AgilityDog
Well-known member
Oh, that's marvelous. She's had such a tough time, and that must have been terribly complicated surgery. Here's wishing for a smooth recovery.
Zipper's Surgery Complete
- Thread starter pamela
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pamela
Well-known member
Well, I spoke with Dale a little while ago. I had to finally shoo my kiddo off the computer so I could log in and let you all know how Deb's doing.
Terrific!!
She was moved into step-down this morning and would have been back on the ward except they didn't have a bed. So, she was sitting up and feeling good.
The surgery wasn't all she expected, fortunately. I couldn't let you in on what had happened until she'd heard about it. It turns out that as the scar tissue problems were taken care of in the first part of the surgery, her aortic valve came into line and began to function well. Ethically and morally, in spite of Plan A being placement of a tissue valve there and another in her mitral position, the surgeon couldn't swap out her mechanical aortic valve prosthesis.
He left the Carbomedics alone and gave her a shiny new St Jude's mechanical mitral valve. The other good news was although he had been sure her tricuspid was leaking, once again, once he'd excised the scarring and placed her heart back where it was supposed to be, the leak was gone and he left it alone. He proceeded with the Maze procedure and once ablated, the atrial fib settled into normal sinus rhythm.
So, less than she'd thought and better than we could have wished. I understand she's not upset at all that her ACT will continue and that the prospect of a re-op has been substantially reduced.
Now, all I need to do is to stay healthy so that I can pop in and visit for an hour or so on Monday.
Take Heart and thanks for your good attention to Deb's well-being,
Pamela.
Terrific!!
She was moved into step-down this morning and would have been back on the ward except they didn't have a bed. So, she was sitting up and feeling good.
The surgery wasn't all she expected, fortunately. I couldn't let you in on what had happened until she'd heard about it. It turns out that as the scar tissue problems were taken care of in the first part of the surgery, her aortic valve came into line and began to function well. Ethically and morally, in spite of Plan A being placement of a tissue valve there and another in her mitral position, the surgeon couldn't swap out her mechanical aortic valve prosthesis.
He left the Carbomedics alone and gave her a shiny new St Jude's mechanical mitral valve. The other good news was although he had been sure her tricuspid was leaking, once again, once he'd excised the scarring and placed her heart back where it was supposed to be, the leak was gone and he left it alone. He proceeded with the Maze procedure and once ablated, the atrial fib settled into normal sinus rhythm.
So, less than she'd thought and better than we could have wished. I understand she's not upset at all that her ACT will continue and that the prospect of a re-op has been substantially reduced.
Now, all I need to do is to stay healthy so that I can pop in and visit for an hour or so on Monday.
Take Heart and thanks for your good attention to Deb's well-being,
Pamela.
This is great news Pamela and say thanks to your kiddo for letting you on the computer 
Glad to hear she's happy with the out come - guess its safe to phone her come Sunday
Glad to hear she's happy with the out come - guess its safe to phone her come Sunday
Great Update!
Hopefully Deb is good for another 20 yrs.... or 20,000 miles......
Hopefully Deb is good for another 20 yrs.... or 20,000 miles......
pamela
Well-known member
I'd call as early as tomorrow. If anyone answers, then you'll be in the info loop and I bet if Zipper's moved away from the telemetry machinery, then she'll be the one to answer.This is great news Pamela and say thanks to your kiddo for letting you on the computer
Glad to hear she's happy with the out come - guess its safe to phone her come Sunday
P
Phyllis
Thanks for the wonderful update and give her my best wishes for an easy recovery.
Count on Zipper to change the plot completely...wonderful news!
I hope everything is just real boring during her recovery--breathe, walk, rest, no variations.
I hope everything is just real boring during her recovery--breathe, walk, rest, no variations.
Ross
Well-known member
Well I prayed hard for her and I'm certainly more then pleased with the outcome. Everything I asked for, she received. Now I can do the happy dance once more!
danb1983
Well-known member
Great, glad it was a success! No more waiting
WayneGM
Well-known member
Great news. Best wishes for a smooth and speedy recovery.
Alerion
Well-known member
Well done ZIP!
Well done indeed!
So now you have TWO clicks? Très cool!
