Turning Lemon Into Lemonade

[Adam 12-21-05]

When it comes to heart valve surgery, the human spirit is resilient, creative and inspiring.

?What the hell is Adam writing about?? you may be wondering.

Well... Hold on now... Give me a moment to explain.

Everyone on this board (guests and regulars included) will experience many obstacles in life. There will be highs.... And, unfortunately, there will be lows. For me, one of those low-points was the day my cardiologist told me that my heart was dilated and I needed aortic valve replacement.

?Ya-ya mean, oh-oh-oh-oh-open heart sur-sur-sur-surgery?? I queried my doctor in stuttering disbelief.

In that moment, a unique fear struck me. Maybe it struck you too? Several questions pulsed through my conscious - ?Am I going to die?? ?Will I surf again?? ?How long will I be out of work??

And lastly... ?Why... Oh... Why... Did I get a lemon for a heart??

That was over twenty months ago. Guess what? I did not die. I am surfing again. And, my high tech consulting business is on turbo drive.

In looking back on the heart valve surgery experience, I can definitely say my life is better today than it was before surgery. Yes. The experience was physically and mentally tough on me and my family. (That recovery can be a real doozy.)

But, as the cliche goes... Nothing in life of value is free or easy.

That said, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if heart valve surgery was a positive chapter in other patients' book of life.

So, earlier this year, I conducted an online survey of many former patients. Some of the patients surveyed were from Valvereplacement.com.

I asked a very simple question to the patients, ?On a scale of 1 (negative change) to 10 (positive change), how would you score the impact of heart valve surgery on your life?

As you can see below, the results are amazing!!!

Over 46% of former heart valve surgery patients scored that question with a perfect "10". Taken one step further, over 88% of patients scored the question to positive side of the spectrum.

In light of this survey, it appears that most heart valve surgery patients are turning lemon into lemonade.



Adam

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Interesting information Adam. I didn't participate in the survey, but 9 years after surgery, I would definitely rate my experience as positive. I no longer worry about "When?" I am an optimist, assuming that my chunk of metal will last for the promised 30 years or longer! I've changed careers from my former higher paying one to a lesser paying, but more gratifying one. All in all, definitely positive.

 

[VikiVix]

lemonade

lemonade

Thank you for this encouraging post! I still go through the valleys of fears, questions, etc. but words like yours and from others here really have given me a lot of hope and more positive thinking .
Thank you
Viki

 

[hensylee]

Most new members enter VR because of their fear. This chart is a really good reference for those newcomers. We need to be able to point them to it. Be sure to save it, Adam. Thanks for doing it.

 

[Adam 12-21-05]

Most new members enter VR because of their fear. This chart is a really good reference for those newcomers. We need to be able to point them to it. Be sure to save it, Adam. Thanks for doing it.

Hensylee,

I compleeeeeeeeeeetly agree with you. For most patients, fear is a huge factor after diagnosis and before the actual operation.

I mean, who in their right mind would think, "YEAAHHHH! MY DOC JUST TOLD ME I NEED OPEN HEART SURGERY!!!! WHOOOOPPPPEEEE!!!"



I think the typical thought pattern is, "HOOOOOLLLLLYYYYY #$(@#$&#(*&$@(!!!! OOOOOOHHHHH MYYYYYYY GAAAAAWWWWWD!!!!"

Anyways, thanks for the thanks. I have a bunch of other charts and data that I've developed specific to heart valve surgery.

However, with my wedding and honeymoon, I'm a tad behind in getting things up on the web. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, I'll have some more free time.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[tobagotwo]

That's an interesting survey, Adam. How many people did you get to participate in it? Do you have any age-related data or other breakdowns?

 

[Adam 12-21-05]

That's an interesting survey, Adam. How many people did you get to participate in it? Do you have any age-related data or other breakdowns?

Hey there,

Thanks. The survey has been very helpful in better understanding (validating, confirming, challenging) many thoughts on the patient perpective and attitude towards heart valve surgery.

Here is some data on patient age as it relates to heart valve surgery. (FYI, this includes both heart valve repair and heart valve replacement.)

What are the common age groups of patients experiencing heart valve surgery?

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[tobagotwo]

I do have quite a bit of data about the relative ages of valve surgery patients already, Adam.

What I was asking was: there are about 50 responses listed in the chart at the beginning of the thread. While that's not a lot for a survey, I was wondering what their ages/age groups might have been. There are some general tendencies regarding "quality of life" that have been mapped before, and they relate to age quite a bit. I was interested if a more informal survey like yours would uphold that data, or dispute it. The age data would be relevant to that. Replies to surveys are often greatly skewed from average age groups, and based more on interest and time availability of those surveyed, as well as the audience targeted.

 

[Adam 12-21-05]

I do have quite a bit of data about the relative ages of valve surgery patients already, Adam.

What I was asking was: there are about 50 responses listed in the chart at the beginning of the thread. While that's not a lot for a survey, I was wondering what their ages/age groups might have been. There are some general tendencies regarding "quality of life" that have been mapped before, and they relate to age quite a bit. I was interested if a more informal survey like yours would uphold that data, or dispute it. The age data would be relevant to that. Replies to surveys are often greatly skewed from average age groups, and based more on interest and time availability of those surveyed, as well as the audience targeted.

Hi Bob,

Sounds like you have some research skills in your background?

If so, let me know. I have an idea that might be interesting for you.

Anyways, following my wedding and honeymoon, I think I will now have some free time in the near future to post more of the survey results. I'll let you know when the survey results are available.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[RossGurlie]

Lemonade...

Lemonade...

In response to the original post, I think you're right Adam. My life has forever been changed. I have met so many wonderful people and have had the opportunity to learn some pretty important things that I otherwise would not have learned so early in life. I would rate my experience as a "perfect 10" in regards to the long-term outcome. Of course I was not ecstatic to hear that my summer would no longer be filled with trips to the mall, summer camps, boating, and being with friends, but instead stuck in a hospital, then home to recover. The five weeks after my surgery before I could finally go swimming again was tough. People would invite me to Waterworld and Schlitterbahn, but I had to decline because I was not healed. Now though, I find that a small price to pay. All in all, I would not trade my experience with OHS for anything in the world!