Ginny's Guestbook

Hi, Glad to know you’re mitral valve was repaired though severe already. Mine was replaced by mechanical, both aortic and mitral valve due to stenosis and regurgitation. My open heart surgery to replace the valve happened last March 10, 2022. In my post op I experienced irregular heart rate that’s why I need to take beta blocker,  it came to normal sinus rythm after a month. My lifetime medication for my mechanical valves was a blood thinner warfarin where I am limit to eat green veggies due to vitamin K limit per day. Sad, but still grateful for my 2nd chance in life. I am only 45 yrs old. I hope and pray that my anxiety having a mechanical valve will fade away as time goes by..I hope to use into it. God Bless and I hope you’re doing well. Happy to find this community💙

I’m glad you were able to go to the Cleveland clinic. They replaced my aortic valve one year ago and I am doing great. Their nurse line is fantastic if you have any questions after you return home.

Ginny, thinking of you and sending you warm healing thoughts and a prayer. Almost to recovery… we all will be waiting for you and wishing you well as your wake up, walk the unit and then go home. Go… our Ginny!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Dear Ginny-Sending you warm wishes and thoughts from Virginia for your surgery. I know it will all go well with the surgery and your recovery. Many of us will be thinking about you tomorrow!

Hi Ginny, Thanks so much for your welcome and kind note. It feels good to find a community of caring people who have, or are, also going through this whole process and are willing to share. It does feel like it lightens the load. I’m a little later than some in finding this website, but I think I’m mostly in an ok place concerning this surgery. But I love what’s going on with this community and I so appreciate the time you’ve taken to spread positivity and to extend it to me as well. I hope I get to know you better. Joan Terry ❤️

Ginny, I will be praying for you for your surgery this week to go well and is successful. I was confused as your history part says your surgery was in May. You have been of great support to so many on this site and I thank you. You will do well with your positive attitude and your kind heart. God bless you and post as soon as you can to let us know how you are doing. 🙏❤️🤗

Hi Ginny! Happy New Year!! I pray all is well with you and your holiday was great. Thank you for your advice. I’m meeting with a second surgeon tomorrow in Orlando. He’s one of the surgeon Adam had an interview with. I’ll post more after I meet with him. Good luck with your surgery!!🙏🏽💝 looking forward to hearing from you again soon. God bless you..

Hi Ginny, I am new to this website and I could not help but notice the date of your surgery was January 6, 2022. I am 65 and having either a mitral valve repair or replacement on January 5 2022 with. Dr. Gillinov. Due to severe calcification hebwill not know if they can repair the tear in my valve or have to replace until surgery. Strangely I had no symptoms except for a loud murmur. Maybe I will see you during recovery. Good luck with your surgery.

Hi Ginny, read your story and I too had both of the same valves repaired via a full sternotomy. I don't know how much you care about the scar, but wanted to share that when I had mine done, the skin incision was only 3.5-4 inches long. --- so a pretty small scar that can barely, if at all, be seen when wearing V-necks. -- I am 7.5 months out. The FULL sternum bone was still cut, but somehow the surgeons stretch the chest skin at the incision, so they don't have to cut the skin further. -- in other words that still have the important full view of your heart. Dr. G at CC is awesome, so maybe he already does this. But thought I would share. Godspeed. PS Pain is astonishedly not really bad; tylenol worked wonders. The exhaustion was a different story. I wish I had been informed how exhausted I would be, because it caught me by surprise and I was not mentally prepared for it. So this is the reason I am sharing.

Hi Ginny, Our stories are very similar. I too am an active 72 year old lady who lives in the Sacramento, CA area, married for 50 years, and have had mild mitral valve prolapse since my twenties. After an Echo and TEE two years ago, I discovered that I have moderate mitral valve regurgitation, moderate left atrium dilation. Interestingly, the mitral valve prolapse is still mild. General cardiologist recommends yearly Echos and office visits every 6 months to "watch and wait". She did mention I may be a candidate for mitral valve clip. When I see her in February, I have many more questions for her. The more I learn, the more questions I have. What bothers me the most is knowing that it is extremely important to go to a designated heart center and surgeons who do hundreds if not thousands of mitral valve procedures. If my cardiologist is not forthcoming in answering my questions, this will be a problem to solve. I'm not the kind of person who will blindly go anywhere without obtaining transparency regarding a surgeon's experience. I don't often log on and read community comments, but so far haven't seen much info on the Mitra Clip. Glad to hear that you have found an experienced team for your surgery. This is the kind of info that is really helpful. Best to you, Rainell M

Ginny-- You sound like you will do great and are in really great hands! I just went through a (total) surprise mitral valve repair surgery here at DeBakey in Houston with Dr. Lawrie four weeks ago. Surgery and recovery so far has been amazingly smooth and good. Like you, I had some advance warning, so had some time to research, and I asked Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion also, though they convinced me I was in the best hands here. The best advice is what you're doing--research and prepare and think positive. Don't forget non-underwire, front closing post-op bras, though if you have minimally invasive surgery, that may not be such a need.

Hi Ginny. I live in Houston and had my mitral valve replacement & double CABG at Cleveland Clinic 9 weeks ago (8/24/2021.) Dr Gillinov reviewed my records and my surgeon was Dr Michael Tong. I haven’t completed my profile on here, but my heart is chemo damaged from breast cancer in 2005. You’re in excellent hands & Cleveland Clinic is amazing! Everyone is so professional, kind and caring. I’m 64, recovering very well and so very blessed to have researched and found Cleveland Clinic Ohio. Blessings to you. Message me if you have questions.

My surgeon was Dr. Gillinov. You could not be in better hands! Cleveland Clinic is a wonderful facility. They are super efficient and their pain management is incredible. I literally never hurt at all. I had a mitral valve repair and a single CABG via full sternotomy in 2012. I too have frequent PVC’s. I feel great and have had zero problems. I am 70. You can do this! You have the best valve surgeon in the country and are in the number one heart hospital. Will be thinking of you and I wish you a complete and speedy recovery.

Hi Ginny, my story is very much the same. I'm 2 weeks Post OP and can tell you the wait was the worst part of this. A couple things I wish I would have prepared ahead of time; leg strength and many small pillows to tuck around. You will need you legs and not your upper body for getting up and down. I am pretty fit but didn't realize how much I used my arms in conjunction with my legs. I would start doing leg squats to make sure those muscles are strong. Best of luck.. these experts are pretty amazing.

Ginny - thank you so much for your kind message. I will keep you in my prayers. Being aware of existing mitral valve prolapse does not diminish the shock of hearing that you need surgery. Wishing you peace, trust, faith, and love over the coming months. I am certain you will do well.