My mom was released from the hospital yesterday August 17. Her surgery was August 12. We are in the Marietta GA area. I would highly recommend Kennestone Hospital ...Read more
My mom was released from the hospital yesterday August 17. Her surgery was August 12. We are in the Marietta GA area. I would highly recommend Kennestone Hospital and the cardiac team if looking for a hospital. This was a great experience. Every doctor, nurse and other medical professional and non professional were friendly, polite, thoughtful, patient, understanding and knowledgeable. We could not have asked for anything more.
John Jones So happy for you. Glad your mom is home and recovering. I know what a blessing it was to me and my fa ... Read more
John Jones So happy for you. Glad your mom is home and recovering. I know what a blessing it was to me and my family to have received the level of care and concern that we did from Wake Forest Baptist. I commented several times on the fact that they treated me as though I were the only patient they had.
Gerald Schaffer So glad she is doing well enough to be home already.
Tammy Pilcher Great news! So happy your mom is doing so well! God bless!
WOW it has been some journey. My mother's operation was Wednesday August 12. Mitral Valve repalcement and Tricuspid repair open at the sternum. She was off ...Read more
WOW it has been some journey. My mother's operation was Wednesday August 12. Mitral Valve repalcement and Tricuspid repair open at the sternum. She was off the ventilator in 4 hours; in a chair on Thursday with a full meal at lunch and dinner. She is off the cath and still in the chair today. I am grateful for her progress in such a short time. It has not been as bad as I thought. She agrees. Still in a lot of pain today and has a very bad headache, but still progressing well.
Tammy Pilcher Great news, Janean! She'll probably feel better each day. It takes time, but she's got the scary pa ... Read more
Tammy Pilcher Great news, Janean! She'll probably feel better each day. It takes time, but she's got the scary part done. Prayers for recovery. God bless!
So yesterday was very long. We were told to be at the hospital for the TEE and Cath tests, 8 am for a 10 am procedure. The nurse got confused because we should ...Read more
So yesterday was very long. We were told to be at the hospital for the TEE and Cath tests, 8 am for a 10 am procedure. The nurse got confused because we should have been there 6 am for a 8 am procedure. Things went well when we were finally given a time of 11 am (she lost her spot due to the mix up). The TEE showed severe Mitral Regurgitation possibly resulting from high fever as a child (Scarlet fever???) They caught it in time. Follow up with the surgeon on July 14 and a surgery date after that. Question for the group Which is better open from the sternum or side? Also what about this minimally invasive robotic surgery? I it worth going to John Hopkins for it?
Linda McHugh I have nothing to compare to but I am having DaVinci robotic surgery @ Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles by ... Read more
Linda McHugh I have nothing to compare to but I am having DaVinci robotic surgery @ Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles by Dr. Trento on July 7th. I completed the TEE and Cardio Cath and was diagnosed with severe mitral value regurgitation. I did see a Dr. that only performs open-heart and I decided to look further and see if I might be a candidate for the minimally invasive. It took me b bit longer to even get the second consult and also a longer wait for the surgery but I am hoping that the recovery may be slightly faster. Good luck with the decision...I'll try to keep you posted.
John Jones Janean, relieved to hear that your mother has been diagnosed and in time. That seems to be step one. ... Read more
John Jones Janean, relieved to hear that your mother has been diagnosed and in time. That seems to be step one. As the days unfold and you do your research, and pray, I truly believe you will have clarity of your decision in a very short time. It appears from your postings that you are all well organised and proactive. I will be praying for you.
Well I am going to try to journal. This has been a quick trip to this point. My mother is the sole caregiver of my grandmother who has Dementia brought on by ...Read more
Well I am going to try to journal. This has been a quick trip to this point. My mother is the sole caregiver of my grandmother who has Dementia brought on by Alzheimer's. My mother would get what she thought was panic attacks from the stress of the care-giving. She went to the dr requesting help for the anxiety and he said fine but let's "rule out" the heart. WEll they sent her for an Echo-cardiogram and a stress test and the nurse would not let her complete the stress test because it was too dangerous. I decided to go to the appointment with her and my father just because and I am glad I did because the Dr revealed that she possibly has valve issue. She is now schedule for a TEE and Cath with the possibility of a stent
tomorrow. The entire family is believing for a miracle. We do not want this to be true. Even the Dr said she could not believe the results. She is 120lbs, eats healthy, never smoked or drank alcohol. She was a County Sheriff officer for 20 years and just retired.
I am sorry if I am venting but, beyond my mother's health, we have had to spring into action to set up care for my grandmother, because at this time caring for her can not be an issue. We never thought the caregiver would need care.