Hope you have a speedy recovery and you're back online soon.
Well done indeed!
So now you have TWO clicks? Très cool!
Hope you have a speedy recovery and you're back online soon.
S
ShirlyThisIsSquirly
Great news! This is the beauty of good positive thoughts, prayers and a wonderful online community like this! (Not to mention the support of your loved ones) and look what comes of it! Excellent! Wishing you all the very best and continued progress! Lots of credit to Zipper and the doctors, too! Take good care, we will be checking in on any new updates!
EireCara
Well-known member
Great news. Wishing you a smooth uneventful recovery.
Celebration.....
Celebration.....
Thank-youeveryone and i will try not to make this long,regarding update of my 2nd segery Jan 22,2009.
As you all know my surgeon to preform surgery,broke his leg,i was assigned to a new surgeon.Monday in hospital due to emergency i was thankful enough
that i was healthy enough for a cancellation till Thursday surgery,for my mitral valve.
In 1992 i had my 1st surgery the aortic mechanical was installed so 16 years ago,now my native mitral was full of rhumatic so was due for 2nd surgery.
Long story short i met my surgeon,and we discussed tissue valves for both
Signed,sealed delivered it was mine.
Finally surgery approached and i ended up as discussed with surgeon,it would be possible i only needed one mechanical valve,thats what he would do.
I remained with my carbomedics aortic valve from 16 years ago,no change.
The mitral valve native been installed with a St. Jude.
So happens my surgery from 16 years ago is fine and will run another 50 years
my first surgeon in 1992 made an amacculant surgery
in 2006 i suffered with endocarditas and became very ill,but through the power higher than i it never touched my valves in any way,they say i am very lucky.(i will agree)
Once in surgery there was chance my ticuspid also was leaking,but my surgeon,said it was fine and i never even needed a repair.
although due to the endocarditas in 2006 i had developed a fib so a maze was
planned at surgery to fix this up.
Surgery went well,but i had to be cardoverted 3 times in 2 days.
Then shortage of rooms and place i stayed in icu the longest.
I spent a year with terrible fluid and congestive heart failure,my heart wasn't
able to work much longer to all the stress.The fluid kept creeping uncontrolably and was at the worst.I'm not a big lady of 47 years,however 5'1
i reached 205 lbs as i was admitted.
Total loss of my fluid was after surgery 34 and half pounds,as i came home i am at 160 lbs,omgosh,everything is so big in clothes.
All i can say is i was a very sick gal,taken off work in Sept2008 and will i go back? ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Why would i have chosen tissue? Because at 47 years old and being on warfarin 16 years already (IM ADVENTUREOUS) i wanted to find out about another thorn on the other side of the mechanical,if there was any thorns and,you know what,i'm happy,the maze and carioverting helped,and im just pleased even though the tissue wasnot for me right now. I'm just glad there are options we can turn to and decisions we are able to make,the bovine tissue,or mechanical.........Im happy to be here to share this with all of you.
This is only my experience,each of us has their own,and decisions are always tuff,who said they are easyMy surgeon is very happy with the outcome and the,best of cancellation monday was getting to know my surgeon better
Feeling at ease with whatever decisions were made and i am like i say very happy.Im surely a person that would have missed the mechanical clicks and being on warfarin makes me feel safe and sound as for 16 years already on it
These are my security blankets......I love them.......Bless you all and thank-you for being there with me and my family,your presence as i said was felt
Thank God for all of you (HUGS) everyone.
zipper2 (DEB)
Celebration.....
Thank-youeveryone and i will try not to make this long,regarding update of my 2nd segery Jan 22,2009.
As you all know my surgeon to preform surgery,broke his leg,i was assigned to a new surgeon.Monday in hospital due to emergency i was thankful enough
that i was healthy enough for a cancellation till Thursday surgery,for my mitral valve.
In 1992 i had my 1st surgery the aortic mechanical was installed so 16 years ago,now my native mitral was full of rhumatic so was due for 2nd surgery.
Long story short i met my surgeon,and we discussed tissue valves for both
Signed,sealed delivered it was mine.
Finally surgery approached and i ended up as discussed with surgeon,it would be possible i only needed one mechanical valve,thats what he would do.
