Home > Heart Surgery Blog > Patient Stories > From A Surgery Waiting Room In Texas...

From A Surgery Waiting Room In Texas...

By Adam Pick on August 15, 2007

Good news!

As many of you will find out, the time leading up to the actual heart valve surgery operation can be quite anxious. At times, the fear of heart valve repair or heart valve replacement procedures can leave the patient and caregiver sleepless.

That said, one of the BEST parts of the heart surgery experience is when the operation is OVER.

Many times, I hear from my book readers or their caregivers following surgery. Today, was one of those days. Two caregivers for Melissa Causey, her husband (Bryan) and her uncle (Ted), sent me two excellent updates. (FYI, Melissa had the Ross Procedure, also known as the Switch Procedure, performed by Dr. William Ryan in Texas.)

Apparently, Melissa is a "Star" heart surgery patient. According to Bryan, Dr. Ryan completed the aortic and pulmonary valve replacements in about five hours. The big news is that Melissa was sitting up in her chair four hours later. That's an INCREDIBLE start to recovery!

Go Melissa! Go!!!

Melissa Causey's Caregivers Read The Patient's Guide
To Heart Valve Surgery During Her Heart Valve Surgery

As for Ted's email to me, I had to share it word-for-word with y'all (that's my best Texas accent). It really made me smile from ear-to-ear. Here it is:

Adam,I thought you'd get a kick out of this. The picture (above) was taken in the waiting room shortly after we learned Melis was undergoing the Ross Procedure.Note the book on Cheryl's (Melissa's cousin) lap. And, I'm sure you can guess where Bryan was surfin' on his laptop. Ted

I'm amazed! I never thought this book and website would end up in a surgical waiting room in Texas. As my mom said to me yesterday, "You have turned a lemon - your surgery - into lemonade."

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Leave a Comment | Get Adam's Free Newsletter

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

Follow 450K