Hello to one and all,
I am sorry that I have been remiss in not posting for so long. I have been progressing well and feel I have made a good recovery. ...Read more
Hello to one and all,
I am sorry that I have been remiss in not posting for so long. I have been progressing well and feel I have made a good recovery.
I send best wishes to those facing surgery, and wish those who are post op a speedy and trouble free recovery.
A major concern for me as i waited for my surgery to be scheduled was whether or not I would be able to go on an overseas trip due to begin next week. I have been given the OK to travel and so I see this trip as the final stage of my recovery.
I will write again on our return to Melbourne early in October and will endeavour to be a more active contributor in the community thereafter.
Best wishes to everyone,
Roger
Laura Jacobs Have a great time in Melbourne Roger. So glad you are able to make the low awaited trip. Have fun.
Cathleen Weed Have a great trip! I do lots of traveling and I'm told to get up every hour on long flights and walk ... Read more
Cathleen Weed Have a great trip! I do lots of traveling and I'm told to get up every hour on long flights and walk the aisle of the plane for circulation :). Also, stay super hydrated. Hope it's a super fun time!!
Hi all, sorry not to have posted for a couple of weeks. I am 5 weeks post op now. Recovery is on track now, and I am glad to report the persistant chest cough ...Read more
Hi all, sorry not to have posted for a couple of weeks. I am 5 weeks post op now. Recovery is on track now, and I am glad to report the persistant chest cough is a distant memory. Since that improved every day has been an improvement though there was a day recently when I felt very tired all day for no apparent reason. Guess recovery is like that, good days and then some not so good😊. Have begun cardiac rehab (1st of 7 weekly sessions) and that went OK. Wishing speedy recoveries to all here, best wishes, Roger
Hello everyone, I am delighted to say that in the last couple of days my cough has finally subsided and as a result Iam feeling my recovery is right on track. ...Read more
Hello everyone, I am delighted to say that in the last couple of days my cough has finally subsided and as a result Iam feeling my recovery is right on track. Thanks to all who have sent me messages.
I am about to start 7 weeks of rehab and believe I am already exceeding the exercise targets for just 4 weks post op. My wife and I walk about 4 kms each morning and unless another activity takes precedence we do another walk in the aftrnoon. Fortunately our winter in Melbourne has been good, withnothing worse tha a few chilly mornings.
I am currently just a few pounds below my pre surgery weight and, thanks to the easing of my cough, am off all pain meds now. All up I am pleased with my progress. I look forward to being able to drive and ride my bike again! Best wishes to all, Roger
Hi everyone, sorry not to have posted a lot lately.
Today is my 3 week mark and by and large things are going well. I am having a major problem with a persistant ...Read more
Hi everyone, sorry not to have posted a lot lately.
Today is my 3 week mark and by and large things are going well. I am having a major problem with a persistant unproductive cough which is resulting in a lot of chest pain, within the chest rather than along the incision line. I had a cardiology clinic appointment today and the Doctor felt it was most likely a viral infection and could last a while. This is disappointing but it is what it is!
Apart from the sore chest and resulting disturbed nights I am pleased with my progress, being able to manage a couple of slow walks a day and I definitely benefit from being active. Last Saturday I made a mistake remaining in my chair all afternoon watching motor racing on TV and by nightfall I felt absolutely awful. A lot of chest pain and a wretched cough that would not ease. Since then, days have been better, I think because I have not sat about too much. Of course I get tired easily and have to keep a check on how much I try to do.
Here in Melbourne it is mid winter and so I don't have to combat heat when exercising, that would be difficult I am sure. Mornings are chilly but no worse than that.
Best wishes to all and a big thank you to all those who send messages,
Roger
Rita Savelis Hey, there are days when you just have to watch motor racing on TV, Roger....I hear you.
And the las ... Read more
Rita Savelis Hey, there are days when you just have to watch motor racing on TV, Roger....I hear you.
And the last thing you needed after all you've been through is a viral infection....Geez.
Take care.
