Barbara's Guestbook

Hi Barbara Hope it all went well. I had my mitral repair in 2011 with asymptomatic severe mitral valve regurgitation -in Brisbane Queensland Australia. I love Adam's community and assume one day I will need heart surgery again so I really appreciate all the information. Best wishes and happy 2019

Merry Christmas Barbara🦋🦋🦋 I was in CSU last Christmas, recovering from valve repair. Remember getting texts from friends while they were basting their turkeys. Friends are the best at times like this. Relax and enjoy the moment. And don’t forget your lipstick 🦋🦋🦋

Barbara, I had a mitral repair in 2009 and then in 2012 was told I needed to go in again. I too was very apprehensive...it isn't something I thought I would have to do again. I told my surgeon to replace it with a mechanical valve because I did not want to go through this again. The surgery went even better than the first, my recovery was fast and everything is still working great. I hope you have as good or better outcomes than I.

Wishing you the best Barbara . I had mitral valve repair surgery done in Italy in January of this year. I am also an American living in Europe and I am also grateful to Adam and the Heart Valve Surgery site which I have followed before and after my surgery. Stay strong. Patricia

Good luck today Barbara. We have fab CT surgeons here in the UK, so I'm sure you will be fine. My husband had an urgent CABGx3 in Basildon last year and I'm on watch and wait for mitral regurgitation. Let us know when you can xx

I’m thinking of you. I had my mitral valve repaired with a titanium ring December 13, 2016. I’m so glad you are having this surgery to make you feel better. It’s very hard to go through but you can do this hard thing. 💕

Hi, Barbara. Soon you will be post surgery and on the road to recovery. I had mitral valve repair in 2010 in Dallas, TX at The Heart Hospital. I am doing well and wish the same for you.

Dear Barbara, I send you many good thoughts and wish you good luck. I live in Stroud Gloucestershire and had an aortic valve replacement done 8 years ago in Oxford.

Our prayers are with you and family. I went through second surgery in July 2018 for aortic valve. My first surgery was in 2007. It is six months and I am doing fine. My second surgery was at Cleveland Clinics. You will be fine, stay strong and start cardiac therapy as soon as you can. Good luck. Praful Patel

Barbra, at age 42 I had my Mitral valve repaired in August of 2018. It was a success .One leaflet had to be shortened and the space close with a ring and the other leaflet had to have a cord repaired which it was. Ask the surgeon a ton of questions and get familiar with what he feels he wants to do if all goes well. We did not want a valve replacement because I don't want Coumadin for the rest of my life and the testing that goes with it . Our backup plan was a pig or cow tissue. We interviewed several doctors and had all the tests performed. I went with a very experienced and highly rated doctor who does 30 to 40 mitral valve repairs a year and who had a 90 plus % confidence that it could be repaired and it was ! He just knew he could fix the heart and that feeling of confidence with his ratings and experience won me over . I was out in 5 days and supplemented it with cardiac rehab. I have been checked over several times and I'm good to go . Good luck and stay close to the lord.

Barbara - I’m sending you best wishes, and soon you’ll be on the other side of surgery and looking forward to recovery. I’ve also had a mitral prolapse all my life and had mitral repair by Dr Marc Gillinov at Cleveland Clinic in 2015 at age 70. I live in Colorado, and was so lucky to be able to travel to CC, which as you know is a wonderful facility. Even though you can’t return to CC, I imagine your experience with the British healthcare system is likely less hassle than we in the States have. I’m doing fine post op, and the recovery was smooth. I do have residual left atrium enlargement but the only problem that causes is shortness of breath in higher elevations. Since I’m an avid amateur botanist, I adore alpine plants, but must use a portable oxygen concentrator above about 10,000ft. (The area where I live in Colorado is 6000 ft so I don’t need supplemental oxygen until I go hiking up high). Remember to relax as much as you can (challenging, I know, but important). And trust in your surgeon. You’ll be on the other side before you know it. Cheers!

Hi Barbara, I just read your story and wanted to send you a note full of good vibes and wishes for a successful surgery on the 20th. I had my mitral valve repaired this past March and I will keep you in my thoughts.

Hi Barbara, It is Bonnie again. Just thought I would share some humor with you regarding my hospital stay last year. Had the mitral valve repaired on December 20th and was still in the hospital for Christmas Day. Hubby spent the day with me and then, with my insistence, he got ready at the hospital to go to our son’s home for Christmas dinner. As I sat in my little hospital chair, exhausted beyond belief, with unwashed hair, no makeup, in a surgical gown, hubby appeared, freshly showered/shaved in his best clothes ready to leave for dinner. He turned to me and said, in all seriousness”Do I look OK?” I could not help myself. I said “You look like a rockstar to me”

Hi Barbara, I'm so sorry you're having to go through all of this! I hope all goes well and I trust it will. My brother had his mitral valve repaired by Dr. Cosgrove and got the Cosgrove ring about 15 years ago! Does that ring tend to give out after awhile? Do you know what happened that cause your valve to leak again? I'm having my mitral valve repaired at Cleveland in early January (MV problems run in my family) and so my brother is going to consult with the docs and have an echo there at that time. He's been seen annually by a cardiologist where we live outside D.C., but I'm glad he's double checking with the pros at Cleveland. Good luck to you!!!

Barbara, Welcome aboard. I like that word "apprehension", it's so much better than terror, don't you think? You've found a very supportive community here and there are loads of people with similar heart issues who will be there for you through this. Looking forward to reading more from you.

Welcome, Barbara, to this community. Was very interested to read your story. I had a mitral valve repair done 6 months ago and the 8 week post op ECHO shows "moderate" regurgitation even though in the OR the ECHO showed no leakage. Trying to prepare myself for the fact that a second surgery might be in the future. I am very healthy, and 69 years old. Will follow your story and wish you the best. God Bless