{"id":3036,"date":"2023-01-17T00:54:54","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T00:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=3036"},"modified":"2023-09-27T14:06:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T14:06:56","slug":"mitral-valve-patient-story-gerdisch-dr","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/mitral-valve-patient-story-gerdisch-dr\/","title":{"rendered":"Janet&#8217;s Patient Success Story: Why I Got A Mitral Valve Repair Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Patients diagnosed with mitral regurgitation are often confused about the long-term advantages of a mitral valve <em>repair<\/em> compared to a mitral valve <em>replacement<\/em>.\u00a0 Additional patient confusion may come from the fact that mitral valve repair is not performed by all surgeons given this advanced surgical technique.<\/p>\n<p>Janet Peterson, however, was not a confused patient.\u00a0 Janet knew she wanted a mitral valve repair. And, Janet knew the surgeon she wanted to perform her surgery. This is Janet&#8217;s patient success story.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8lrMyKbk6Hs?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Key Learnings From Janet&#8217;s Story<\/h2>\n<p>Important learnings shared by Janet and Dr. Gerdisch in this interview include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Janet, a retired accountant, was diagnosed with mitral regurgitation after she fainted at work 20 years ago due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-regurgitation-symptoms-leaking.php\">mitral regurgitation<\/a>, a leaking heart valve.<\/li>\n<li>Following her initial diagnosis, Janet learned about the advantages of <a href=\"http:\/\/heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-repair-surgery.php\">mitral valve repair<\/a> from her cardiologist who previously had a mitral valve repair surgery. &#8220;I remember when I was diagnosed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-prolapse-symptoms.php\">mitral valve prolapse<\/a> back in the early 2000s, my general physician also had mitral valve prolapse,&#8221; states Janet. &#8220;I remember him saying it&#8217;s important that you catch it and have it repaired not replaced.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-prolapse-symptoms.php\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3042 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/mitral-valve-prolapse-diagram-gerdisch.jpg\" alt=\"Mitral Valve Prolapse Diagram\" width=\"650\" height=\"363\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For 20 years, Janet was in &#8216;watchful waiting&#8217; until 2022 when the mitral regurgitation became severe. Although Janet was asymptomatic (without symptoms), she needed surgery.<\/li>\n<li>Specific to mitral regurgitation symptoms, Janet may not have experienced shortness of breath, fatigue or chest pain, but Dr. Gerdisch has a different interpretation of what symptoms can be. Dr. Gerdisch states, &#8220;For me, any additional changes on the echocardiogram, in my mind, are symptoms. That\u2019s a picture of your heart. If I see anything change about the movement of the heart, the strain of the ventricle, dimensions of atria, the other valves perhaps showing some signs&#8230; for me those are symptoms.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3044 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/mitral-valve-regurgitation-opening.jpg\" alt=\"Mitral Regurgitation Echocardiogram\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" \/>Mitral Valve Opening During Transesophageal Echocardiogram<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When Janet researched the local cardiac surgeons near her hometown of Wadesville, Indiana, she did not find any surgeons who repaired mitral valves.\u00a0 The surgeons near Janet&#8217;s hometown only performed mitral valve replacement. Janet states, &#8220;It was really important for me to find a surgeon whose focus was on repairing and not replacing because replacing the valve was the only thing my local cardiologist had recommended. My research showed that I would need to go outside the metro area where I live in order to find a good surgeon to do that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3043 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/mitral-valve-repair-gerdisch-janet.jpg\" alt=\"Mitral Valve Repair Diagram\" width=\"650\" height=\"363\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to Dr. Gerdisch, when a mitral valve repair is performed by an experienced surgeon at a hospital that specializes in mitral valve repair, the patient can return to a <strong>normal life expectancy<\/strong>. &#8220;Janet\u2019s survival is no different than a neighbor who doesn\u2019t have these valve issues,&#8221; states Dr. Gerdisch. &#8220;When we have to replace a valve, although replacement valves are marvelous devices, they\u2019re brilliant, they do save lives, they extend lives, they don\u2019t give us the opportunity to restore the entirety, potentially, of a person\u2019s entire life because the prosthetic valve carries risk with it.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Janet researched surgeons at HeartValveSurgery.com.\u00a0 Janet states, &#8220;When I Googled \u201cmitral valve repair, Indianapolis, Indiana,\u201d your website came up. The very first video I found was the one that talks about minimally invasive surgery.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3046 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/Dr.-Marc-Gerdisch-Patient-Reviews.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Marc Gerdisch Patient Reviews\" width=\"650\" height=\"367\" \/>Janet&#8217;s Online Research Helped Her Find Dr. Marc Gerdisch<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After much consideration and discussion with Janet about her options, Dr. Gerdisch performed a minimally-invasive mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair on Janet.\u00a0 While Dr. Gerdisch performs many heart valve surgeries via minimally-invasive approaches, safety is the key consideration for Dr. Gerdisch as he tailors the surgical approach for each specific patient.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3047 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/Janet-After-Mitral-Valve-Repair.jpg\" alt=\"Janet After Mitral Valve Repair\" width=\"650\" height=\"362\" \/>Janet After Heart Surgery &#8211; Rafting with Family &amp; Traveling<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Janet&#8217;s recovery from heart surgery was quick and Janet did not need prescription pain killers (e.g. opioids). &#8220;When I left the hospital, I don\u2019t think I was on anything. I think I took Tylenol a few times and that was really all I needed. I didn\u2019t need the nerve medication or any of that. I forget what the name of the cryo technique that Dr. Gerdisch uses but that definitely worked.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>When reflecting on her surgery, Janet considers the operation a &#8220;speed bump on the highway of life&#8221;.\u00a0 Janet states, &#8220;My advice to patients would be research as much as you can. You have to be comfortable with the surgeon that you choose. Research it as much as you can, meet with them, meet with multiple surgeons if you need to and make the decision that\u2019s right for you.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Many Thanks to Janet, Dr. Gerdisch &amp; Franciscan Health!<\/h2>\n<p>On behalf of our entire patient community, many thanks to Janet for sharing her story and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Marc-Gerdisch-Indianapolis-Indiana.php\">Dr. Gerdisch<\/a> for sharing his clinical experience and research with our community!\u00a0 Also, many thanks to the Franciscan Health team for taking such great care of heart valve patients.<\/p>\n<p>Related links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/minimally-invasive-mitral-repair\/\">Surgeon Insights: Minimally-Invasive Mitral Valve Repair<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/need-for-mitral-surgery-gerdisch\/\">Surgeon Q&amp;A: Will I Need Mitral Valve Surgery?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/atrial-fibrillation-cox-maze-iv\/\">Atrial Fibrillation: A Concern for Mitral Valve Patients<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep on tickin!<br \/>\nAdam<\/p>\n<p>P.S. For the deaf and hard of hearing members of our community, I have provided a written transcript of my interview with Janet and Dr. Gerdisch below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"cms.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"class_list":["post-3036","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-patient-stories"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3036"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3063,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3036\/revisions\/3063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}