Barbara Wood Hi Roger, I'm 7 weeks out ( today, almost to the hour:)) & my one big take away from my recovery, whe ... Read more
Barbara Wood Hi Roger, I'm 7 weeks out ( today, almost to the hour:)) & my one big take away from my recovery, where I felt my cardiology team fell short, was playing down my persistent cough. I visited my primary doc after about 2 weeks of this & she noted that I was still 5 lbs over my presurgery weight ( my cardiologist said this was just my new " weight range"). She said have them prescribe lasix- she felt the cough was due to excess fluid. I did, & then lost 4 lbs in one day! My cough went away immediately. Not saying this is your case, but it's just something to consider. Hoping you feel better soon!
Hi everyone, just checking in after 2 weeks, 1 week since I got home. Initially I had a very bad chest cough and by end of 2nd full day at home I felt awful ...Read more
Hi everyone, just checking in after 2 weeks, 1 week since I got home. Initially I had a very bad chest cough and by end of 2nd full day at home I felt awful with a very sore chest. Since then a couple of much better days lifted spirits and progress seems to be on track. For the last 24 hrs the chest has again been very sore, maybe because I have started the exercises and aggravated the broken bones!
Managing 2 walks a day, about 2 kms each, but speed is nothing to rave about!
Best wishes to all here, Roger
Kelley Turnbull You are doing great. 2k twice a day is amazing
Laura Jacobs Oh my gosh yes, I think 2km a day is great. I am not quite there...close to a mile on some days, spli ... Read more
Laura Jacobs Oh my gosh yes, I think 2km a day is great. I am not quite there...close to a mile on some days, split in three. The heat gets to me though and I see a significant difference in what I can do once it warms up. Keep it up Roger!!!
Rose Madura Sound like you are doing pretty good, all things considered.
G'day everyone,
It is Thursday 29th June and time i updated my journal having been home for 3 days. I was very happy to be discharged around lunchtime on ...Read more
G'day everyone,
It is Thursday 29th June and time i updated my journal having been home for 3 days. I was very happy to be discharged around lunchtime on Monday and it felt good getting home. I had felt quite well while in hospital but by Monday afternoon I felt as though I was developing a chest cough, the last thing I wanted.
Monday night passed fairly well although I did not sleep for long at a time.
Pain levels were reasonable for the first few hours but were soon to rampup considerably as the chest cough became more and more aggravating. Things got progressively worse through to Wednesday night by which time the pain in the chest was constant and severe because of the persistant tight chest and cough.
Mercifully this morning has started much better after a reasonable night and the cough has begun to subside leaving me to think things are finally on the mend. I have managed a couple of short walks a day and will increase the duration as soon as I can. More updates to follow in due course, best wishes to all especialy those facing surgery in the next few days.
Matthew Russo Great to hear the cough and pain are subsiding Rog!
Barbara Wood Keep an eye on the cough...I had that & needed more lasix ( diuretic ). As soon as the couple extra l ... Read more
Barbara Wood Keep an eye on the cough...I had that & needed more lasix ( diuretic ). As soon as the couple extra lbs of fluid I was carrying went, so did the cough. Best wishes on your recovery:)
Jennifer McInerney Hope that cough resolves quickly and your recovery continues uneventfully!
Rose Madura Best of luck during you recovery. I agree with Barbara to keep an eye on the cough - maybe even call ... Read more
Rose Madura Best of luck during you recovery. I agree with Barbara to keep an eye on the cough - maybe even call the doctor about it.
Barbara Helen Dance Hello Roger, thank you for your thoughts and best wishes......I am sorry that your post op has been b ... Read more
Barbara Helen Dance Hello Roger, thank you for your thoughts and best wishes......I am sorry that your post op has been bumpy so far, and hope you will soon be on an even keel. Please get that cough checked before too much time goes by......I am sure you cardiac team would not want you to struggle on,.... Thank you, and my very best wishes, Barbara.xx😓😊
Seeing posts about problems uploading photos on the My Journal page, I have tried twice with no success.
I am not sure I did anything different the times it ...Read more
Seeing posts about problems uploading photos on the My Journal page, I have tried twice with no success.
I am not sure I did anything different the times it worked!
