Darlene's Guestbook

Darlene Smith  Hi Gina, thank you for sharing your story. I hear nothing but great things about Dr. Castro. I'm glad I'm not the only one troubled by people getting recommendations for replacement or waiting and not getting surgery at all. It's shocking!! I'm so glad I found this site! Congratulations on your post recovery and the start of a new life!

Darlene Smith  Anne, because the surgery was in NY, I ended up being covered by the state's surprise bill law. So in the end the second surgeon received almost twice as much as Dr. Adams! Definitely wrong, but I ended up owing nothing but the original copay, a few hundred dollars. And the issue went away. So I was quite relieved. I can give you more details if you'd like. Email me at drsmith3657@hotmail.com and I'll give you my phone number if you'd like to chat. As far as what to expect or being prepared, I made sure I had a recliner to sleep in and that saved my bacon. I could not sleep flat for several weeks. Stairs were no big deal. I had little to no chest pain by the 4th day, and didn't take any hard core pain meds after I went home. The ventilator was weird. When I first woke up, I just made sure to relax and not freak out about not being able to talk. It didn't hurt when the tube came out. But the chest tubes are rough. Some people don't feel them but when they pulled mine, I thought my insides were coming out with the tubes. Pack light. I had a hair clip or pony tail holder for my hair. I brought some men's lounge shorts for under the gown when I walked so my backside wasn't hanging out. Bring loose shoes and comfy clothes for discharge. Sometimes your feet swell. I lost all my water weight by the time I went home, but my feet we're a little swollen still. I bought a book at the gift shop because I was bored by day 4, lol. Be diligent about using the respirometer so your lungs recover. And try to sleep the night before. I know it's hard, but Mount Sinai and their staff are so awesome. You made the right choice to go there. You will be in good hands and so happy to be done with the surgery.

Darlene Smith  Sort of. It comes and goes, mostly goes. I just notice it every once in a while. But my cardiologist pretty much thinks I'm fine. And I do feel really good.

Darlene Smith  I had no symptoms at the time of my surgery. I am thankful every day that I did early intervention. I didn't want to wait until my heart was compromised.

Carmel Power  Hi Darlene. Did your cardiologist suggest a wait and see approach at all? I have seen several doctors, a cardiologist and three Cardiothorac surgeons. The guy I felt most comfortable with was very pro early intervention. I also don’t want to wait until I have symptoms. Are you working? One surgeon asked how long did I want to work for!

Darlene Smith  Yes, the cardiologist suggested wait and see. I am working full time. I went back to work after 6 weeks. I did work from home for the first month, and then started back in the office. I plan to work until my minimum retirement age of 56, and then I plan to leave and see how things go financially.

Carmel Power  Hi Darlene. I’ve elected to have surgery on 16 Feb. Feel like you in the respect that I don’t want my heart function to be compromised by waiting. Thanks again for getting back to me and letting me know how things have progressed for you. All the best! C

Darlene Smith  He actually did a small 4 inch incision at the base of my sternum, so you can't see the incision unless I wear a bathing suit or something low cut. Mount Sinai considers that to be minimally invasive even though it is open chest surgery. I had minimal sternum pain and left the hospital taking nothing but Tylenol for pain. Dr. Adams repaired the prolapse, said it was a "simple" fix. I took Metoprolol for 8 months but now take nothing. Just make sure your surgeon does lots and lots of mitral valve repairs. You don't want to wake up with a replaced valve. Just my humble opinion. :-)

Cindy Williams  Thanks for sharing, my dr. said the same about the incision. gosh not a fan of taking meds, but I guess its required. My surgeon does do lots of MV repairs, I am fortunate to have neighbors who are surgeons and nurses at this hospital and my anesthesiologist for my TEE happened to be a tennis friend's husband, that was a nice surprise, he also recommended my surgeon. I'm going to try put all my thoughts on this away for the weekend and restart on Monday. Take care, have a great weekend. Any suggestions you can share to prepare for surgery or recovery, please pass them on :)

