Search results

Hello-- I never post here because my mitral valve repair has been more or less stable for 10 years... and now it's not. My cardiologist thinks I need a replacement in the next 6 months. The rather fortuitous news in my life is that I just got a new job in Cleveland, and am moving there next...

Offwego, it's interesting that your impression of NYU was similar to mine. I also had my mitral valve repaired by Dr. Colvin in 2005. I had an echo done while I was still in the hospital which showed that the valve was severely leaking after surgery-- but I was not told about the results of that...

Hi Everyone-- My mother and her leaky aortic valve are looking for a cardiologist in Oklahoma City. Ideally, she's looking for someone on the north side of the city or in Edmond. All suggestions appreciated. Thanks! nearyneary

Lyn, I just watched the video, and you're right, it is misleading. It is completely frustrating when people assume that all heart problems are caused by poor diet or lack of exercise, and can be fixed by changing those habits. Likewise, I have the hardest time explaining to people that I've had...

Apparently, she has a leaky valve (the article is sort of vague about which one-- is she talking about her aortic valve?): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30950377/ It's great to see a young female celebrity speaking out about valve disease-- maybe now people will stop telling me that I'm "too...

Matt, I don't really have any great advice for you, but you have my sympathies. I was in grad school at NYU when I had my surgery, and my student insurance had a lifetime cap of $150,000 per condition. There was an option to buy catastrophic coverage, which would increase the lifetime cap to...

Is anyone else a patient at the UNC Heart Center in Chapel Hill? I had an echo done there recently, and when I asked for a copy of the report, the receptionist told me that I had to go to the records department at UNC's main hospital (which is nowhere near the Heart Center). Of course, the...

Very interesting. I've been on Diovan for four years, but am thinking about asking my doctor to switch me to Cozaar when it goes generic, purely for cost reasons. Have you found that it is equally effective and free of side effects, as compared to Diovan?

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. They have no effect whatsoever on viruses or viral infections. If you want to take anything with you for reassurance, bring an antiviral drug (Tamiflu or Relenza).

I don't mean this to sound as harsh as it is going to sound, but one possible outcome is that you might die, especially if your heart is already starting to enlarge and weaken. Don't wait to follow up on this. I don't know if there are any hospitals in your area that specialize in caring for the...

I've been having this problem with aspirin, too. I was taking the 81 mg enteric-coated stuff, but I stopped a couple of months ago because I've been having stomach pains for at least a year. I wasn't sure if it was the aspirin or something else, but I feel much better now that I've stopped...

Offwego, I had my mitral repaired by Dr. Colvin as well (3 years ago). I'm so sorry to hear that you may need to have another surgery. I actually worry about that quite a bit because I was told within a few days after my surgery that my echo results showed that I still had a moderate to severe...

Wow, I had no idea. He saved my life! Thanks for posting this, jcat2006. Very sad for his wife and young children...

Like everyone else said, it depends on your individual situation. I had cardio visits and echos 3 and 9 months after surgery because my cardio thought at first that my repair had failed (echo showed a moderate/severe leak). Then I moved from New York to Virginia, and my new cardio thinks the...

I was told that I can't take Coreg CR because I am on a very low dose of Coreg, and the lowest dose of Coreg CR is higher than what I'm taking now. So that might be a contraindication for some people.

Deborah Deborah I don't know much about Deborah personally, but one of my former co-workers had nothing but good things to say about it (her husband had his mitral valve replaced there). She thought that her husband got excellent care, and she encouraged me to go there for my surgery (I opted...

Congratulations, Kim! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I have a friend (not on this board) who had his BAV repaired by Dr. Cosgrove, and the repair failed a little over a year later. However, he went back to Dr. Cosgrove for his second surgery (mechanical replacement) and still thinks highly of him. In any case, BAV repairs are more likely to fail...

Congratulations Melissa! Glad to hear your repair is holding up well. Best of luck with grad school and everything else!

Hi everyone-- I asked my cardio if I could take birth control pills with estrogen, and he said that it would be fine. He told me that my risk of getting a blood clot isn't any higher than anyone else's (which makes me wonder why I'm taking aspirin every day :rolleyes: ). It still makes me a...