Update: It appears there is a problem with communication between my device (Samsung Tab A tablet) and the website. When I clicked Add Photos the tablet camera opened but when I 'took' the photo nothing happened, yet when I took a normal photo from the camera app it responded with ok or something. This photo was saved in Images under DCIM and I could then upload it on My Journal page as a photo from my files. Not sure this helps at all!
Hi everyone,
Since the last message I have been doing well, with just a single speedhump to negotiate. It all went wrong about 11.00pm a couple of nights ...Read more
Hi everyone,
Since the last message I have been doing well, with just a single speedhump to negotiate. It all went wrong about 11.00pm a couple of nights ago. I settled for the night with no apparent problems and out of the blue my heart decided to race at 160bpm. (I was later told this is fairly common and that patients who experience this seldom have a second episode.)
I was surrounded by 9 assorted doctors and nurses all acting very concerned while saying 'dont worry, she'll be right'. The plan was to reset my heartbeat with chemicals but they couldn't get a line in to administer by intravenous drip. Everybody and his wife tried to get a vein! Then the guy from OR said 'keep him fasted from midnight in case we need to operate again' - Great!
The electrolytes they did manage to get in worked a bit and they gave me a sleeping pill and when I woke the next day I drank the balance, yuk! At least I escaped a return to theatre and from that time on, once the sleeping pill wore off, I have been good as gold.
I am now free of attachments, having had the pacer wires withdrawn from my chest and dressings removed so it looks like I am going home tomorrow. Hooray.
Thanks for all the messages and best wishes to all here, Roger
Catie B My goodness--that was startling, for sure! And how frustrating about your veins. Glad you are now oka ... Read more
Catie B My goodness--that was startling, for sure! And how frustrating about your veins. Glad you are now okay and are progressing.
Lynda Ruiz Glad you got through all that. I have problematic veins. They had to put new iv lines in several time ... Read more
Lynda Ruiz Glad you got through all that. I have problematic veins. They had to put new iv lines in several times and did not take last one out until 15 minutes before leaving hospital 8 days later.
Thanks everyone for the kind messages, they are a real morale booster. Today has been quite good, still taking the painkillers when offered but decreasing doses ...Read more
Thanks everyone for the kind messages, they are a real morale booster. Today has been quite good, still taking the painkillers when offered but decreasing doses I think. My heart is slow still so relying on pacer, and this is restricting movement out of bed but hoping to be more mobile tomorrow. With best wishes to all, Roger
Hi everybody, it is now 48hrs since surgery and I am progressing well. Pre surgery it was not clear whether my mitral valve could be repaired. In fact it ...Read more
Hi everybody, it is now 48hrs since surgery and I am progressing well. Pre surgery it was not clear whether my mitral valve could be repaired. In fact it was successfully repaired and I am recovering well. Initially there was some concern because my heart would not restart and it was connected to an external pacer which decided to shut down during the night. Prompt action prevented any major damage and my heart is beginning to show activity now.
More news to follow in the next day or two, Good Luck to all who face theatre in the coming days.
Wade Clark Roger, nice to hear that you are progressing nicely. Keep us posted.
Sally Strand Hi Roger glad all went well inspite of issues with the external pacer. Thanks for the update and all ... Read more
Sally Strand Hi Roger glad all went well inspite of issues with the external pacer. Thanks for the update and all the best.
Matt Sheffield Great to hear the surgery went well. You'll be full speed ahead in no time. Take care.
Matt Sheffield Great to hear the surgery went well. You'll be full speed ahead in no time. Take care.
Diana Sirico Happy to hear you are getting better!
Jeannette McLaughlin Hello! Roger - Glad to hear that all went well, minus one glitch. I also had a heart block during sur ... Read more
Jeannette McLaughlin Hello! Roger - Glad to hear that all went well, minus one glitch. I also had a heart block during surgery, as well as a temporary pacemaker that malfunctioned. I saw black and the next thing I remember is people trying to “wake” me up in the bathroom! After all those years of my heart going the extra beat on account of a bicuspid aortic valve, my electrical system couldn’t connect properly and I had a pacemaker put it on day 8. Wishing that your electrical system has made a permanent connection and good luck with your recovery!
