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C

christinem

Hi everyone, I have been reading your posts over the past few days and found them all informative, and sometimes amusing! I am waiting for a surgery date for mitral valve repair or replacement. I missed my first date because I caught a virus and the wait is killing me! To add to the misery I also have depression, asthma, and panic disorder. I had no idea there was anything wrong with my heart until last December when my new doc asked " How long have you had the heart murmur?" to which I responded " WHAT heart murmur?"
Since then I have had the TEE, the angiogram etc.

Just wondering if there are some Aussie members? I live in Brisbane. No offence meant to the American folks. I have American relatives whom I love dearly.

Any good advice from the wise to the terrified? I am 52 years (young?), married with grown up children. I am on leave from my job (and hiding from germs) whilst waiting for the op.

Cheers to all,

Chris from OZ:)
 
Welcome to the VR community, Chris. Sorry for the circumstances but glad you found us.

You sound like me. I also had no history of heart problems when my doctor discovered a mumur during my annual physical. Being "terrifed" is normal, but I can honestly say now that I've been through it that OHS sounds much worse than it really is. The worse parts for me was the waiting to have it (which you are experiencing now) and the slow pace of recovery...your body takes time to heal even though in your mind you feel a lot better (It's a bit frustrating). Best wishes and good luck.

There are some Aussie members and I'm sure they'll be along shortly.
 
Hello Chris !
and Welcome to VR.com. so sorry that you had to join this wonderful club!:D There are a number of very nice folks from Australia who I'm sure will pop on and give you their best advice.

I can certainly understand how you feel about the sudden diagnosis because I was given the same news quite suddenly with MR in august 2004:( Unfortunately I am still in the "waiting room" so cannot offer any pre-op advice but there are many others who can answer any question you might have so don't be afraid to ask.

I'm crossing my fingers for you that you get a new surgery date as soon as possible. Can't imagine what you are going through waiting.

Take Care!
 
Welcome Chris...

There are several Aussie members I've seen online, im sure they will see your post and say hello at some point. I know its hard to understand because your still on the pre-op side but rest assured the surgery/recovery isn't as nearly as bad as your mind is leading you to believe. I think everyone thinks that way and once they get on the other side of it they realize some of their concerns were a little overblown. The waiting is by far the worst part of it. I know once I got to the hospital a few days before my procedure I was actually relieved. I just wanted to get it over with.

I was like you, murmer ? what murmer ? Severe Aortic stenosis ? Open Heart Surgery ? huh ? That kick in the teeth and all the emotional baggage that goes with it was by far the worst part of this whole experience. Im 4+ weeks post op, pretty much pain free, and am looking to get back to work in a week or two.

You will do fine, hang in there and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Hey, Chris from Oz....... Welcome to VR.

Yes, there are other Aussies - lots of them.

the issues you speak of are common w/heart issues, panics, depression, FEAR@! We are here to help..............blessins.........
 
Welcome, Chris. Many Aussies will be along soon, but just wanted to welcome you, tell you to read, read, read, especially the valve selection thread and pre-op thread and be sure to let us know when you have a date so we can speed your trek over the mountain.
 
me too

me too

I am two weeks out. when I was 4-5 weeks out it was no big deal.. Now I am two weeks out and geting nervous. but mostly I am looking forward to getting it done.

Have confidence in your decision, know you are doing the right thing.
 
Welcome Chris - Glad you found the site. I think I've even seen a member or two from Brisbane, among the several cheerful Aussie members :) . Hope all goes well for you.

BTW, several members here who previously had bad mitral valves found that their panic disorders were much improved after their valves were repaired/replaced. You may even find relief there also!
 
Welcome! I'm glad you found us.

You may find that getting your mitral valve repaired or fixed will help with the panic disorder. People with mitral valve issues quite frequently get panic attacks. I did and there are several other mitral valve members who have as well.

You may also find that getting this thing fixed that you didn't know you had until December is going to just make you feel a while lot better and lessen any other issues you have.

Best wishes with your surgery.
 
Welcome aboard Mate!

We have members from all areas of Australia except the Northern Territories. You may want to start a new thread in the Small Talk Forum with a title like "Calling All Aussies" or some such phrase to catch their attention.

We in Alabama are blessed to have the services of Dr. David McGiffin who is a highly respected Heart and Lung Transplant Surgeon at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He came to us from your home town of Brisbane, Australia.

As a patient who did NOT receive my First Choice in Valves, I strongly recommend that you talk with your Surgeon about a backup "Plan B", just in case the Repair does not work.

As someone in the "waiting room" for a future Mitral Valve replacement, I highly recommend you consider the On-X Valve for it's technological advances over the older Mechanical Valves which result in Lower incidence of Clot Formation and Less Damage to Blood Cells. This is especially important in the Mitral Valve position which is inherently more prone to clot formation.

