About Me (In My Own Words)
In the early morning hours of Monday, November 1, 2010, I started having shortness of breath (much more than usual) and couldn’t get to sleep. Around 5:30 a.m. my daughter, Pat, called 911 and the paramedics transported me to Medical City of Plano. They took ex-rays and admitted me for additional tests, including a CT scan, and began breathing treatments every 4 hours. They increased my Lasik, a diuretic to help reduce the fluid in my lungs.
Nov. 3: After more tests, the cardiologist gave us the unsettling news that I'm going to need valve replacement surgery within the next 2-3 weeks. They are going to run additional tests now make sure there aren’t any other issues in addition to the Aortic Stenosis. They did a Carotid Doppler ultrasound scan last night to check blood flow. They are also going to schedule an angiogram as well a pulmonary function test.
Some very encouraging news…Jan told us about a friend of theirs in El Paso that had valve replacement surgery a couple of years ago by the same surgeon recommended by Dr. Kline (my cardiologist): Dr. William Ryan at Baylor Heart Center. Dr. Kline says that Dr. Ryan is the BEST when it comes to valve replacement… otherwise he wouldn’t send me to another hospital. Dr. Ryan also comes highly recommended in Adam Pick's book, The Patient’s Guide to Heart Valve Surgery, so we feel very confident about this choice. Jan's friend also mentioned how nice Baylor Heart Center is. It really is a 5 star facility and only about 10 minutes from our house.
They expect me to be in the hospital about 7 days for the surgery, most likely followed by rehab which could possibly be another 30 days…hopefully in their “in-patient” rehab center. It sounds like a long time but the doctor’s tell us that I will really be able to tell a difference in quality of life once this is behind me and my heart is functioning as it should. Hopefully, I won’t be having the shortness of breath that has been getting progressively worse the past few years.
This Aortic Stenosis is a direct result of having Rheumatic Fever as a child. I've had a heart murmur all of my life and all these years later, the aortic valve is damaged to the point that replacement is the only option. They are also planning to replace my Mitral Valve at the same time, to avoid another surgery in the future. They are recommending Porcine (pig) valves which have longevity of 15 years, which should be ample at my age. The advantage is that I won't have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life as would be required if a mechanical valve is used.
All in all, I am very lucky that this problem didn't progress any earlier and it appears that while very serious, my prognosis is very good.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers you're all sending my way. Pat, Jan & I will now use this journal to post updates moving forward, so you can check on my progress and I think you can leave messages for me here as well. I'll be on-line as time and energy permit.
Love to all,
Jean
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Plano, Texas