Hi everyone,
My surgery scheduled for today, 15th June, was cancelled, doh!,
In a nutshell, after fasting from midnight Wednesday and getting up at 4am, my ...Read more
Hi everyone,
My surgery scheduled for today, 15th June, was cancelled, doh!,
In a nutshell, after fasting from midnight Wednesday and getting up at 4am, my wife and I spent the day sitting in the Admissions waiting room at The Alfred Hospital, only to be told at 5pm to go home!
We got to the hospital at 6.15am and it was 3pm before anyone told us of a delay. It turns out that the patient ahead of me was having endless complications and when we left at 5pm was (I think) still in theatre! I just hope he or she has a good outcome, the surgery team has certainly worked hard to achieve that! By the time we left, I was starving and dehydrated.
The day was made worse thanks to the endless daytime TV playing at high volume. I detest daytime TV, especially the pillocks who present the breakfast TV programs, and the thought of sitting through all that again is the worst part of having to go back and do it all again.
I have no idea when the surgery will be rescheduled, but hopefully it will not be a long wait.
Until next time, life goes on as usual, best wishes to all,
Roger
Wade Clark Sorry to hear this Roger. Hope the reschedule is very soon.
Roger Bideleux Thanks Wade, wishing you all the best for your surgery on the 22nd.
Marie Myers Sorry to hear about your delay. Hope all turns out well.
Rose Madura Hang in there Roger it's very frustrating I know because the same thing happened to me.
Catie B Gracious! I am so sorry, Roger. Best to you for Round Two!
Barbara Wood Sorry about that! Mine was delayed 3 x- 4th time was a charm!
Laura Jacobs My heart goes out to Roger. It must have. It must have been a very emotional day for you and your wif ... Read more
Laura Jacobs My heart goes out to Roger. It must have. It must have been a very emotional day for you and your wife. In the end you are right to worry most about the other patient. I hope they came through ok. Thank you for sharing this as now if it happens to me it will help me keep it in perspective and know that is just happens sometimes. Maybe something Jing like that was the reason my upcoming date was pushed back by two days. Hopefully you will be get an early date. Best to you and your wife, Laura
Alethea Scally So sorry you had to experience this Roger. We specifically asked the surgeon to schedule my dad as hi ... Read more
Alethea Scally So sorry you had to experience this Roger. We specifically asked the surgeon to schedule my dad as his first patient. We also chose our surgeon because he doesn't do the trauma or ER Cariac surgery; the hospital has other on call doctors for that. We had to travel out of state to do my Dad's surgery so it was really important to us to minimize any chance of cancellation. Hope this helps you when rescheduling your surgery, if it applies to your situation and surgeon.
Sally Strand Hi Roger that must have been frustrating and difficult sitting in the waiting room all day. Here's ho ... Read more
Sally Strand Hi Roger that must have been frustrating and difficult sitting in the waiting room all day. Here's hoping this will soon all be behind you.
Roger Bideleux Thank you all for your comments, this community is a great comfort. I expected to sleep well after ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Thank you all for your comments, this community is a great comfort. I expected to sleep well after that long day but here I am wide awake again at 4am. Sleep doesn't come easy these days. Best wishes to all our nocturnal members😊
Tina Maroon Wow Roger my heart goes out to you. Nothing like being prepared mentally to be admitted for surgery a ... Read more
Tina Maroon Wow Roger my heart goes out to you. Nothing like being prepared mentally to be admitted for surgery and then having surgery cancelled and told to go home. I know having the surgery cancelled had to be very frustrating. I am hoping you will soon have your surgery and all this will be behind you.
Jennifer McInerney Sorry your surgery was cancelled. Hope you get another date quickly and all goes well
Wow, after what has seemed to be an interminable time, I have finally been notified of my surgery date, the day after tomorrow June 15th. It came in a phone ...Read more
Wow, after what has seemed to be an interminable time, I have finally been notified of my surgery date, the day after tomorrow June 15th. It came in a phone call from the hospital at lunchtime and all of a sudden it is real, and actually going to to happen.