See www.onxvalves.com and www.heartvalvechoice.com for further details. Catheran Burnett can provide you with the names of Australian Surgeons who use their valves. Her e-mail address is [email protected]

'AL Capshaw'
 
Welcome Chris! As a 52 year old whose OHS for aortic valve replacement is almost 7 months history, I can tell you the wait is the worst (I know, all of us on this side of the mountain say that, and it is easy to say), but believe me, it is !

I heard in similar circumstances about my murmur - only I was in hospital in France, the night before a general anaesthetic, and the doctor told me (after my sleeping pills had been taken, too) that my heart murmur was not going to cause any problems. First thing I asked was, please re-phrase heart murmur, I think I know what you are saying, but something may have got garbled in the translation ! This was in 1985; it took a great leap forward, and progressed to aortic stenosis about 7 years ago, so I was followed annually by a cardiologist from that point on.

Best advice : take care of yourself, read, don't overdo, read, read more and take care of yourself :) Oh, and post any question you like - nothing is too silly or crazy around here!
 
Hi and Welcome. Happy you found us. This is an amazing group of very caring, knowledgable people who generously help eachother with all the issues us heart patients deal with.

I, also, was at a routine checkup with a new Primary Care doc three years ago who asked "How long have you had this murmer"? That was the first I heard of my leaky mitral valve.

I had a second OHS going on five weeks ago and thankfully my recovery is going very smoothly and well....not to jinx myself. :)

The wait was torture for me, as well. I waited about a month from when I heard it was time until I entered the hospital and it was very, very difficult. Less than a week before, I woke with a small sore and went into a panic. The last thing I wanted was to have to delay the surgery but luckily it went away and I was fine to 'go'.

Ask all your questions ands let us help you along. We'll get you through the wait and help you 'over the mountain.'.

Ask any qestions. Someone here surely will be able to help.
 
Welcome Chris
unlike you I had known for years I had a leaky aortic valve however I was still shocked when I was told it was time to have it replaced. What you're feeling is normal. Take it easy, ask questions and you will get lots of support. Relaxtion tapes helped me some, reading and of course this site.
Good Luck Earline
 
I noticed you have Asthma. Are your Doc's indicating any issues with the surgery from your Asthma. I have it too and my Docs do not seem the least bit concerned...
 
Hi Chris!!

And welcome fellow Aussie :)

There are a number of us on here - in fact lately there's been so many Aussies joining that we were joking about taking over :D

I'm from Melbourne but there are members from Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide that come to mind.

I've got mitral valve prolapse and am currently in the "waiting room" until my cardio and surgeon decide that surgery is necessary. While I've known I've had a murmur all my life I was told it was benign and would never need treatment so I can identify with your shock at being told that you would need surgery.

Good luck with everything and if you would like to chat further just send me a PM....

Regards Jeanne

P.S. I also have problems with anxiety - from talking to other people I'm sure it has something to do with our heart condition.
 
Goodmorning Chris,

Another Aussie HOORAY!!

WELCOME to our wonderful world here at VR.com.

I am in Perth but we do have several members here from the "Sunshine State" and I'm sure they will be around to welcome you also. One that comes to mind is a guy named Chris from the Gold Coast who had his surgery about 1 year ago.

Good Luck with the waiting....its the hardest part of this journey...we are here to chat to whenever you need us.
 
Hi ! Im new to this site also, I had a tricuspid replacement (bovine) 2 mos. ago. I am high anxiety myself and am trying to meditate my way to relaxation.
I think what helped me most pre op was faith in my surgeon,the knowledge that I was making a good decision in not waiting,and KNOWING all will be well.
Best wishes,Dina
_________________
Atrial Flutter-3x in 2007
(ablation & cardioversion)
Bovine Tricuspid valve replace.-2/4/2008
 
Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone!

Wow! It was so great to see all your posts and good wishes! I have a surgery date as of this afternoon. It is Wednesday 16th April. Exact time to be determined closer to the date I expect. I go to pre-admission clinic this Friday. I am compiling a list of questions to ask, starting with, 'If I need an artificial valve, what brand do you use?!' If anyone has any other important ones I should ask, I'd love to hear them. I realise , of course, that the Australian situation might be slightly different, but I figure it can't be TOO different as the last time I looked, humans in the USA looked a lot like the ones in OZ, except they have an accent!:D

Anyway, thanks again for all your replies. A special 'Hi' to all the other Aussies. I hope I won't drive you nuts with questions over the next couple of weeks.

Cheers,
Chris from OZ
 
asthma

asthma

RDDABlack said:
I noticed you have Asthma. Are your Doc's indicating any issues with the surgery from your Asthma. I have it too and my Docs do not seem the least bit concerned...
Click to expand...
I guess I will find out at the pre-admission clinic Friday. Last time I had surgery they dosed me up on all kinds of drugs to control the asthma. I think it is linked to my panic disorder. It certainly gets a whole lot worse if I panic. I wouldn't be too concerned. I have a friend who's married to an anaesthetist, I think you guys call them anaesthesiologists, is that right? Anyway, she says those guys leave NOTHING to chance. All the best for your upcoming event too by the way.

Cheers,
 
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