I remained with my carbomedics aortic valve from 16 years ago,no change.
The mitral valve native been installed with a St. Jude.
So happens my surgery from 16 years ago is fine and will run another 50 years
my first surgeon in 1992 made an amacculant surgery
in 2006 i suffered with endocarditas and became very ill,but through the power higher than i it never touched my valves in any way,they say i am very lucky.(i will agree)
Once in surgery there was chance my ticuspid also was leaking,but my surgeon,said it was fine and i never even needed a repair.
although due to the endocarditas in 2006 i had developed a fib so a maze was
planned at surgery to fix this up.
Surgery went well,but i had to be cardoverted 3 times in 2 days.
Then shortage of rooms and place i stayed in icu the longest.
I spent a year with terrible fluid and congestive heart failure,my heart wasn't
able to work much longer to all the stress.The fluid kept creeping uncontrolably and was at the worst.I'm not a big lady of 47 years,however 5'1
i reached 205 lbs as i was admitted.
Total loss of my fluid was after surgery 34 and half pounds,as i came home i am at 160 lbs,omgosh,everything is so big in clothes.
All i can say is i was a very sick gal,taken off work in Sept2008 and will i go back? ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Why would i have chosen tissue? Because at 47 years old and being on warfarin 16 years already (IM ADVENTUREOUS) i wanted to find out about another thorn on the other side of the mechanical,if there was any thorns and,you know what,i'm happy,the maze and carioverting helped,and im just pleased even though the tissue wasnot for me right now. I'm just glad there are options we can turn to and decisions we are able to make,the bovine tissue,or mechanical.........Im happy to be here to share this with all of you.
This is only my experience,each of us has their own,and decisions are always tuff,who said they are easy
My surgeon is very happy with the outcome and the,best of cancellation monday was getting to know my surgeon betterFeeling at ease with whatever decisions were made and i am like i say very happy.Im surely a person that would have missed the mechanical clicks and being on warfarin makes me feel safe and sound as for 16 years already on it
These are my security blankets......I love them.......Bless you all and thank-you for being there with me and my family,your presence as i said was felt
Thank God for all of you (HUGS) everyone.
zipper2 (DEB)
So happy to hear from you,have been thinking of you and following
Pamela's thread. I am sure you feel so much better after a year of CHF.
I had it pretty bad too before Sx,the water retention and SOB is so
limiting. Good to know all is well and to see you 'in person'.
--Dina
Pamela's thread. I am sure you feel so much better after a year of CHF.
I had it pretty bad too before Sx,the water retention and SOB is so
limiting. Good to know all is well and to see you 'in person'.
--Dina
lisou
Well-known member
Hi Deb
Really happy to hear from you, glad you're feeling good, I was anxiously waiting for you update and hearing you were home, take care and keep in touch.
Really happy to hear from you, glad you're feeling good, I was anxiously waiting for you update and hearing you were home, take care and keep in touch.
Deb, you are sounding like your old self again!
Be happy with your new Mech valve, it will do you well for a long time.
Be happy with your new Mech valve, it will do you well for a long time.
So, so happy to hear you are doing so well Deb!
I'm also so encouraged to hear that your doctors were able to help you because your situation was very delicate too since you had had the rheumatic fever & the endocarditis similiar to what I've had in my lifetime!
I wish you 50+ more years of a happy & healthy life ahead of you! Do take of yourself!
I'm also so encouraged to hear that your doctors were able to help you because your situation was very delicate too since you had had the rheumatic fever & the endocarditis similiar to what I've had in my lifetime!
I wish you 50+ more years of a happy & healthy life ahead of you!
Do take of yourself!
K
Karlynn
Glad to read your report and happy that you are on the other side (again!) and doing well. Prayers for a smooth recovery from here on out!
ALCapshaw2
Well-known member
I'm glad you had such a good outcome Deb!
The skill and judgment of this surgeon more than make up for all the 'trials and tribulations' you endured on the road to success.
GOOD JOB by all.
BRAVO!
'AL Capshaw'
The skill and judgment of this surgeon more than make up for all the 'trials and tribulations' you endured on the road to success.
GOOD JOB by all.
BRAVO!
'AL Capshaw'
