Rich's Guestbook

Sending you good thoughts for your TAVR surgery. I will be having the same surgery on Sept. 24, 2019. I'm getting rather anxious, and hope all goes well for both of us.

Rich, the procedure is called cardiac catherization and it sends a dye into heart and arteries so doctors can see areas of plaque. It was not a camera but images of the dye flowing through areas doctor wanted to see. Sorry I was not accurate, but so many tests and post op things have been done. Good Luck

Hi Rich. I have been watched for 3 yrs with moderate aortic stenosis. Last echocardiogram in July showed it had progressed to severe. Surgery was scheduled for Jan. I had chest pains at night that sent me to ER in late Oct. Surgery was moved up to Nov 1. I had a procedure 2 days before surgery that threaded a camera from my groin into heart to determine exact size of valve needed and to check on anything else that might need to be fixed during AVR. The cardiologist was very certain that all arteries and other areas of heart were clear. He could tell my heart was healthy and only the valve was calcified (I am 73 so I say, "it was old and worn out" ). He could also tell that the left side of my heart had thickened to compensate for faulty valve. That test has given me added reassurance that only the valve needed to be replaced. The doctor was so certain of the test's accuracy that he took me off statins. I cannot recall the name of the procedure, sorry. It took 30 minutes, used a local numbing agent and was almost painless and only left a large bruise. Hope that helps.

Hi Rich, sorry about the "road bumps" just trying to go to take a test. What would usually be a mild irritation can become a big deal when under the stress of facing surgery. It makes us question how smoothly the really important things will go and then our minds are off racing. I wish I could reassure you enough so all the worrying goes away. I have had generalized anxiety for years but got through the surgery in a very calm manner. First, really accept that the doctors are highly trained and the staff has seen it all and will handle anything that comes up. THEY ARE READY FOR YOU and have seen it all. Please accept that you need this surgery and your body will accept it and the healing process. If you decide that you need it, your body will co-operate. The more you accept the need for it and relax your muscles and calm down the chemicals that keep you tense, the easier it will be for your doctor to work and the sooner your body can use the energy to heal. Your choice: relax and accept or tense up and have fear chemicals running through your body for no reason. You need the surgery so I hope you decide to embrace the need for it, know it will be uncomfortable at times but it will all go easier if you truly WANT the surgery. We all have more control over our body's reactions than we know. You will do great. Sounds like you have a good sense of humor to get you through. There is too much to gain from this to resist it. Wishing you many healthy, active years ahead.

Hi Rich, great ideas! Also, to help you relax and "just forget" while you are in the hospital, try playing games on your Smartphone, like "shooting bubbles" or "Word Search" and see how fast you can find all the hidden words. And, don't forget to take pictures of the view from your hospital window (as a souvenir). You can look at them and talk about your experience in years to come. The hospital will be "your home away from home" for a few days. One day, it will all seem like a dream.