Susan's Journal

Today is my 3 year anniversary! OHS mitral valve repair, Maze procedure, closure of atrial appendage and excision of a benign cyst from the exterior of the pericardial sac… for good measure. So grateful each day to my surgeon Dr. Asad Shah & his team, Adam, and all the heart warriors on this site. Feeling great & living each day to the fullest. God Bless all who travel this road. The  HVS.com community is awesome!

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my OHS! I often check the HVS.com news feed and enjoy reading everyone's stories. My health is very good, although my A-fib returned with a vengeance a few months ago. My cardiologist believes it may be due to stress. He said my mitral valve repair is still intact and "everything sounds good." I was already on Eliquis, but am back on Metroprolol now. A fib is still nearly constant, so I'll return for an echo soon. Thankful for the successful repair and otherwise good health, but a bit disappointed that the Maze procedure and resolution of my MV regurgitation only provided a temporary solution to my A-fib. Wondering if others have had this experience, and how they proceeded. My cardiologist isn't too concerned about the persistent A-fib. Best to all the Heart Warriors out there!

Hi All! Today is the one year anniversary of my OHS, that included a complicated mitral valve repair, Maze procedure, mitra clip, and recision of a large benign cyst on my heart. This time last year, after a 7 hour surgery, I was preparing to move from the Cardiac ICU to the Telemetry floor. I recall dozing on and off that night, awakening frequently, tired, but so grateful for a successful repair.

I am thankful I found HVS.com after my diagnosis. Because of HVS.com and the wonderful resources and support it offers, I went into surgery optimistic, prepared, and confident. 5 days in the hospital flew by. There was a lot of resting, walking the halls, learning how to get in and out of bed and chairs, and the ever-present spirometer- every waking hour!

I recall my first glorious shower at home, the exhausting walks several times daily around my neighborhood, and feeling that absolutely everything tired me. Would I ever get back to "normal?" My appetite was temporarily non-existent, although oddly, I craved clam chowder and pineapple, of all things. . . Generally not my top food choices. After a Monday surgery, that Friday clam chowder at the hospital was the bomb though, and really got me hooked!

Cardiac rehab was delayed a bit due to a skin cancer diagnosis and a couple minor surgeries on my shoulder and face. Once I started, rehab was exhausting, but each week, I could do more, and I gained confidence in my abilities. Prior to my diagnosis, I'd run regularly, and been an avid gym goer. Post-surgery, I was winded doing a 15 minute mile on the treadmill! Week by week, I got stronger. For better or worse, my appetite and taste returned.

Gradually, life has returned to pretty much "normal" but better. Yesterday, my cardiologist called me with the results of my latest echo. "No sign of regurgitation. Everything looks great. Good as new!"

I am so thankful for my amazing surgeon, Dr. Asad Shah and his team, and all the staff at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach. They treated me like family during my stay and have been beside me during my recovery journey. In addition, thank you to Adam and all the warriors here on HVS.com for your support and encouragement. It really does make a difference. I am grateful to each and every one of you. And to everyone awaiting surgery, use this awesome resource to educate yourself and get support. You can do it! Best to All!

Hello Heart Warriors - I have been just a sporadic visitor to the site recently as life has resumed some sense of normalcy and routine. Today is the 6 month anniversary of my mitral valve repair, MAZE procedure, and cyst excision. After a couple hiccups — at about 3 months I ended up in the ER with a very low heart rate, then recently had an excision and Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer on my face and shoulder. The low heart rate was quickly remedied by reducing, then stopping medications, and the skin cancer sites are healing well. At my 6 month surgical check up my echo was NORMAL! Very minimal MV regurgitation (within normal limits) , and no A-fib for the last 3 months! I am ecstatic! My cardiac rehab was slowed a bit with the skin cancer surgery, but I am progressing well, and feeling so good. Looking back, recovery is truly a day by day process. Each day I've become a bit stronger, a little less fatigued. Now, 6 months later, I am feeling great! I'm back doing all my normal activities, including working out at the gym, and running. It's difficult to believe I had 7 hours of OHS just 6 months ago. I am grateful to my skilled surgeon, Dr. Asad Shah, the entire surgical team, and all the kind and skilled nurses, therapists and staff at the Jeffrey Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute and Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach. And to all the great supportive people on this site, Richard, Ana, Rose, Ruth, Greg, Donna, James, Patsy, Tom, Deanna, Andrea, Klara and Adam plus so many more I'm sure I'm forgetting, a sincere thank you. Every word of encouragement really does make a difference. I couldn't have made it through this as I did, with a good, positive attitude, without your insight, support and encouragement. Thank you all and God Bless!