Thanks to the many encouraging messages and stories on this website I am going to the hospital confident that all will go well. Thanks to Adam for creating this site and to all contributers for their positive stories ,
Roger
$250 to send a heart pillow to Australia! I enquired about the cost of posting a Shumsky Therapeutic Pillow to Australia and this is the result! The quoted ...Read more
$250 to send a heart pillow to Australia! I enquired about the cost of posting a Shumsky Therapeutic Pillow to Australia and this is the result! The quoted charge is for shipment by UPS or FEDEX. Looks like I will rely on a rolled up towel, 😊
Is there not a postal service in USA these days
Rita Savelis Any pillow will do. Seriously.
I got my used pillow (not a heart pillow) at a jumble sale for a few e ... Read more
Rita Savelis Any pillow will do. Seriously.
I got my used pillow (not a heart pillow) at a jumble sale for a few euros...
There is no need for anything fancy.
Take care Roger.
Catie B Rita is so right. A toss pillow works just fine.
Amy Steele Rita and Catie are right, you don't need a specialized pillow... But you probably do want to find on ... Read more
Amy Steele Rita and Catie are right, you don't need a specialized pillow... But you probably do want to find one that is fairly 'stiff'. If you really do want one, $250 shipping seems outrageous. We sent a box of goodies to my daughter's friend in Australia and it cost around $50 USD... and the box weighed around 5 pounds. It did take about two weeks to get there, so if you needed something sooner, I'm sure it would cost quite a bit more than we paid...
Roger Bideleux Yes I am sure you are absolutely right. The appeal of the heart pillow was the fact it would be a lig ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Yes I am sure you are absolutely right. The appeal of the heart pillow was the fact it would be a lighthearted reminder of this difficult time and a conversation piece down the track. Thanks for the responses, I am sure I will be guided by the hospital post op about a suitable pillow substitute.
Best wishes to all,
Roger
Prayers and good wishes go out to Melbourne heart and lung surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, cruelly attacked in a Melbourne hospital and now fighting for ...Read more
Prayers and good wishes go out to Melbourne heart and lung surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, cruelly attacked in a Melbourne hospital and now fighting for life in The Alfred Hospital. A senseless and unprovoked attack. Get well soon
Matthew Russo Just heard about this on the news Roger. Yes, so senseless. Prayers and thoughts going out to Patrick ... Read more
Matthew Russo Just heard about this on the news Roger. Yes, so senseless. Prayers and thoughts going out to Patrick and his family.
Civita Fahey Oh My. how horrible. We had that happen a few years ago here at Massachusetts General Hospital. A gre ... Read more
Civita Fahey Oh My. how horrible. We had that happen a few years ago here at Massachusetts General Hospital. A great surgeon was lost to a senseless attack.. I hope all goes well for him.. we live in a crazy, cruel world.
Barbara Wood That is terrible!! Civita I remember that attack at Mass General.
Catie B Oh my! Senseless violence again. Thanks for posting this. Prayers, indeed!
Phyllis Petersen So sad! We don't think of their jobs as dangerous, but this happens all too often.
Roger Bideleux Tonight's TV news reported Patrick's condition is still critical and he may not return to his chosen ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Tonight's TV news reported Patrick's condition is still critical and he may not return to his chosen profession. Let us all pray for a good outcome. Alleged attacker has been remanded in custody and will return to court on August 24. It was reported the accused had recently been dependant on drugs and had been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness.
Phyllis Petersen Drugs have played a large part in those types of attacks here in the US. And some of the new syntheti ... Read more
Phyllis Petersen Drugs have played a large part in those types of attacks here in the US. And some of the new synthetic drugs are extremely unpredictable. Add in mental illness and hospitals can be scary places.
Roger Bideleux Still waiting for good news here. A major Melbourne newspaper posted on its website about an hour ago ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Still waiting for good news here. A major Melbourne newspaper posted on its website about an hour ago: 'Surgeon Mr Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann is still fighting for life, a fortnight after being assaulted outside Box Hill Hospital'
I still pray we will have good news one day soon, get well quickly Patrick.
