Forum Home | Log in | Signup | My Page | Rules | FAQ | Boards | Members | Search
« POPE 5 Home | Email msg. | Reply to msg. | Post new | Board info. Previous | Home | Next

DECOMPOSED -----*** MICRO *** / kathy 

By: kathy_s16 in POPE 5 | Recommend this post (1)
Sun, 15 Dec 19 11:48 PM | 52 view(s)
Boardmark this board | Pope 5 		Msg. 46904 of 62138
(This msg. is a reply to 46890 by Decomposed)
Jump:
Jump to board:
Jump to msg. #

Thank you. There's no need to worry about me. I'll be fine.

============

BLAH BLAH BLAH!!

------------

Repeat after me:

I am so scared. I need everyone to pray for me. Here is my address so you can send me a card everyday. Waaa, Waaa, I don't want to be sick OR WORSE. I am so nervous that I am on the toilet all day. This is the worst possible thing to happen to anybody.

GET THE PICTURE, SWEET CHEEKS?

-------------

Just think, though, DE. You will never suffer from vaginal dryness.

CHUNKS, CHUNKS, CHUNKS - whoops, meant smooches!

Moon


If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.


 - - - - -
View Replies (1) »



» You can also:
- - - - -
The above is a reply to the following message:
Re: *** MICRO *** / kathy
By: Decomposed in POPE 5
Sun, 15 Dec 19 6:17 PM 		Msg. 46890 of 62138

micro:

Re: "Please focus on getting healthy again. I worry about your health and I am concerned De's situation as well."Thank you. There's no need to worry about me. I'll be fine.

As for dumping my surgeon, I'm not going to do that. I've done some research into valves and like the On-X valve by Cryolife, but I'm *NOT* a doctor! If an experienced surgeon prefers the tried-and-true "St. Jude" valve, then I'm not going to overrule him.

Also, I don't want to delay the surgery. I forgot to take my meds on Thursday and woke Friday feeling like I was seriously messed up - my heart was beating very hard, and I thought I could HEAR the stupid thing making a whining sound. By the time I shook the fogginess out of my head, it wasn't doing it anymore so I'm not sure if I imagined it. I didn't imagine the pounding. The bottom line is that I think my condition has worsened and that I'd be dumb to further delay this.

You're right that valve replacement isn't usually that difficult. You might remember OCU's valve replacement three years ago. That was done via transcatheterization (TAVR). It was minimally invasive and he was originally going to be sent home the following day.

My surgery is a bit more complex. My chest will be opened and my heart will be stopped.

There are several reasons I'm not having TAVR. First, because of his age and health, open heart surgery was more dangerous for OCU than it is for me. Other things being equal, open heart is more successful than TAVR. Second, I have a congenital defect called "bicuspid valve" in which the aortic valve has two flaps, not three, preventing the valve from forming a good seal against blood wash back. The wash back creates turbulence and plaque accrual - which is why virtually everyone with a bicuspid valve needs valve replacement before they're 70. I just had the bad luck of needing it LONG before I was 70. The two flaps also cause the valve to distend, gradually becoming oval instead of round. Therefore, open heart surgery is needed. With OCU, a new round valve could just be pushed up the artery and wedged inside the old valve. With me, a round valve shoved into an oval valve would leak. That's what'll kill you. They have to remove the old valve and suture the new one in. My heart will be stopped while that's being done. It's supposed to take four hours. I definitely want an experienced surgeon, and if he's uncomfortable putting in a different synthetic valve, then so am I.

Angie stated that I'd need to have lab work done every week in order to manage my INR (blood thinness) level. There's another option: I can self-manage it by pricking a finger as diabetics do. I'll contact my insurance company to see if they'll reimburse me for the costs. The meter runs about $1,000 - but that's trivial compared to the cost savings of not having weekly lab tests. Self-management has comparable health benefits and vastly higher patient satisfaction over weekly lab testing. I expect my insurer will agree.

« POPE 5 Home | Email msg. | Reply to msg. | Post new | Board info. Previous | Home | Next