May I ask if now you are taking baby spirin, or not? Because, I have mitral valve repair 7 months ago, but baby aspirin start to cause stomach ...Read more
Hi, Neal.
May I ask if now you are taking baby spirin, or not? Because, I have mitral valve repair 7 months ago, but baby aspirin start to cause stomach pains and bloating, probably gastritis developed
Christine Maiorano Hi Neal, my surgery was 4-10-24 and yes im taking low dose aspirin. I’ve been taking it for years o ... Read more
Christine Maiorano Hi Neal, my surgery was 4-10-24 and yes im taking low dose aspirin. I’ve been taking it for years on my cardiologist orders. I’d definitely check with your Drs. and see what they recommend 😊
Svetlomir Ivanov Please, Christine, ask if mitral valve repair need baby aspirin and how long?
Thanks for checking in on me, Neal. Surgery has been pushed to July 25th. My arteries are not large enough for cannulation for heart lung bypass so I am no ...Read more
Thanks for checking in on me, Neal. Surgery has been pushed to July 25th. My arteries are not large enough for cannulation for heart lung bypass so I am no longer candidate for robotic surgery (I have leg paralysis from Spina Bifida). Surgeon will do minimally invasive right side thoracotomy and he will do cannulation through the right side opening. Still better option than full sternotomy. I’m feeling blessed and am in good hands.
Neal Syverson Well that's somewhat disappointing. That's why we do all the pre-surgery testing. But fortunately yo ... Read more
Neal Syverson Well that's somewhat disappointing. That's why we do all the pre-surgery testing. But fortunately you can still have a minimally invasive procedure. Just a few more weeks.
I’ve had migraines with Aura for the last 18 years, once every 7-12 days on schedule. Never can figure it ...Read more
Tell me more about your migraines….
I’ve had migraines with Aura for the last 18 years, once every 7-12 days on schedule. Never can figure it out. Since I’ve been home from surgery for the last 6 days, everyday, I have multiple migraine Auras throughout the day (but without the actual migraine pain)… so wierd. "
Neal Syverson They started a couple years ago and until surgery just a handful of episodes. Then once I had surger ... Read more
Neal Syverson They started a couple years ago and until surgery just a handful of episodes. Then once I had surgery They occurred quite frequently and were some of the strongest ones yet. Never any pain. Flashing zig zag patterns that block my normal vision moving gradually from the peripheral vision on one side through the center of my vision and eventually across to the peripheral vision on the other side. Usually mainly the left eye. In ICU I thought I might be having a stroke since it only affected the left eye. The hospital staff was of course curious on to what was going on and when it eventually went away were of the opinion that there was nothing to be worried about. Now after 3 months it seems to be infrequent again. I just think of it as a minor inconvenience and am glad to have a repaired heart.
Hi Neil. Just wondering how your recovery is going. I’m waiting for one more CT and then hope to have surgery scheduled by the end of May or beginning of ...Read more
Hi Neil. Just wondering how your recovery is going. I’m waiting for one more CT and then hope to have surgery scheduled by the end of May or beginning of June.
Neal Syverson Hi Kristine, I am doing fantastic. Much better than I expected. I am not using any sort of pain med ... Read more
Neal Syverson Hi Kristine, I am doing fantastic. Much better than I expected. I am not using any sort of pain medication. My stamina is nearly all returned. All my incisions have healed well. I have a follow up appointment Wednesday and I want to discuss returning to work earlier than planned. I start cardiac rehab Thursday. It has been just over a month since surgery and I am surprised by the progress thus far.
When I received my surgery date I was excited. Seems strange to be excited about surgery but I wanted resolution. Hopefully you will be excited when you get your date too.
Keep me updated on your progress. I will be in your corner rooting for you!
Kristine Schroeder Thanks for the support. I am absolutely ready to get on the other side of this and excited it will be ... Read more
Kristine Schroeder Thanks for the support. I am absolutely ready to get on the other side of this and excited it will be minimally invasive. It’s very encouraging hearing how well you are doing.
Hi Neal. My surgeon, here at Tampa General Hospital says he can repair my mitral valve flail with robotic surgery...and believes that is the best course since ...Read more
Hi Neal. My surgeon, here at Tampa General Hospital says he can repair my mitral valve flail with robotic surgery...and believes that is the best course since I basically ambulate with my upper body. He has been training on robotic surgery for 13 years, has performed several, including the first one here in Tampa. He has done hundreds of minimally invasive mitral repairs without the robot as well. He answered all my questions and asked really great questions of me. Next step is my CT scan. I was considering traveling to Cleveland, but love the idea of being near my home and not having to be on a wait list. So, how are you doing? Could you move your upper body pretty quickly after surgery? Did you have to wait a long time to see Dr. Burns ? Thanks for your thoughts.
Neal Syverson I am getting better every day. I have found out pain is not the problem. Rather fatigue is. I gues ... Read more
Neal Syverson I am getting better every day. I have found out pain is not the problem. Rather fatigue is. I guess that is normal as it is part of the healing process. It is very easy to overdo things.
