Jackie's Journal

Rose Madura  I took Amiodadrone for Bout six weeks in a very high dose because of Afib and Aflutter complications. It did not make me nauseous but I had other complications. Definitely discuss it with your doctor. If you need to be on something, you may discuss Multaq. It has less complications, but is very expensive and has a lot of drug interactions. Definitely worth a talk with the doctor.

Darrin Vohs  I took Amiodarone for a month because I had a bought of A-Fib in the hospital. I didn't have any side effects but Nausea is listed as one of the top ones. I think your plan to talk to your Cardiologist is sound and worth a push to finish it asap or go with a different drug to see if things improve.

  Hi Jackie, so good to hear from you. I am sorry you have nausea, not a good feeling. Are you in a lot of pain or just taking Tylenol is enough? I’m so glad you are on this side of recovery and will continue to pray for you to feel better and no more nausea. God bless you

Jackie Lehman  02 between 98 to 100 and heart rate 72 to 82 but I am on amiodarone 200mg two times a day for one week then down to one a week.. Dr. said probably need to be on for several months while heart adjusts, I am very grateful to nurses that help so much to get you through this. Special type of people.

Darrin Vohs  Congratulations! Those readings are pretty for good O2 and BPM at 4 days post surgery. Get plenty of rest and walk, walk, walk :)

Susan Lynn  Jackie - Yay! Welcome to recovery! Glad you're home and doing well. As Darrin says - walk, rest, repeat. You'll be back to daily life before you know it! All the best! ❤

Pat Bluemel  Good work Jackie. Glad you are home, sorry about the Afib, not fun but sounds like you have it controlled.

  Congratulations on your recovery. As Frank told me once, keep on walking. Continued recovery and God’s blessings

Darrin Vohs  Best wishes Jackie. It is an emotional time but remember it will be over (to you) in the blink of an eye and you will be recovering and on to the rest of your life.

Ben Brooks  Praying for you as you go through this. It looks like I won’t be far behind, maybe 2-3 months out. Here’s to a steady recovery!

Jared Takeshita  Good luck, Jackie. I’ll be praying for you. My surgery is on Friday, so I’m in the same boat. The waiting and anticipation is hard. Stay strong.

Marie Myers  I found that the emotional roller coaster ride went on into the post op period. So don’t be surprised if you feel emotions that are all over the place post-op. Like Darrrin said, the surgery will be over in the blink of an eye. The waiting is difficult for almost everyone. Hang in there!

Susan Lynn  Jackie - Wishing you all the best, today! You've got this! We'll be here awaiting your post-op good news! ❤

Darrin Vohs  Maria is right on about the post op roller coaster. I had periods of strong emotions both sadness and euphoria for one to two weeks after the surgery.

Chris Calhoun  I waited and a piece of my calcified valve broke off and went to my brain - the stroke was worse than the heart surgery

Darrin Vohs  Deciding to get open heart surgery is not an easy decision. The way I looked at it is I will never be younger and better able to recover than today and my heart will simply get worse over time and my odds of a successful surgery will decrease over time.

Pat Bluemel  Time to get it fixed, you don't want your heart to enlarge further and then possibly face heart failure. It's scary to make that first call but make a goal and do it by end of week. That's how I did it.

Adam Pick  Jackie - This is completely normal. Completely okay. And... Completely understandable. You just helped me remember how nervous and anxious I was prior to scheduling surgery. So you know, many patients in our community will suggest that waiting for surgery is the most anxiety-ridden time in this process. Again, this is all normal. Take a deep breath. Think about your future with a healthy heart. Take another deep breath. And... Please make the call. Should you need anything, please let me know. Keep on tickin' Jackie!

Rita Savelis  Making that call is hard. After I made my call, I thought about calling back and cancelling it...! That was 5 years ago. I didn't look forward to not feeling well and post surgery is not easy, but you have to take that leap. Wishing you the best.

Jackie Lehman  Thank you all. I braved up and I am now scheduled for 8/24! Already having ups and downs about this whole deal but I know it has to be done and some day soon will be on the recovering side, Thanks for your help!

Barbara Wood  Personally I would have it done soon. You don't want the atrium to further dilate - at moderate it may return to normal ( mine did). And the sob on exertion I think indicates that too. At 65 you are a youngish heart patient & your good health will stand you well! Take care & very best wishes Jackie...it's a tough decision!

Tracy Fallu  Hi Jackie- I would trust the advice from your cardiologist/Dr Sakwa and have the surgery as soon as possible so that you can have the best possible outcome. I had Mitral Valve repair from Dr Sakwa 2.5 years ago. I smiled when I noticed his name in your post. He is an amazing, world known cardiac surgeon who is kind/compassionate. He expects excellence from himself/team. Honestly having minimal visitors, even if restricted to 1 is better. This will allow you more to time to rest and allow your body to begin healing. Please keep us up to date.

Jackie Lehman  I am so happy to hear Dr. Sakwa was your doctor and you had an good outcome. It makes me feel more comfortable with all this. I have only met him once but he seems very confident about my surgery. He recently moved to California so I feel very fortunate the timing was right for me to have him as my surgeon. Thank you. The office girl told me you are allowed just one visitor but that is fine with me just did not want to be all alone.

Marie Myers  A second opinion will go a long way in making you feel comfortable. Plus, all the diagnostic tests will have been done, and your surgeon will have the information needed to give you an opinion. Keep us posted!

Jackie Lehman  I had a TEE and angiogram Wednesday and it was so not as bad as I thought it would be!! I had exceptional care at Saddleback Hospital and was told I have pristine arteries no blockage. Very good report. My mitral valve I guess is a congenital problem that I never knew I had but it is severely damaged. I saw another cardiovascular surgeon at the hospital who said there is 80% chance of repair and if unable to repair they feel an animal valve should be used to replace it. I was told I qualify for lesser cut underneath my breast and would not have to have open heart surgery. I need to ask them about my tricuspid valve that is also leaking and was not mentioned after my TEE. Can I have the least invasive procedure if both valves need repair? I already saw another surgeon at Hoag that recommended open heart surgery and felt replacement was more likely than repair and also repair of tricuspid. He felt this was the best way to do surgery. The 2nd physician has 25 years of experience, the 1st surgeon is 38 and has less experience, They both were very personable and confident. How do I know the best one which one to choose? I am thinking I should go see my cardiologist again to see which one he thinks might be best suited for my procedure.

  Good job Jackie, I had a second opinion myself and felt so much better about having the surgery. Stay positive and safe. Keep us updated