Back in the beginning of April this year, I was having difficulty breathing, I saw my primary care doctor, Dr. Lesser. At that time he prescribed a water pill ...Read more
Back in the beginning of April this year, I was having difficulty breathing, I saw my primary care doctor, Dr. Lesser. At that time he prescribed a water pill and started that I was to have an echocardiogram done in August. I made the appointment and have just gone crazy since then. After the echo I needed to have the TEE. Once the procedure was done, Dr. Gandhi said I needed value surgrey, not right away but sometime within the year. At the follow up visit we talked about doing the Angiagram to rule out any other possible causes for the valve issue. On July 31 the procedure was done and it was one of the worst days of my life. Do to other issues I was in a great deal of pain and the fentanyl wasn't doing anything for me and I cry in pain the whole time. There were no blockages or other possible reason for the narrowing of the valves. At the follow up visit we discussed options to were I should have surgery. I'm a high risk patient due to a congenital heart defect of a VSD and I'm morbidly obese. We agreed that Northwestern Memorial in Chicago would be my best option. I have an appointment for October 10th with Dr. McCarthy the head of Thoracic Surgery.
Right now biggest opstical is obsessing about about dieing on the tablet. I am getting help with this issues, what are some of the thing I could do to break this bad cycle I'm in. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, and best regards,
Terri
Dan Vechiola Hi Terri! You will be in great hands with Dr. McCarthy and Northwestern. Good luck as you proceed t ... Read more
Dan Vechiola Hi Terri! You will be in great hands with Dr. McCarthy and Northwestern. Good luck as you proceed through the process.
Susan Lynn Terri - I'm not sure what valve you're having repaired, but you are definitely going to one of the b ... Read more
Susan Lynn Terri - I'm not sure what valve you're having repaired, but you are definitely going to one of the best surgeons and facilities in the country. The fear you have is perfectly normal - we have all been there. But, hopefully, you will find comfort letting go the things that are out of your control to your medical team. This is what they do every day - they want you to have the best outcome! Many people, including me, used positive imagery and visualization to see our way beyond surgery to all the good things that are ahead in our lives. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want. You'll be surprised what a difference it makes!
You've come to the right place for support. We'll be here to support you every step of the way.
Terri McGrath Thank you so much for the support. You are right about focusing on what I want and I want to live. T ... Read more
Terri McGrath Thank you so much for the support. You are right about focusing on what I want and I want to live. The cardiologist that did all the testing says I need the aortic and mitral valves repaired. I'm not the doctor but trying to read the reports it looks like it is stenosis but I wait to get the correct diagnosis from Dr. McCarthy. I'm glad we have some where to go for support. Thank you again Terri
I am from: Cary, Illinois
You've come to the right place for support. We'll be here to support you every step of the way.