Darlene Smith  I actually didn't do much to prepare for surgery with one exception. Since I take care of all the bills and finances for the family, my husband and I went over which bills I pay online, which ones come in the mail, websites, passwords, and a lot of banking stuff. I decided not to worry about the house and chores. Worry really just doesn't solve any problems at all. Some things would get done and others would not, and that was fine. Post surgery when you wake up, don't freak about the breathing tube. Just relax and it should be fine. Some people have it removed before they wake up or they just don't remember having it removed. Its a little freaky that you can't talk, but my ICU nurse was watching me very closely and every time I was awake, he was there making sure I was OK.
For the hospital, pack light. All I really needed was a comb and hair clip or ponytail holder to get my hair out of the way, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a pair of men's lounge shorts for walks around the floor in my gown, my ipod to play music and ear plugs to try and drown out the noise at night. I didn't turn on my phone for the first 3 days. But by day 4, I walked down to the gift shop and bought a snack and a Sudoku book because I was "bored", lol. Coughing and sneezing are not fun after surgery, so make sure they give you a towel or a pillow that you can grab and clutch to your chest when you feel a sneeze or cough come on. It will hurt. No one warned me what it would feel like! For the day you are discharged, make sure your clothes are baggy and your shoes are loose in case you gain water weight. I left the hospital the same weight I came in, but lots of folks experience water weight gain, so shoes and clothes can be tight. For me a sports bra was the most comfortable, one that I did not have to put over my head since it can be difficult to put your arms up that high. Mine had a rear clasp, but the ones that close in the front are easiest to put on post surgery. At home, my recliner was invaluable. I slept in it for 6 weeks because I could not sleep on my side or sleep flat. My surgeon didn't want me using my arms to push or pull. My recliner doesn't have a handle or a button, you just push it back, so I practiced using it without using my arms, and just using my legs and core, and it was fine. Steps are not a big deal, you just need to go slow. And of course not driving for 6 weeks was a pain, but some surgeons don't restrict you for that long. Mine did, and he also didn't want me in the front passenger seat. Didn't want me in a seat where there was an air bag. So I rode in the back of my car and enjoyed being chauffeured around. Recovery will be a day to day thing. You will feel good one day, and maybe tired or not so good the next. Just take it slow and listen to your body. I started making easy meals for myself within a week, and walking around my house. Because it was summer and high humidity the doctor recommended walking inside until the weather cooled off. But I started slow and literally did minutes the first days and then slowly increased the walking each day. And do everything your doctors recommend including using the spirometer. Well, its seems I've written a book! Hopefully this helps. Each person's recovery is very individual and you will probably experience things different from me. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Cindy Williams  Omg Darlene, you are wonderful! Thank you for all of this information, I too will have to walk indoors as it is August in Florida! I have a spirometer that I have been practicing with. I probably will sleep in a recliner for awhile, they are on my sofa so will only have one arm but it's power. Started to pack a few things, I guess I am ready. One more meeting with my surgeon tomorrow to answer a few more questions. He's a great surgeon, he does 80-100 MVR's a year. Thanks again for writing a book just for me. Take care 💖😍

Darlene Smith  Hi Corey, I've been feeling great since my last discharge. The surgeon feels as if this is behind me now, but they still have me on prednisone and getting weekly chest xrays to make sure the fluid hasn't returned. They will monitor me for a few weeks and slowly taper down the steroids. I can do the xrays locally and send the results to them, so I've been effectively discharged from Mt. Sinai. Thank you for inquiring!!!

Darlene Smith  Ellen, the first two weeks were amazing. I felt so great. Then the complications started. Pleural effusion and then a diagnosis of post pericardiotomy syndrome. They drained over a liter of fluid from around my lungs in about 15 minutes! On steroids to ensure my immune system calms down and doesn't produce more fluid. Need weekly xrays and follow ups until they are sure this is in my past. Hoping my recovery is back on track!! Thank you for asking!

Darlene Smith  Thank you JJ. I agree Dr. Adams seems to be an expert for mitral valve repairs. I'm very comfortable at this point in time that I made the right choice.

Darlene Smith  I loved Dr. Adams. So easy to talk to. Calm, reassuring, smart, like I was talking to a best friend! I picked July due to my schedule.

Diane Capece  Thank you. I wish you well with your surgery. Patiently waiting for my appointment. It sounds like we are in good hands.

Darlene Smith  I waited 10 weeks for my appointment and it seemed like a year! I'm glad the surgery is only 6 weeks out. Let me know how your visit goes with Dr. Adams. And, be prepared to wait. After I met with the Nurse Practitioner, I waited two additional hours to see Dr. Adams. But I certainly loved that he took his time with me, and you will too. Bring lots to read.

Diane Capece  Good to know. Waiting for the appointment is the worst. Too much time to think. Keep in touch. Again, I wish you the best.