Roger Bideleux Wednesday 28th June - worst news imaginable - i am very sorry to pass on to this community tonight's ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Wednesday 28th June - worst news imaginable - i am very sorry to pass on to this community tonight's news that Melbourne surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, has lost his fight for life. I am sure all here will be devastated and we will all be praying for his family and offering our sincerest condolences at this tragic time.
Phyllis Petersen Oh no! Prayers and condolences for his family, friends and colleagues, as well as the many patients w ... Read more
Phyllis Petersen Oh no! Prayers and condolences for his family, friends and colleagues, as well as the many patients whose skilled hands he touched.
Sorry for not gettting back sooner to add more details!
Thanks to the many kind people who have welcomed me into this community and for their messages of ...Read more
Sorry for not gettting back sooner to add more details!
Thanks to the many kind people who have welcomed me into this community and for their messages of support.
To expand on my first post, the damage to the mitral valve is to the chordae tendineae, which have broken. I should not have Googled this subject as all was good until a scientific paper stated "In contrast to patients with the usual form of rheumatic mitral regurgitation, those with ruptured chordae tendineae usually die within a year, although a few cases of pro-longed survival have been reported."
I have not told my wife I read this online, and I do not propose to raise the matter with my surgeon. (I know the medical people hate patients searching the internet for information!) It is a bit of a worry nonetheless.
Prior to the day I was admitted to hospital, 23rd April, I was fit and healthy (for a 70yo) and bike riding and walking regularly so it came as a huge shock I must admit.
Since leaving hospital I have not experienced any pain or discomfort though I do notice I tire quite quickly if I try to do too much. This helps me to view the future with more optimism than the above quote suggests I should.
Is there anyone in here who has had ruptured chordae tendineae repaired? If so, I would really like to hear from you if you'd be happy to talk about it. My surgeon hopes to repair the damage but will not know until I am opened up if it will be possible, so Plan B will be a replacement animal valve.
I am really hoping for an early date for surgery as we have planned overseas travel for later in the year. We already missed out on a cruise when I was in hospital last month - we should have sailed 2 days after I was admitted 😥 'Still, better to be in strife on land than 2000 kilometers off-shore!
I have found many inspiring threads here that give me cause for optimism and they are a great comfort. I will not deny however that I am quite anxious, especially when awake at night lol.
With best wishes to all who are awaiting their date with the OR, I am sure we'll all make it through.
Roger
Steve Farthing FYI - looks like the article you mentioned is over 50 years old! Your surgeon should be able to asse ... Read more
Steve Farthing FYI - looks like the article you mentioned is over 50 years old! Your surgeon should be able to assess the overall status of your mitral valve and recommend how soon you should have it fixed and whether it is an emergency situation or not.
Jim Stutler Roger, my diagnosis is also a prolapsed mitral valve with some ruptured chordae. Certainly haven't re ... Read more
Jim Stutler Roger, my diagnosis is also a prolapsed mitral valve with some ruptured chordae. Certainly haven't read (or been told by any of my Docs) that the prognosis was as dark as the one you read! I am scheduled for repair surgery (with a bypass thrown in) on June 19th. As you, I am traveling overseas in October, Doc says I should be good as new by then. Best of luck to you.
Vanessa Corwin I had MVP with regurgitation, which was repaired along with some chordae. It's a commonly done proced ... Read more
Vanessa Corwin I had MVP with regurgitation, which was repaired along with some chordae. It's a commonly done procedure, apparently. My recovery is going well so far (I am 8 weeks out). The technology is amazing... and don't believe everything you see on the Web. When in doubt always ask your doctors.
Roger Bideleux Thanks for your comments everyone. I think I allowed myself to panic a bit there.
As you say Steve, t ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Thanks for your comments everyone. I think I allowed myself to panic a bit there.
As you say Steve, the surgeon would be the one to best decide the urgency and although the initial plan was to have me back within a week for surgery it seems they are now happy for me to stay on a waiting list until whenever. Can't be that bad can it!
Glad to hear your recovery is going well Vanessa and good luck on the 19th June Jim plus safe travels in October.
