Hi all, finally I've decided to share my story on this site that I've been following for a while now.
My name is Elias, I'm 57 yrs old, 6.2" tall and 188 lbs ...Read more
Hi all, finally I've decided to share my story on this site that I've been following for a while now.
My name is Elias, I'm 57 yrs old, 6.2" tall and 188 lbs heavy. I was diagnosed with MVP about 17 yrs ago and was told it was mild condition and I could live with but I had to keep monitoring it. About 3 years ago I went for the routine Echo and soon after I got a call from my cardiologist. He informed me that my regurgitation has become severe and I need to consider surgery. For about 3 years and after a series of tragic events I started feeling worst; palpitation attacks, dizziness, shortness of breath... So I started to finally accept considering the surgery. At first I saw a couple of surgeons who operate with minimal invasive techniques. Until about 3 months ago I went to Mount Sinai and saw Doctor David Adams. Although it meant open heart procedure I felt after researching his credentials that I'd be in good hands.
So tomorrow is the day.. I have a to be there at 9 am. Surgery is supposed to start between 11.30 and 12...
Procedure to eb done:
MVP repair
Possible Tricuspic valve repair
Possible Maze treatment
I have shed some tears and prayed a lot. But now I believe that this is my destiny. My wife is standing by me. " she flew over from Lebanon last week where she had to be with her ailing mom who came over too" my 2 kids; Liza who's 19 will be with us on operation day. My boy JohnLouis 17 will be at school..
I'd like to thank everyone on this blog to whom I owe in part the courage to make my decision and tell my story. I promise I will let you know of the outcomes. So I hope to be with you soon again and thanks in advance for all your well wishing and prayers.
May God bless you all..
Leslie Bakos Hi Elias what is your Tricuspid regurgitation.
Leslie Bakos GodSpeed....I will be calling Cleveland Clinic tomorrow...Are you from the US or Lebanon....
Elias Dahhan Hi Leslie, I'm Lebanese and have been living in the States for half of my life.. I am not sure about ... Read more
Elias Dahhan Hi Leslie, I'm Lebanese and have been living in the States for half of my life.. I am not sure about my Tricuspid regurgitation but Dr Adams said that he will look into it once he's in. According to my Cardiologist I have a minimal leak that was detected during my last echo. So I'm sure if anything needs to be done Dr Adams will take good care of it.
I wish you the best of luck.. Cleveland Clinic is the best.. btw, you cary a Lebanese last name, are you Lebanese too?
Leslie Bakos I am in Hungary...and I am of Hungarian roots....But I was born in America and lived there up until 1 ... Read more
Leslie Bakos I am in Hungary...and I am of Hungarian roots....But I was born in America and lived there up until 10 years ago, I am thinking about heading back. I have no insurance there so I will need to apply for Medicaid. I hope I can get good care as Cleveland Clinic treated my cancer which mostly likely gave me the heart problem. I am thankful but I have a huge umbilical hernia as well 3 leaky valves. I am in the moderate range as of two weeks ago for my mitral and tricuspid. I would love to have minimal repairs of both...and pray my aorta never gives me problems...I am suffering from a lot of weakness.,..I believe the beta blocker is the main culprit. But you waited so long at the severe stage. Do you have enlargement as I see you have Afib as well...how long did you have it for?
Adam Pick Elias, You are in great hands with Dr. Adams! To give you some comfort, here's a video I filmed with ... Read more
There is nothing better than good, honest and trusted advice for patients. For that reason, I met with Dr. David Adams, a mitral valve repair guru from The
Catie B I hope your procedure goes extremely well and that you have a very speedy recovery, Elias!
Tina Williams Prayers and good wishes coming your way!
Bonnie Stone-Hope Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery. So nice your family will be with you.
Laurie Lietka I completely understand the fear and tears. I experienced both in the month leading up to my surgery. ... Read more
Laurie Lietka I completely understand the fear and tears. I experienced both in the month leading up to my surgery. It helped me to visualize myself on the other side and months down the road. Once you get past the hard parts, and recovery begins, lots of naps and a stress free recovery awaits.
Laurie Lietka P.S. There is a great song by Casting Crowns called "Oh My Soul". I found a great deal of peace and c ... Read more
Laurie Lietka P.S. There is a great song by Casting Crowns called "Oh My Soul". I found a great deal of peace and comfort in that song. The lyrics met me where I was at.
Sending up prayers for you!
Elias Dahhan Hi everyone and thanks to each and every one of you for your kind thoughts and prayers. It's been 22 ... Read more
Elias Dahhan Hi everyone and thanks to each and every one of you for your kind thoughts and prayers. It's been 22 days since my open heart surgery; mitral valve and tricuspid valve repairs plus a complex maze procedure that I have not fully understood. Awaiting my meeting with Dr. Adams which is set for 22nd Nov. All in all I can say thank God I feel well. Today I took my 40 minute walk and it didn't bother me a bit. Other than the ears pressure and the discomfort in the chest area I feel much better than the first 4 days after the operation. I was told the procedure went very well and the echo confirmed it. Except that I was told I have an Aortic valve leaking, which is moderate to minimal. According to the doctor It would take 10 years for it to become serious to perform a replacement operation.. Right now I feel that I'm blessed to be right here. I can't wait to be up and running again.
Once more, thanks to each and every one of you for your support and prayers and God bless you all..
I am from: Staten Island
I wish you the best of luck.. Cleveland Clinic is the best.. btw, you cary a Lebanese last name, are you Lebanese too?
Sending up prayers for you!
Once more, thanks to each and every one of you for your support and prayers and God bless you all..