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Denise Praises Dr. Bleiweis After Eli's Heart Valve Surgery

By Adam Pick on August 17, 2009

I have the privilege of speaking with caregivers from all over the world.

As many of us know, heart valve surgery can be just as trying on the caregivers as it is on the patients. For this reason, many of their stories are both emotional and inspirational. That said, I thought you might like to read an email from Denise about her son, Eli, and his recent aortic heart valve repair:

Mark Bleiweis, MD, with young heart surgery patient

Eli & Dr. Marc Bleiweis

Hi Adam, I am writing to bring you up to date on Eli's surgery and recovery. We chose to stay at Shands Hospital with Dr. Mark Bleiweis for Eli's heart valve repair.

Eli's surgery was performed on July 13th and went very well. Eli did have some flutter issues while in the hospital and had to be paced several times. Eventually, Eli was placed on medication (Pacerone) to help.

Thankfully, Doctor Bleiweis was able to repair Eli's valve with a tissue patch. Doctor Bleiweis and the entire staff at Shands were the most amazing, compassionate professionals. The medical team made our family feel extremely comfortable in their care of Eli, which greatly reduced my stress level.

You know how we moms are... Dr. Bleiweis' team was sooooooooooo patient with my list of several hundred questions!

We came home with Eli taking Lasix, Pacerone, Baby Aspirin, and Iron. Like you, Eli was anemic after heart surgery. He started having headaches and eye sensitivity to light. I called Dr. Fricke (the cardiologist) and was immediately referred to an eye specialist because Pacerone can cause eye damage. After learning that Eli did not have any eye damage, I was concerned that the reduction in the medications could cause his flutter to return.

Since we live almost two hours from the hospital, we kept Eli monitored very closely for the next few days with no change in his heart rate. We went back for a check up and he is now off his medications and is doing very well.

We feel truly blessed to have people like you, Dr. Bleiweis, Dr. Fricker, and the wonderful Shands staff help us through this life changing experience. Thanks again for your heart valve surgery book!

May God Bless,
Denise Rountree

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Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

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.

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