Meredith Bray Hi Janean, welcome! You'll find a lot of information here, and a lot of different stories. A valve ... Read more
Meredith Bray Hi Janean, welcome! You'll find a lot of information here, and a lot of different stories. A valve problem is not always a result of how a person lives. I was born with my valve issue (a bicuspid aortic valve) and didn't know about it until I was 33. My doctor told me that many people go through their entire life with a BAV and have no issues at all, and are never even diagnosed with BAV. If/when your mother has surgery, she'll probably be right as rain in 3-4 months. Heart surgery is a scary thought (we all know that first hand!) and it might be a relief to know it's not an anxiety attack. The simple act of defining a problem and having a planned solution can ease a ton of worry.
I think everyone who goes for a cath is told there is possibility of a stent. The purpose of the cath is to determine if there are any blockages around the heart. If the issue can be resolved with a stent, then YAY no heart surgery! Your mom's probably really REALLY scared right now. The best thing you can do is gather information and reassure her.
And by gather information, I mean DO NOT READ ANYTHING ON WEBMD! :) Seriously, the information you gather should be from medical facilities that are reputable, is Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, etc.
Best of luck to Judi, I 'll keep her and you in our prayers!
Janean Wilson Thank you for the kind words. I am limiting what I read and I have not shared this site with her yet. ... Read more
Janean Wilson Thank you for the kind words. I am limiting what I read and I have not shared this site with her yet. I am waiting until after tomorrow and we know more of what is going on. I guess the misconception is that heart issues mean bad living. So we are learning a lot. This is our family's first encounter with heart issues. My mom is really scared. She is shutting down a little. I have taken over the directing of my grandmother's care and setting up help in the event the surgery is necessary. I told my mom last night, wow we need 4 people to do what you do alone!
Thanks again
Ray Lockhart Janean, My cardiologist put it this way. Be glad you have a heart problem. Heart problems can be f ... Read more
Ray Lockhart Janean, My cardiologist put it this way. Be glad you have a heart problem. Heart problems can be fixed. Many other problems can't be fixed. That is why he enjoys being a cardiologist.
Lora Lee Peterson Wow, you all have a lot on your plate! I'll pray for you. In the meantime, I understand what your m ... Read more
Lora Lee Peterson Wow, you all have a lot on your plate! I'll pray for you. In the meantime, I understand what your mother is going through, as far as the uncertainty about the valve, and I understand your questions, because my son had the same questions, as I had been diagnosed 39 years ago with MVP, and now it's a severe BAVS, not MVP. I had it monitored in my 30's and 40's, but apparently, the cardiologist just signed off on the echo, and didn't even read it, because they never said anything about it being anything other than my mitral valve. My immediate family had no heart issues either, but I was born with this apparently, and it's hereditary. So, my question was, where did it come from? Mom and Dad figured it back to my paternal grandmother's side of the family, because one of her brothers died young of a valve issue, and some other family members had heart issues, but weren't properly diagnosed or treated. SO, after I was able to wrap my head around this, and it took about a month and a second opinion with a surgeon, I realized how lucky I am that they found it now at 52 when I'm still pretty healthy, and not 2 years from now when I probably wouldn't be able to walk to my car from my office. That being said, your mother has extra on her plate with her mother, and that is just so unfair to throw this in the mix. But, who said things were fair? This site is what helped me to wrap my head around it all, because I could see that other people have this going on, plus a multitude of other stressors that life gives us, and they over come with God leading the way. Another thing that helped was to know exactly what I was dealing with and what the plan off attack was, because before I knew all of that, my mind was going off in all kinds of directions that it shouldn't have been. As far as reading Web md - it doesn't tell you a thing. This site and the Cleveland Clinic site were the only 2 sites that I found to offer any kind of useful information. One thing I did use web md for was descriptions of the medicines that I've read about on this site that people use after the surgery. Another thing I discovered in my research was that absolutely everyone's situation is different, and just because something happened after surgery or they found something else as well, does not mean that that will happen to me. For me, it was good to know what I could be facing, since I live 300 miles from where I'm having surgery, and planning ahead will be necessary. So, wait and see what the Cath says, and then you can go forward with what needs to be done for your Mother's life. Once that is figured out, you'll feel a lot better about things, and so will she. Prayers are going up for all of you!
Gerald Schaffer Thank God this was all found before she had major problems. Though recovery may take some time doctor ... Read more
Gerald Schaffer Thank God this was all found before she had major problems. Though recovery may take some time doctors perform miracles when it comes to heart problems. Praying that all goes well for your Mom, I'm sure she'll be fine.
John Jones My bicuspid valve was that way from birth. When I found out I would need surgery I was concerned. I i ... Read more
John Jones My bicuspid valve was that way from birth. When I found out I would need surgery I was concerned. I immediately began to do research. I found this web site and it has been very helpful. Not to mention the fact that someway, I have developed a close relationship with the folks here. I guess it's a camaraderie that comes with being in the same situation. Just know that as you and your family proceed that you will be lifted up in prayer regularly by those on this site. One day at a time.
Tammy Pilcher Prayers and best wishes, Janean, for your mother and you! God bless!
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