, ...Read more
Yesterday (12/1) was my first day back at work. I was more concerned about the drive in to work than the work itself. It’s about 62 miles one way. Racine, WI to Chicago and back each day. The traffic is heavy and fast.
Everything went well. I fell right into the old pattern pretty quickly. I work in an office and most of my passwords for everything I use had expired and I had to get them renewed. Not to bad. Even got some work done. I was tired by the time I got home but it felt good to be back in he saddle.
Each work week will still be punctuated with time for my remaining cardiac rehab sessions, Monday, Wednesday and Fridays through mid-January. When rehab is over I need to find a way to continue the exercise. I don’t want to lose what I have gained.
The trend is stil up!
I believe that more people read journal entries than they do the guestbook entries of others. Because of this, I’d like to share these two viewpoints, that ...Read more
I believe that more people read journal entries than they do the guestbook entries of others. Because of this, I’d like to share these two viewpoints, that were written to my guestbook, with a wider audience. We all need the maximum amount of information going in to a major decision like heart valve surgery.
I would like to repost here two guestbook entries that offer opinions that differ a bit from my own. I encourage you to read and take to heart what they are saying.
Both of these gentlemen have gone through heart valve surgery as we all have, or shortly will. They both have had full Sternotomies, if I understand properly. Their opinions are based on first-hand knowledge and their own experience.
These responses are honest and sincere statements of truth from their perspectives. They both have done, and are doing what they feel are the best things to do for themselves. I don’t believe that either gentleman would change their decisions, given the chance, after reading the journal entries I’ve posted here.
Friday, November 18, 2011
So great to see you are doing so well Joe. I\'ve followed your journal for some time now as I too had heart surgery recently. The best advice you write in my opinion is exploring all options. I got 3 surgical opinions before having the procedure in Cleveland with the first surgeon telling me that I would need a mechanical valve and a life of blood thinners to the surgeon who completed the procedure repairing the aortic valve instead of replacing it. They also replaced a section of my ascending aorta. I did have a full sternonomy because of the procedure so I wanted to add for those that read your journal and may read your guestbook that your depictions of it are a bit off my experience. I\'ve had very little pain from the procedure and at 4 weeks I\'m able to walk 2-3 miles a day with no problem, push myself out of a chair by my arms, lift any household items, and just today was cleared to drive around town. I don\'t write this to brag but to inform you and others that in my experience, the easiest procedure for the urge on may also be the safest and best for the patient. As you wrote, information and multiple opinions are the key. Hope all continues to go well. Thanks, Bill
Friday, November 18, 2011
Hi Joe. I\'m 7 months post OHS for mitral valve repair. Not minimally invasive. For me it was all about managing risk since I was otherwise healthy and asymptomatic. Folks that are in good shape and whose recovery would be expected to go better than average, likely want to focus on the risk of an adverse surgical outcome and discount recovery risk. Then the shorter time on bypass, the larger workspace and better view afforded by OHS can be deciding considerations. Also which valve is being repaired, since the surgical complexity varies. As MI techniques improve and experience builds it will become a better choice for more and more patients. I think different patients have different risk exposure and will want to manage their risks accordingly - so there is no \"one size fits all\" best choice.
My experience was like Bill\'s in that I had very little pain once various tubes were removed. I was up and walking miles around the ICU ward within a few days and was playing sports again at 6 weeks post-surgery. I credit this mostly to being in good shape going in.
That said, you are like your Dad - providing experience to surgical teams with minimally invasive techniques and thereby improving future patients outcomes. You should be proud!
Brave too. Facing this and now well down the road to recovery with a lifetime ahead to share with your family. Life is sweet!
Keep the beat.
As is stated in these entries, there is no “one-size-fits-all” surgery. No surgery is best for everyone. The main thing is that you choose what fits you best. Myself, I am not a person that finds security in the “tried and true”. With something this critical I want the best procedure, for me, done by the best surgeon. I want the best surgical outcome for me and I want to get “back to normal” as quickly as possible.
The healing, like other aspects of heart valve surgery, is relative to the patient. If you are a fast healer you will heal faster than similar patients around you regardless of the type of surgery you have. Recovery rates are connected to the surgeon and the surgical method. If you are a fast healer and you choose a surgical procedure that offers a faster recovery rate you will be back to normal even faster. As examples, I was up and walking the afternoon of my surgery and I was cleared to drive a car when I left the Hospital, once I was off the pain medication; this amounted to about a week from my surgery date.
I’d like to say too that minimally invasive heart valve surgery is not an experimental procedure that includes higher surgical risk, but it is a less practiced procedure. This is a medically accepted procedure. Risk is relative to the surgeon, not the procedure. The choice of a surgeon is crucial. If you were having a hip or knee repaired would you look at minimally invasive procedures?
