As I get older time seems to move faster and faster. That is until the day I found out I would need surgery. From the initial shock and disbelief and then ...Read more
As I get older time seems to move faster and faster. That is until the day I found out I would need surgery. From the initial shock and disbelief and then through all the frustrations of dealing with delay after delay time seemed to stop. It seemed as if my surgery date would never arrive. Well today is my one year anniversary of robotically assisted mitral valve repair and I am doing great! It seems like just yesterday. Now time seems to go by faster than ever.
Rose Madura Wonderful to hear Neal. Glad you are doing well.
Susan Lynn Happy Anniversary, Neal! Wishing you continued good health!
Pamela Gregory Happy Anniversary!!! Great news Sounds like life is good!
Got home today after surgery. My mind year old daughter came home from school a little later. She gave me a timid hug and then placed her ear over my heart ...Read more
Got home today after surgery. My mind year old daughter came home from school a little later. She gave me a timid hug and then placed her ear over my heart and gave me a thumbs up and announced "it goes bump bump like mine and does not go bump pallop anymore.
Rose Madura Beautiful story. Kids are so smart. Glad you are home. May you have an uneventful recovery.
Neal Syverson Yes, uneventful. Kinda of like flying, I prefer uneventful.
Thomas Brusstar My son was 13 when my severely leaking mitral valve was repaired. He used to always rest his head on ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar My son was 13 when my severely leaking mitral valve was repaired. He used to always rest his head on my chest watching tv, but I didn’t know he was listening. After surgery he listened and said he missed the old heartbeat, it was more soothing! Now it just sounded like an army marching. For the record, I don’t miss the old heartbeat!
Howard Powders Hey Neal, I hope your AFIB is getting better. Should take around 6 weeks after surgery to improve!
After going through a lot of follow up appointments and needing to get a little more fluid off the lungs I was wiped out. So we decided to stay in town one ...Read more
After going through a lot of follow up appointments and needing to get a little more fluid off the lungs I was wiped out. So we decided to stay in town one more day. By the time dinner rolled around I was feeling great so we walked over to a nearby restaurant. There was a lady and her husband just about to leave both with a pint of ice cream to go. I made some sort of polite conversation about the ice cream and she said she was splurging because she was having heart surgery tomorrow. Turns out that she was having a mitral valve repair also. That started a long conversation. She was thrilled to see how I looked 5 days post surgery. I don't know how many questions I answered. When she left she said she felt much less apprehensive of tomorrow. It felt great to encourage her when she needed it the most.
Susan Lynn What an inspiring story! Glad you're feeling better and that fate brought you and that woman toget... Read more
Susan Lynn What an inspiring story! Glad you're feeling better and that fate brought you and that woman together. I'm sure she had a picture in her mind of what recovery would be and you just showed her that it is possible to be up and around in a short amount of time. Hope you continue to improve and share your experience with others!
Todd Hanson Great to hear Neal. I also had some extra fluid on my lungs one week after surgery. I was admitted... Read more
Todd Hanson Great to hear Neal. I also had some extra fluid on my lungs one week after surgery. I was admitted overnight for some tests and monitoring and sent home with some adjusted meds and a 2 liter daily fluid restriction. Beyond that, every day gets better and better. Keep up the good work!
Marie Myers That is a great story! I was on the receiving end of that type of comforting 6 years ago also. I was ... Read more
Marie Myers That is a great story! I was on the receiving end of that type of comforting 6 years ago also. I was attending my 40th nursing school reunion, and I had just been given the daunting diagnosis of large ascending aneurysm and aortic root aneurysm. I found out that (of all people) my old roommate in nursing school had been through AVR 10 years earlier... I talked to her nonstop for about an hour, and felt so much better after hearing her story. Never underestimate how comforting you might be to a fellow human during a chance encounter!
Rose Madura Great story. I consider those "God Moments!"
I have been doing well coping with my upcoming surgery but tonight my 9 year old daughter broke down. She understands the risk. It broke my heart to see her ...Read more
I have been doing well coping with my upcoming surgery but tonight my 9 year old daughter broke down. She understands the risk. It broke my heart to see her break down. I tried my best to comfort her. How have any of you dealt with children?
Martin Smith Regardless of worries and doubts you're feeling, protect your daughter from experiencing those feelin ... Read more
Martin Smith Regardless of worries and doubts you're feeling, protect your daughter from experiencing those feelings. Reassure her, downplay the risks. She doesn't need to perceive or understand the risk you face. Keeping will help you believe in your own positive outcomes. I wrote letters to my sons who are in their early 20's. These were only to be delivered in the event that I didn't survive. I survived!! and the letters live on, undelivered and unread, in the obscurity of a dresser drawer. Focus on the statistical probability that your surgery will be successful.
Martin Smith Keeping it all positive and confident with her. For support share your feelings positive and negative ... Read more
Martin Smith Keeping it all positive and confident with her. For support share your feelings positive and negative with solid friends or family who are better positioned to help you.
Richard Munson What a dilemma, my guess would be to show your strength and hope it rubs off.
Rose Madura Well, you can assure her by telling her you chose the Cleveland Clinic because it is the best heart h ... Read more
Rose Madura Well, you can assure her by telling her you chose the Cleveland Clinic because it is the best heart hospital in the world. Maybe use a visual with 100 pennies. Show her how many have positive outcomes. And even if you have complications, the doctors are trained to know what to do. Exude confidence and she'll feel more comfortable.
