Edward's Guestbook

J Alexander Lassally  We did it ! Congrats. Also feeling much progress the past few days. Will post an update, too.

I know those drains were quite the uncomfortable sensation. I never knew it could feel "like that" on my chest. 

Valerie Allen  So good to see you, Sharon. Hopefully getting back to your temporary home will be a very positive and more enjoyable experience.

Edward Crissey  Looking good considering what you just went through.    I was a little sleepy yesterday but feeling more perky today.   Looking to be discharged as well but keep getting the one more day story.   Getting a little depressing.    They still want to get more fluids out of me after already eliminating 22 pounds.    Now my kidneys numbers are off a little.   Feeling great physically but a bit down emotionally.    

Grace Mason   Sharon you look awesome! Love seeing you smiling in recovery 😍. Wishing you well as you progress week to week in healing ❤️
Edward wishing you all the best too❤️‍🩹💖

Shirley Sartain  My surgery is on Dec 1 and I'm staying home for the holiday, away from family and grandkids.  Its no fun, but I want to be 100% healthy for my surgery and don't want to risk getting sick and having to postpone my surgery.  I wear a mask every time I go to the market or appts. or talking to people outside.   Be careful and all the best on your surgery!

J Alexander Lassally  I would have been the third companion had I gone to Sinai. I am in Cleveland and it does feel so natural. I am ready to rock and roll Monday morning ! 

Edward Crissey  I know.   I wonder if we had our consultation visit on the same day as well?!    Sharon - I suppose anxiety and terror best describe how I'm feeling.   How about you?    

Sharon Behl  More anxiety with a touch of angry impatience. My consult was over the phone. We live in Colorado but grew up in NY.

Edward Crissey  Well the helpful people on this site have definitely helped with the whole pre/post experience and what to expect.   Definitely helps with the anxiety as not knowing is a big part of where the anxiety comes from.   

Edward Crissey  Logically what you say makes sense and I agree. Emotionally the fear has been making me procrastinate. The first time a doctor told me I needed surgery was back in 2008. I was hoping to be much older before things forced my hand. Last October I was in the hospital for 4 days because I went into A-Fib most likely caused by my Mitral Valve Prolapse. That was the first time it really had any impact on me which is why I had done nothing. I’m hoping to learn from this group what people experienced both before and after surgery. I’ve been fortunate enough to never had a surgery and that is why I don’t know what to expect and probably were some of my fear is coming from.

Cheryl Mann  Edward - this group is a great place to start. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. We are all happy to answer questions.

Joseph Heinzmann  Edward, we are a year apart. I had my repair done in January. Ask me anything. But most importantly, consider strongly what your doctors are advising. I know it's not easy to consent to surgery, but that's what may be the best thing for you. I see Milford as your location. If you're Milford, CT, you're really close to my surgeon at Yale and the entire experience at Yale and with Dr. Geirsson was first rate, compassionate, and sensitive. My recovery has been good and I have no regrets about the decisions and the timing.

Susan Lynn  Edward - If you're from Milford, PA you're not far from me and only two hours away from my mitral valve surgeon, Dr. Scott Goldman. Don't wait too long - irreversible damage can occur when your heart is overworked. Please ask any questions you may have about mitral valve surgery - there are heart warriors on this site just waiting to respond! You'll increase your comfort level with the idea and get through the process like we all did. You can do it!! ❤

Dylan Kempers  Welcome, Edward! I'm almost the same age as you. I had severe regurgitation of MV for many years with no symptoms. I'm a marathon runner. I started to feel symptoms last January. I had minimally invasive robotic MV repair a couple of weeks ago. I read your story and humbly suggest not to postpone your surgery for too long. Let me know if you need any more info.

Edward Crissey  I’m in Milford PA. I did reach to the Cleveland Clinic after I came out of the hospital back in October for A-Fib. Doctor Burns reviewed my case. I was looking for a consultation. I got a call from one of his nurses and the discussion was basically, let’s schedule the surgery and work backwards from there. I was interested in exploring the mitral-clip and/or the minimally invasion surgery but they seemed to indicate they didn’t even look at those options for me. I asked if the mitral-clip team couldvlook at my case to see what they thought but I haven’t heard from them and I was freaked out enough not to peruse it. That is were I stand with things at the moment. Dylan - what symptoms did you start experiencing last January?

Dylan Kempers  Edward, I started feeling arrhythmia and palpitations. My cardiologist prescribed me a betablocker (Metoprolol Succinate ER 25mg per day), but one night I had to go the ER because my HR went really high. After that incident, my cardiologist doubled the dose to 25mg twice a day. My HR went back to normal, but my cardiologist told me that I should have surgery in the next few months. I got second and third opinions from other cardiologists, and they all agreed. Regarding your question about the mitral clip, it's supposed to be just for patients whose bodies cannot sustain a full surgery, due to health reasons. Usually, this means older patients (75+ years). Even though the mitral clip has been around for about 10 years, there aren't enough statistics. With an experienced surgeon at the best hospitals in the US, the success rate for the MV repair/replacement is more than 99%. So it's pretty safe.

Dylan Kempers  Edward, this site is full of extremely useful info which will help you have a better idea of your options. If you would like to chat on the phone, let me know.

Deena Elani  Edward, I received three opinions on my mitral valve, including one from the Cleveland Clinic. They agreed that I could not have minimally invasive surgery, due to the severe calcification on my mitral valve. Not sure if this is your case. To be fearful is normal, but try for it not to be paralyzing, because if your condition worsens as time passes, the surgery later on will probably be more complicated.

Edward Crissey  One of the comments made on my echo from last October states “Heavily calcified, myxomatous mitral leaflets with posterior mitral valve prolapse “. Based on your comment I guess that is why they told me I couldn’t have the minimally invasive surgery. Did you have to have your mitral value replaced?

Deena Elani  No, I had my mitral valve repaired and it was a complex one. I had three jets of regurg. Without an experienced and highly ranked surgeon, it could likely have been replaced or not done as well, hence post-op complications.

I also had a ring placed on the tricuspid, as well as mitral valve. All the surgeons thought my tricuspid valve was okay, but when they opened me up, David Adams, my surgeon from Mt Sinai Hospital in NYC said it showed some deterioration. He took care of it to prevent a future operation.
Dr Adams also said my severe calcification was even worse than thought. In other words, get an outstanding surgeon for the repair and you will be fine.

Dr Adams is one of the best mitral valve surgeons in US and world. Might want him to review your echo disc. He will hold a virtual meeting with you, if needed. I did so, because covid was at its height in NYC when I contacted him.