Lisa & Glen 's Journal

Susan Lynn  Yes - talk to multiple surgeons. Find out about their approaches to entry, success rates and volume of repairs, philosophy on extubation (early or otherwise), average length of hospital stay, the facilities where the surgery will be performed, etc. They may even be able to provide contact information for patients with whom you can speak about their individual experiences. (I now do that for my surgeon.) Researching and getting all of your questions answered are key to going into your procedure with confidence. All the best!

Lisa Guinan  It's definitely not wrong to talk to more than one surgeon. I did only talk to the surgeon my cardiologist recommended in Springfield, IL. I'm not far from Chicago but chose to stay with a surgeon closer to home. He preferred to do a full sternotomy on me for my mitral repair. I have no regrets. Do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.

Ellen Leng  Agreed, getting more than 1 opinion and getting answers from more than 1 surgeon is recommended if possible. Definitely ask about numbers for the surgical team as well as for the hospital. You can learn some about hospital numbers in the US News site by looking at cardiac numbers and drilling down to aortic valve surgery which is the only valve surgery that is tracked. You may also be able to look at individual surgeon metrics on the website for the association of thoracic surgeons. Information is power

Paul Pierce  Lisa,
I also have mitral valve regurgitation. I went to CC for workup and was told I am not a candidate for the minimally invasive surgery do to mild calcification in my femoral artery where the insert the cannulation for the heart lung bypass machine. Man was I disappointed. When in the cath lab i was told I have clear coronary arteries and thought I was on my way to a minimal invasive surgery. Well during the consultation I was so disappointed because I really was only prepared for Robotic procedure because of the time frame I was working with on going back to work recovery and being 1200 miles from home with 2 family& Friends by my side. So 3 months later I am here in Florida looking for a surgeon just like you. Please let me know who you decide to do your surgery. I was thinking of Dr Accola as well I am near Orlando.

Thomas Brusstar  You really don't need nursing care when you come home. You should measure blood INR levels for the clotting drugs, so home nurses should come visit; but you will be pretty much self-sufficient when you come home, just limited on lifting things and reaching and carrying. By Day 5, you will be slow but all good! No need for around the clock anything.

Jeff W  Hi Lisa, it’s Cathy. My husband just had robotic minimally invasive surgery last week. Surgery was Thursday, he went home Friday. Honestly, those first few days he moved slowly and was sore. I’ve been with him but would have felt comfortable leaving him about 3-4 days afterwards. He was tired more than anything. I agree with Thomas above! After a few days no need for round the clock care. We have had family members bringing dinner each night and that’s a huge help 😊

Steve Farthing  The type of surgery you are a candidate for also depends on the procedures the surgeon knows how to perform. Some will tout their skills at minimally invasive surgery when they really don't do that many of them. If that is what you are interested in, look for surgeons that excel at that and do many of them. Some also use an endoscopic camera to avoid relying on larger incisions to use direct vision. There is also remote control 'robotic' surgery.

Judy S  My sister took a week off to be with me, but she was really a helpful companion more than a caregiver. By the Friday of my first week home, we went to the movies. It’s nice to have someone lift things and cook for you, but you won’t be helpless. What I would say is to have family and friends visit you when you’re on your own and take you out of the house whether for walks or meals or just some fresh air. Not driving is hard so it helps to have some things to break up your daytime hours.

Meredith Bray  I had family with me - but they were there mostly for encouragement. I had a visiting nurse the first week, and a visiting physical therapist twice. The only thing I really couldn't do for myself was get up out of bed. My sister and mother and brother were all around to just kind of hand out, light cleaning, drive me around, and encourage me to walk and use my inspirometer.
Meredith
Holiday, FL

Meredith Bray  Hi! I had my aortic valve replaced at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater 5 years ago, at age 42. I had no issues or complications with my cardiologist, surgeon, staff, or hospital.
https://baycare.org/hospitals/morton-plant-hospital/services/heart-and-vascular/our-specialties/valve-and-structural-heart-care

I know it's a bit of a haul form Naples, just thought I'd through that out there. One of my friends just had a lung transplant at Tampa General, and was very pleased with that hospital.
The best resource I had for choosing a surgeon and hospital was my employer's on-site health care advocate (she works for the insurance company but had an office in our admin building). She helped me sort through which doctors fit my plan, and which hospitals they were at. I chose Morton Plant because they have a decent record, and (duh) they have a clinic specializing in valves.

It's scary as hell, and it'll be ok. What you're going through right now is the owrst. The recovery will seem like a cinch after this :)

Meredith
Holiday, FL

Susan Lynn  I was happy to find a surgeon who did minimally invasive mitral valve repair in Philadelphia and I'm thrilled with the result. However, a great surgeon just moved back to Miami (from TX) and he is highly regarded. Check him out. He did a friend's surgery last June and he had wonderful things to say about him.
https://doctors.umiamihealth.org/provider/Joseph+Lamelas/867364

Debbie Kelly  Dr. Lamales is a pioneer in minimum invasive surgery and the best! Sadly, he left Houston before I could have my surgery.

Jeff W  Hi Lisa - I’m Cathy. My husband Jeff is 51 and healthy. He was diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation and had a successful mitral valve repair last week. I agree that research can be frustrating and scary!! I was overwhelmed with it all at the beginning. We decided that we wanted robotic, minimally invasive surgery to allow for a quicker return to normal activities. If you’re willing to travel, I’d strongly recommend his surgeon - Dr Husam Balkhy at University of Chicago Medicine. From the first moment we contacted his office our care has been extraordinary! You want an experienced surgeon who does these robotic repairs every day, and also a hospital that handles a high volume so they’re very experienced. Dr Balkhy is a pioneer in the field of robotic surgery and he is amazing.

My husband’s surgery was last Thursday morning, and he went home the next day. His pain levels now are manageable with Ibuprofen (the first night was painful for him of course, but that’s expected after any surgery)

I will be happy to answer any questions you have about our experience. You can email me at cwag923@gmail.com

Good luck! The more information you gather the less fear you’ll have 😊. This site is amazing for that!

https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/surgeons/dr-Husam-Balkhy-Chicago-Illinois.php

Dianne A  My surgeon will be Dr Kevin Accola in Orlando. I’ve had no warning, but I have very good friends who had years to research and they assur me he is the best of the best for mitral valve.

Jill Mullikin  I can also attest to the quality of Dr. Balkhy’s office. My son’s valve was able to be repaired so Dr. Balkhy referred us to another surgeon but he’s a class act. He even called our surgeon a week before surgery to see how my son was doing.

Lisa & Glen Smith  THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE AND INFO. very scary indeed and we are in our beginning stages of finding a surgeon. Going in for cardio cath tomorrow to determine repair or replacement. Surgery is a given unfortunately due to my severity.

Dianne A  Good luck with your journey. It is darn scary, and I'm so looking forward to this being behind me. My husband and I had our pre-surgical consult with Dr Accola, we both like him a lot. He assured me he is 97% positive he can repair my mitral valve even though the regurgitation is severe. He even made it sound easy! And tells me I will be kicking tires in 4 - 6 weeks. I've had friends inpatient in the Cardiac ward at Florida Hospital South and have heard only excellent reports. My neighbor stayed with his wife and said he even had a pull out bed for himself.