Debbie Ramnauth Best of luck we’re here for you !! We’ll be praying for a speedy recovery 🙏🏼
Randy Chapman I have learned so much from this blog. It will be an entirely safe experience as so many have describ ... Read more
Randy Chapman I have learned so much from this blog. It will be an entirely safe experience as so many have described. Look for me in the waiting room Wednesday, or if not, in the ICU or stepdown hallway. Hugs for your daughter.
Miriam Alejos I have been as positive as I possibly can around my 7 year old son. It can be so hard but talking abo ... Read more
Miriam Alejos I have been as positive as I possibly can around my 7 year old son. It can be so hard but talking about the things we will do after my surgery and how he can help me around the house seems to help. He will occasionally ask how far away my surgery is and looks nervous but we just reassure him that things will be alright.
After months of delays and people not following through I finally have a surgery date. Seems strange to be excited about having heart surgery but I am ready ...Read more
After months of delays and people not following through I finally have a surgery date. Seems strange to be excited about having heart surgery but I am ready to get this all put behind me. Now to keep the positive attitude and think about the outcome and not dwell on the unknown.
Louise Moore Not too long a wait for you now, Neil, and you'll be on the healing side. You can rest assured that ... Read more
Louise Moore Not too long a wait for you now, Neil, and you'll be on the healing side. You can rest assured that your Doctor and place will see you through this and that's a good reason to be excited and feel positive. You speak for a lot of us, we're ready and ready to put this behind us. Onward and upward to better living with a better heart indeed!
I was supposed to meet with my cardiologist today and discuss surgery plans. He got called to the hospital and I had to reschedule my appointment for late ...Read more
I was supposed to meet with my cardiologist today and discuss surgery plans. He got called to the hospital and I had to reschedule my appointment for late October. I just want to get things set in motion and put this all behind. I just seems painstakingly slow.
Rose Madura Hi Neal. I know that rescheduling can be frustrating but be thankful that you are not in an emergenc ... Read more
Rose Madura Hi Neal. I know that rescheduling can be frustrating but be thankful that you are not in an emergency situation. October is just around the corner. Please keep us posted.
Dan Baltazor Hi Neal, I understand the frustration. To put things kind of in perspective for you, I was the guy o ... Read more
Dan Baltazor Hi Neal, I understand the frustration. To put things kind of in perspective for you, I was the guy on the other side of that coin. I was the reason why someone else's surgery was postponed and why someone else had surgery with a different surgeon other than the one they thought they were getting. My emergency situation took away from someone else, and because of that, I now have an understanding of these situations. Hang in there. It does seem painstakingly slow waiting, but when you get on the other side and look back, you kind of see how everything does line up for you. It's really hard, but patience is key. Take care.
Susan Lynn Neal - I also had mitral regurgitation and I remember one surgeon telling me I could wait until "afte ... Read more
Susan Lynn Neal - I also had mitral regurgitation and I remember one surgeon telling me I could wait until "after the holidays" to have surgery. Our condition is pretty common and not a huge priority in the cardiology world, but I would request a telemedicine appointment with the doc - he might be able to squeeze in some time just to tell you if you need to be interviewing surgeons - or, you can always move forward and start the process knowing that if it's not immediate, it likely will be in the coming months or years. There are a ton of opinions regarding timing for repairing a mitral valve, but many surgeons opt for sooner rather than later to prevent overworking the heart and enlargement of the left ventricle. If you have a copy of your echo and TEE (if you've had this), you can start shopping around now. The first thing to learn in this process is that you have to be your own advocate - politely demand the attention and treatment you deserve. You'll be just fine.
I met with my cardiologist today and he finally said it is time for mitral valve repair. With my worsening symptoms and having had tests to rule out other ...Read more
I met with my cardiologist today and he finally said it is time for mitral valve repair. With my worsening symptoms and having had tests to rule out other heart issues the timing is right. I am excited to be moving to a resolution although I am sure given some time I will be apprehensive. I will be having a TEE in September after which we will discuss plans.
He mentioned there is a small window of opportunity for repair. I suppose I am lucky that I had symptoms to draw attention to the issue. I wonder how many people are asymptomatic and miss their window of opportunity for repair.
Susan Lynn Neal - There are definitely mixed emotions, but experienced surgeons repair, rather than replace, mor ... Read more
Susan Lynn Neal - There are definitely mixed emotions, but experienced surgeons repair, rather than replace, more than 90% of leaking mitral valves. Do your homework, find a high-volume mitral valve surgeon with a solid history of success, and you'll be confident on game day! Most of us will tell you, waiting is the worst part! You've got this! Best of luck to you!
dina hudson I agree with Susan. Finding a high-volume surgeon that you trust is key to a good outcome. I was told ... Read more
dina hudson I agree with Susan. Finding a high-volume surgeon that you trust is key to a good outcome. I was told to have mine repaired within 6 months (in June I was told this after my TEE) so I know exactly what you are going through. My surgery is (re-) scheduled for September 30th. One thing I can recommend from personal experience is if you like and trust the first surgeon you see, schedule with him/her a date. Then, continue to interview the others. This gave me some peace that I was moving forward. You can cancel with plenty of notice if you change your mind.