I’d like to encourage more people to feel comfortable considering the minimally invasive procedures. Of course, this may not be for everybody. Many people will not qualify or there may not as yet be a minimally invasive procedure developed for the surgical treatment you need. But please at least inquire.
I still do encourage patients to inquire about minimally invasive heart valve surgery when it is appropriate for them. Your insistence will encourage more surgeons, over time, to develop teams to perform this surgery.
The trend is always up.
My sister wrote a guestbook entry to me the other day that really made me think.
She said:
“Joe, after reading your post of this morning, and then reading ...Read more
My sister wrote a guestbook entry to me the other day that really made me think.
She said:
“Joe, after reading your post of this morning, and then reading the notes of people who have responded to your journal I am overcome by emotion.
“I wish Dad and Mom, Dad especially, could see what you have come through these past months. Dad would be so grateful for the advancements in heart surgery that you were able to take advance of. In some ways he is one of the forerunners that gave surgeons experience to make the huge changes that were available to you. He helped through his surgeries to give you the chance at extending your life so that you could be there for his beautiful grandchildren.”
“Circle of Life. I couldn\'t find the purpose before, but it seems obvious now.”
Dad had a multiple heart valve surgeries in the early to mid ‘80’s. My sister reminded me that he helped me in more than one way. His surgeries gave experience to the surgeon, which helps to perfect the process. He also gave me the example of how difficult it is to endure the standard surgical method. His example was my motivation to find another way when it was my turn.
I had to find an alternative to the type surgery he had, if one existed. (And it does.) To paraphrase an Einstein quote, I could see farther because I was standing on my Father’s shoulders. My Father helped me and I want to help others if I can.
It’s “Quality vs Quantity.
The techniques for operating on the human heart have changed a lot since the 1980’s but the surgical technique to get to the heart, in my opinion, have not had the same level of advancement, generally (Sternotomy). Not everyone can physically qualify for a minimally invasive technique but everyone should try for it. Don’t “settle” it’s too important.
I think that some of the institutions and surgeons are true caring pioneers and some are followers just like a cross section of us regular people. Some just want to do as many procedures as possible to make the money, the patient’s quality of life be dammed.
The heart surgery itself affects the surgeon’s success rate. The entry method affects the patient’s quality of life. A “Full Sternotomy” makes it easy on the surgeon and hard on the patient. This is my layman’s opinion.
Please, don’t accept good care when excellent care is available. Don’t accept 6-8 months of recovery if 2-3 month recoveries are available to you. The difference in recovery time is not the surgical work on the heart; the difference is the method the surgeon uses to get to your heart.
Dad helped me to search for a pioneer, and I found one. I would like someone to use my personal experience to make their experience better than it might otherwise be and then pass it on. Let the next person stand on their shoulders.
I want to change the Circle of Life into an Upward Spiral of Life.
While I\'ve going through all of the personal trials that heart valve surgery puts you through I finally realized that I have become to inwardly focused. Whether ...Read more
While I\'ve going through all of the personal trials that heart valve surgery puts you through I finally realized that I have become to inwardly focused. Whether I’m doing well or doing poorly, I’ve become focused solely on myself and my recovery. I’ve gotten better enough to start to look outward to the people that have helped get me through my surgery and recovery.
No one can get through something like this without the help of others, Help beyond the medical people that have performed this semi-miracle. I’ve written journal entries about my surgeon the hospital and the cardiac rehab that I am attending, but I think that this is still fairly self-centered thinking. Beyond this group of medical specialists there are many people that have helped me get through this.
My wife has been with me in this since before the beginning. She has borne the brunt of all the anticipation, anguish and pain She lived with my symptoms long before I was diagnosed. She was the person who pushed me to get checked out. Without her pushing me I would still be doing nothing about it. Sometimes men are stubborn to the end. My wife would not allow this to happen. She’s been with me all through the surgery and hospital stay and she is here now pushing (helping) me through my recovery and rehab. My wife has walked with me into this “undiscovered country” and she will live with me there.
My sister flew in to be with me and help out during the potentially worst portions of the surgery and recovery. Also, the journals that were written while I was not able to write were written by my sister. She not only put her personal life on hold but she put her business on hold to come and help me. This is help way beyond the “Call of Duty” and this help is deeply appreciated. Thank you.
One of my daughters rearranged her work schedule to be with me at the hospital. My wife, sister and daughter held vigil over me during and after the operation. They stayed all night sleeping in chairs to watch over me, Thank you!
I’d like to thank my two young kids, 6 & 7 years old, for being so good during this time. They went to school every day, did their homework and listened to their sitter. You both did a great job, and allowed me to get through this without extra worries, thank you.