Neal Syverson Yes I could move my upper body as soon as I was awake. I went between bed and a chair under my own p ... Read more
Neal Syverson Yes I could move my upper body as soon as I was awake. I went between bed and a chair under my own power once in ICU with some difficulty. Once they removed the chest tube moving around became much easier. I did have restrictions though. No pushing or pulling. No raising arms above head. No lifting more than 5 pounds. I still have those restrictions today but find myself inadvertently cheating all the time but don't seem to be having a problem.
Neal Syverson I sent my medical records to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion in early January. They reviewed i ... Read more
Neal Syverson I sent my medical records to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion in early January. They reviewed it within 2 days and recommended robotic mitral valve repair with Dr. Burns. I then scheduled surgery at the earliest opening at just over 2 months later.
Neal Syverson I believe there are four surgeons at Cleveland Clinic that do robotic mitral valve repair. Dr. Gilin ... Read more
Neal Syverson I believe there are four surgeons at Cleveland Clinic that do robotic mitral valve repair. Dr. Gilinov is very well known. You can ask Ginny Turner or Randy Chapman about him. They both had him as their surgeon recently. His wait time might be longer.
Thank you, Neal, for your thoughtful response. The Sarasota surgeon I will be consulting with is renowned for difficult heart surgeries. “Most candidates ...Read more
Thank you, Neal, for your thoughtful response. The Sarasota surgeon I will be consulting with is renowned for difficult heart surgeries. “Most candidates for heart surgery can be done minimally invasively.” So he said. I will know on April 21st if it applies to my situation. Hope you are doing well! Regards,
You are looking good in the photo. My surgery went longer and they ended up having to do a pig valve. Tubes are out now, and I will be discharged tomorrow- ...Read more
You are looking good in the photo. My surgery went longer and they ended up having to do a pig valve. Tubes are out now, and I will be discharged tomorrow- Monday. Happy that you were able to be repaired and quickly homeward bound.
Neal Syverson Randy I was just discharged an hour ago. Back to the clinic in the morning for follow up appointment ... Read more
Neal Syverson Randy I was just discharged an hour ago. Back to the clinic in the morning for follow up appointments and hopefully head home tomorrow.
Neal, I am sorry our visit during admissions was short. You are welcome to stop by next time you are on a walk. I did three today and am room J53-02. I ...Read more
Neal, I am sorry our visit during admissions was short. You are welcome to stop by next time you are on a walk. I did three today and am room J53-02. I heard an RN mention the name Neal, but I was uncertain if that was you. I trust that your surgery with Dr. Burns went well. We are on similar paths to a full recovery. Randy
Neal Syverson Randy it looks like I am on the floor above you. That explains why I haven't seen you. If things go ... Read more
Neal Syverson Randy it looks like I am on the floor above you. That explains why I haven't seen you. If things go to plan I should be discharged today and have my follow up s tomorrow and then head home. Had a bout with AFIB but hopefully that is all done.
Neal Syverson That daughter of mine spent the day in the nurses office at school the day of surgery but felt all be ... Read more
Neal Syverson That daughter of mine spent the day in the nurses office at school the day of surgery but felt all better when she heard everything went okay.
Neal Syverson I assume things are going well for you
Neal, wishing you well with your upcoming surgery. I'm also a Cleveland Clinic alumnus and doing great at 6 weeks post-op for mitral and tricuspid repairs.... Read more
Neal, wishing you well with your upcoming surgery. I'm also a Cleveland Clinic alumnus and doing great at 6 weeks post-op for mitral and tricuspid repairs. You chose a great hospital and surgeon! Best wishes to you this week. Looking forward to welcoming you to recovery!
Neal Syverson Thanks Ginny! I drive there tomorrow and have a couple days of tests before the surgery. After the ... Read more
Neal Syverson Thanks Ginny! I drive there tomorrow and have a couple days of tests before the surgery. After the long wait it is hard to believe it is only days away. After 6 weeks I hope to be doing as well as you are!
Martin Smith Best wishes for a successful surgery and smooth recovery, Neal.
Neal Syverson Hey Ginny, I had the pleasure to meet Randy Chapman at Cleveland Clinic this morning. He had a lot o ... Read more
Neal Syverson Hey Ginny, I had the pleasure to meet Randy Chapman at Cleveland Clinic this morning. He had a lot of nice things to say about you.
Ginny Turner Neal, Randy called me this afternoon and told me he met you in the waiting room. That's great! So gl... Read more
Ginny Turner Neal, Randy called me this afternoon and told me he met you in the waiting room. That's great! So glad you two got to say hi. I know all will go well for you both and we'll be welcoming you to the recovery club.
May I ask if now you are taking baby spirin, or not? Because, I have mitral valve repair 7 months ago, but baby aspirin start to cause stomach ...Read more
May I ask if now you are taking baby spirin, or not? Because, I have mitral valve repair 7 months ago, but baby aspirin start to cause stomach pains and bloating, probably gastritis developed