Jon's Guestbook

Hello Jon, You are in the best hands with Dr. Castro! He & Dr. Harmon are amazing surgeons who repaired my mitral valve 12/26/14. Best wishes today & during your recovery! I see you're from Ferndale. Calif? Humboldt Co.? If so, we're neighbors! Sending happy thoughts & prayers, Jenni

Just a note to tell you I'll be thinking about you and your surgery tomorrow. I'm sure all will go well. You are at a great hospital and in great hands with Dr Castro .

Hi Jon! Dr. Castro performed a mitral valve repair on me this past May. He is a fantastic surgeon that really cares for his patients and takes his time with you. At no time did I feel rushed during my appointments or his visits in the hospital. My whole family felt very comfortable with him. His team is just as terrific, as well as the staff in the hospital. I am a 53 years old and knew about my mitral valve prolapse since I was in grade school. I am a runner and love to exercise so it was very important to me to have my heart repaired without needing a replacement. After my surgery he explained that it was a difficult repair, but he knew how much it meant to me to go with the repair. I hope this helps. You will not regret going with Dr. Castro!!

Jon: Let me just encourage you. I was in your same situtation ( a little older 49 years old), my goal was never to enter a hospital to the end of my life and found this year my mitral valve murmur had turned into advanced prolapse. I had a surgical repair July 14, 2014 at the Cleveland Clinic. Sounds like you are doing everything right. I am a Christ follower so I did have some friends praying for me on the spiritual realm. I have attached a list of activities that I completed prior to surgery: 1. Research the procedure(s) and hospital(s) and ask questions. 2. Choose the surgeon. 3. Ensured my presonal and financial affairs were all in order and my spouse knew where all the information was located (this will include health care directives and power of attorney that the hospital will ask you about). 4. I expected the best (mitral valve repair surgery has a mortality of less than 1% with both highly skilled and safety conscious physicians) and planned for the worst (I wrote letters to my parents and children in case there was an unplanned outcome) 5. Like some of the other posts, I did practice relaxation as there is evidence it helps control nerves and potentially reduces your need for pain control medications (people react differently to the medications and although I was happy to have the medications, I was glad to dispense with the narcotics as they inhibited clear and quick thinking. I also could not drive while taking them, so being able to move to an over-the-counter medicaitions) 6. Have a great attitude because you have planned to have a great surgery. 7. I spent some time with my family doing some fun things before the surgery to both enjoy their company and take my mind off the surgery. 8. I made sure to have a good hospital kit (a la Adam's book), Be sure to throw in some shorts, slippers, ear plugs, eye covering. 9. Make sure to ask your nursing staff for help (not something I did well) 10. Make sure to take help from friends and family (also not something I did well).

Hi Jon, Excellent to meet and welcome you to our community! You are doing all the right things. Get all the information you need to time this right. Here's an eBook that might further help you understand the importance of timing surgery. http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2014/11/17/ebook-timing-heart-valve-surgery-webinar/. Great job finding Dr. Castro and Dr. Miller. Both excellent surgeons. If you need anything, please let me know. Adam (patient & website founder)