My oldest daughter, her husband and my brother and sister in law spent time with me at the hospital too and I am grateful for their attention. Their visit was during a time when I was still pretty out of it but I know that they were there and I have taken it to heart. Thank you for making the long drive and spending the time with me.
All my grown daughters came over the weekend before my surgery to visit. I had a great time. The time they spent checking in on me makes me feel very loved. Thank you very much for doing this.
Thanks also to the friends, family, neighbors and colleagues that have called and written to check on me, all the prayers are cherished.
I’d like to thank the people who have taken time to sign my guestbook too. Being part of this community, this contact with people that I don’t know but who are going through the same trials as I am, has been very helpful to me and I am grateful.
Thank you all!
If you or someone you know is looking ahead at heart valve replacement surgery please check out surgeons that use the “port access procedure”, if you have ...Read more
If you or someone you know is looking ahead at heart valve replacement surgery please check out surgeons that use the “port access procedure”, if you have the time, it will be well worth it. Please take the time to check it out.
This information is from my own life, the procedure I’ve gone through, what I experienced and how I feel. If you do the research too you will find that most of the difference between possible heart valve replacement techniques is how the surgeon gets to the heart to work on it.
Types of surgical access to your heart.
Sternotomy (The full Monty)
Mini Sternotomy
Median Sternotomy
Partial Upper Sternotomy
Mini Thoracotomy (The Port Access Approach)
See pages 45-46 in Adam’s book, or look these terms up online. There is a lot of information out there to be had quickly.
If you look at the names of these procedures, all but one use the term Sternotomy. Sternotomy means cutting the sternum (chestbone, breastbone, etc). All the procedures that use the term “Sternotomy” cut the sternum, some fully and some partially.
Please note too that there is one procedure that does not use the term Sternotomy, the Mini Thoracotomy or “Port Access Approach”. This procedure does not cut your breastbone, or indeed any bones at all. This is the procedure that I had done and it is not a robotic procedure. This surgery relied on the training and skills of the surgeon and his team.
I did a lot of research on this subject prior to deciding on what was best for me. I know that not everyone has this kind of time. But if you know you have a problem and are being monitored by your Cardiologist you have some time to check things out. Use this time to your own benefit.
This is about pain and suffering. From first-hand knowledge, I can tell you that bone pain and tissue pain after surgery are very different. Bone pain during surgical recovery is more intense and long lasting than tissue pain alone. It is my opinion that avoiding having your sternum cut is well worth any time and effort you put into the research phase of your treatment plan.
I already had pretty good second hand knowledge of the Sternotomy, watching my father go through this procedure twice in the 1980’s. Yes, I know that was a long time ago but it is still vivid in my memory. I won’t describe it here as this was thirty years ago and every type of procedure has progressed a lot since then. I can tell you that was a horrendous experience for our whole family, especially my Father.
Every time I go to cardiac rehab I see and talk to other heart patients who are living with the aftermath of the Sternotomy approach to heart valve replacement. The added pain and mental anguish that they endure is very visible to me during the classroom as well as the exercise programs.
This summer I also witnessed a neighbor and friend go through a valve replacement procedure including a full Sternotomy. I witnessed his hospitalization and recovery for months prior to my own procedure.
My friend is 15 years younger than I am. He has 6 months more recovery time under his belt. And he was in better physical condition prior to the surgery. At one month out from my surgery (11/10) I am in less pain, on less medications and have less limitations and concerns than he has.
As luck would have it a health care provider gave me a lead to Dr. Balkhy. I did my due diligence on Dr. Balkhy and the procedure he provides. Information was hard to find as not many surgeons offer this procedure, yet. The one big thing that caught my attention was that he did not cut the sternum. That cemented my interest while I learned more.
During my inquiries I checked with Hospitals and surgeons in Wisconsin and Illinois including the Chicago area and no one else offered this technique. The decision was, at that point, obvious to me. Now I had to personally qualify for this procedure. (Not being a smoker helps a lot.)
To qualify, I had a physical exam and personal history taken by Dr. Balkhy, a heart catheterization and a CT scan, in addition to the echocardiogram I already had. Luckily I passed the qualification tests, everything was in the right place and there were no other disqualifying concerns.
What does a port access incision look like? Mine is three inches long, between the ribs just below my collarbone and to the right of my sternum. I have another incision that is also three inches long in the right side groin area. This is also a “tissue” only entry point. No bones are cut, not even partially. I will add a photo of my chest incision to my journal pictures. (Chippendale’s beware!)
Why am I telling you all this? If one person out there, who qualifies, opts for Port Access vs a Sternotomy of any kind, writing this journal has been worth it for me.
The trend is always up!