Today was my 6+ Week post op appointment with my surgeon. For prior post-ops, I had seen the PAs, but today's appointment was with my surgeon, Dr. Asad Shah at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach. I cried as soon as I saw him. I am so grateful for his skill and hard work, as well as that of the entire surgical team. I continue going back to read the surgical notes from that date. I'm very squeamish, but reading the notes reminds me what I've been through, and how fortunate I am. When I look back on my hospitalization, I am also very thankful for the nurses and support staff that cared for me. I am so glad I found this site and was able to quickly educate myself, which led me to seek out additional opinions, leave my HMO, and to proceed right away with my surgeon of choice. If I had delayed surgery as my HMO suggested, I probably would’ve required a valve replacement rather than a repair. Huge thanks to Adam and all the wonderful heart warriors who contribute to this site.

Hello All! I was discharged this afternoon and arrived home to my sweet son, flowers and kind wishes from friends & neighbors, and a heavenly warm shower. My mitral valve surgery was a SUCCESSFUL REPAIR! A replacement was not needed. The MAZE procedure was performed, and the surgeon also excised a large cyst on the right pericardial sac. I am exhausted and will write more after a good night's (or possibly week's) rest, but I wanted to let everyone know my surgery was successful, and I am doing well! I was unable to post sooner, text, or really read much of anything, because when I came out of the anesthesia, any reading left me horribly nauseous. This seems to be subsiding each day. I gained more than 15 pounds in surgery and have eaten very little in the hospital. Nothing sounded good, nothing tasted good, and I had no appetite! Possibly the first time in my adult life a doctor has encouraged me to take in more calories. I could not have had a better, more caring surgeon and hospital staff. I spent less than 24 hours in Cardiac Intensive Care but during that time the nurses and support staff treated me as if I were there sole, and most important patient. They talked me through the tough times -I'm looking at you ventilator; answered any questions- including my repeatedly asking what time it was, and whether that was a.m. or p.m. -as if I had someplace else to be; and constantly encouraged my small accomplishments. When I moved to Telemetry, although I had less direct supervision, the care was equally great.
Thanks to the input provided from all contributing on this site, I felt very prepared going in to my surgery, confident in my surgical team, and I feel ready for the road of recovery ahead of me. Thank You All!

Thank you all for the thoughtful & uplifting messages. The knowledge, insight & encouragement I've gained from this community thus far is invaluable. Anxious to get to the other side and begin recovery, but feeling prepared and at peace going in, and ready to tackle what lies ahead. I check in at 5:15 a.m. with surgery at 7:00 a.m.

I was diagnosed with MVR and A-fib in Feb. 2022. It is anticipated I will need MV replacement rather than repair, due to the extent of the damage to my MV. I currently have a well known HMO for my health insurance. They recommended “watchful waiting” as I had “ few symptoms.” They do not perform minimally invasive MV procedures. I obtained a second opinion which agreed with the diagnosis but recommended surgery be done within 3 months. I shared this opinion with my HMO cardiologist and the HMO agreed to put me “on the path” to surgery. It’s now been 5 months and despite persistent calls, I have not even had a surgery consult with my HMO yet. This week, I had a consult with a surgeon at a well respected state of the art heart center. They perform many minimally invasive surgeries, however, due to my particular MV issues, It may be better to do standard OHS. He said if I were his patient, he would recommend surgery be done within 1 month. I am very comfortable with this surgeon and facility, much more so than my HMO, and would like to change insurance and have my surgery in early January 2023. I realize this is somewhat of a risk. My current symptoms do not seem to be worsening. I do have frequent severe a-fib. I am wondering if anyone in the community has been in this situation, what decision you made, and if you are satisfied/comfortable with your decision. I am an otherwise healthy 61, with a young dependent child so am concerned with minimizing my risk, but am much more comfortable having my surgery done outside my HMO.