Steve - you're right, it was an old paper and much coukd have changed since the 60's😀. I have given up Googling haha!
Best wishes to everyone,
Roger
Lisa Ferguson Hi Roger - Welcome to the club :) I had the same diagnosis and just celebrated my one year surgery a ... Read more
Lisa Ferguson Hi Roger - Welcome to the club :) I had the same diagnosis and just celebrated my one year surgery anniversary. I also googled "broken chordae" way too much for my own good. Those broken cords are what made the surgery more urgent for me because the valve function really started to falter, and my heart was enlarged. While I knew I had mitral valve prolapse for many years, the broken cord is what finally set off symptoms. I think it's a combination of factors that determine the urgency, but I was glad to get surgery going because the chances of my heart size improving was high...and it did, only a few months after surgery, my heart was normal size again. In a repair, they replace the cords with a sort of fishing line material. In a replacement, they remove them completely. I had a repair, and in my echocardiograms, they can see the knots on the replacement cords where they sewed them in! Keep us posted on your progress!
Roger Bideleux Thank you Lisa for writing. I am pleased that your repair has proved to be a success and to know you ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Thank you Lisa for writing. I am pleased that your repair has proved to be a success and to know your heart has improved as a result.
I have realised that I was doing myself no favours by Googling and have stopped!
I shall be glad when the wait is over but feel reassured that if my surgeon does not think it necessary to operate without delay then I must be pretty safe😀
Best wishes, Roger
I am a newbie here and a month ago had no idea I would be in the predicament in which I now find myself.
It was about 1am on 23rd April (a Sunday) that ...Read more
I am a newbie here and a month ago had no idea I would be in the predicament in which I now find myself.
It was about 1am on 23rd April (a Sunday) that I woke with pain in the upper chest. I got up and moved gently around the house and the pain subsided a bit until I returned to my bed, when it became quite severe again. This pattern was repeated until about 4am when I finally settled in bed.
About 7am my wife woke and I told her what I had experienced in the night. With a career as a nurse and midwife she told me how stupid I had been to ignore the symptoms and we set off for the local Emergency Dept.
I was seen immediately by an ED doctor who checked me quite thoroughly and was not happy with what he saw. The Sandringham Hospital is part of the Alfred Hospital in central Melbourne and I was shipped off there by ambulance without delay.
Initially it was thought I had pericarditis which I believe is inflamation of the sac surrounding the heart and pain killers soon made me comfortable. This was not the end of my problems as further tests over 3 days revealed I had a mitral valve problem.
Eventually I was discharged late on the Wednesday with a return planned for later the next week for a valve repair or replacement if necessary.
This prediction was way off the mark and now, a month later, I am still waiting for a date for my surgery.
Lynda Ruiz Welcome Roger! within this site you will be able to learn more than you ever thought you would learn ... Read more
Lynda Ruiz Welcome Roger! within this site you will be able to learn more than you ever thought you would learn. Your story gave me a giggle as I read your wife's comments as I had just murmured that as I read paragraph 2. Sometimes we learn the hard way to listen to our bodies. There are times I hold back from seeking attention and times I go to Dr/ER for something that turns out to be nothing OR something bigger than I thought. I'm sure by now your wife & Dr have advised about keeping aspirin by the bed.
I hope you can get scheduled and get things taken care of soon. I go in tomorrow and am looking forward to reporting back to everyone here about my journey in the hospital.
Adam Pick Welcome aboard Roger! If you need anything, please let me know!
Phyllis Petersen Welcome to the community! I hope you get your date soon and can move forward from there. I had mitral ... Read more
Phyllis Petersen Welcome to the community! I hope you get your date soon and can move forward from there. I had mitral valve repair last October and am doing really well. I'm sure you will too.
Roger Bideleux Thanks everyone for the welcome. I will add to my initial post shortly, but meantime best wishes Lyn ... Read more
Roger Bideleux Thanks everyone for the welcome. I will add to my initial post shortly, but meantime best wishes Lynda for a succesful outcome.
So pleased to know your valve repair went well Phyllis, and thanks Adam for creating this haven for us.