Best Case Against Surgery Now? What is it?

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cbdheartman

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
180
Location
Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Okay, I am about 95% there with getting the surgery now.

As a lawyer -- and an obsessive person, see, e.g. my many posts in the last days -- I am always trying to consider the counterarguments.

Can anyone give me a good case for or the best argument for waiting? In other words, can anyone make the case for a 31-year old, 6'4'', 195 lb male with BAV and a 4.9 cm aortic root aneurysm waiting to have surgery? What is it?
 
#1 - You are a masochist and you want to "Feel the Burn" when your aneurism Disects or Ruptures.

#2 - As a Lawyer, you don't Trust anyone's description of a disection so you to want to experience it for yourself.

#3 - Being a highly competititve Type A personality (requirement for #2), you want to be able to "One Up" Ross with your tale of Survival!

#4 - ALL of the Above! :)
 
Stop thinking about what will happen if you have this surgery, and start thinking about what will happen if you don't! That is the true question. If you need surgery, there are no alternatives. It is a plumbing problem, and your surgeon (plumber) has to get in there and take care of your valve/s and bulging pipe, install new check valves and reinforce the bulge.

Why wait for the pipe to burst, or any of the other nasty scenarios that could happen?
 
I am 61 with BAV and aneurysm of the ascending aorta. I am asymtomatic. But then so was my father when he died at 58. I have had my heart cath picked my surgeon and it wil be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. Like you I am into information over load. I can give you the mortality rate compared to the national avg for almost any heart hosptal in Mo and many in TN,AR and IL. I know that Robin Williams went to Clevland Clinic because it is nimber 1 in the nation. I picked my surgeon because he specializes in valve replacement and aorta repairs. He was trained by the surgeon that was one of the major pioneers in this type of surgery. I know that elective surgery in my over all health has a low near 0 mortality rate in the hands of a top surgeon. I also know the first symtom of AVD can be sudden death. I also know that an anuerysm can rupture at any size and the longer I wait the greater the chance of that happening. If you suffer a rupture the mortality is 90to 95%. Even if you live through emergency surgery you may never be any where near normal. There is no case to be made against surgery. Believe me I tried to make one.
 
Staph infection?

Male nurses giving you a sponge bath?

Just kidding, I hope that whatever you decide is right for you & your family, now get the surgery!!!!!
 
Get the surgery done!!!!

There is no point in waiting around, researching every site known to man, agonising over the what ifs - you'll drive yourself and your family crazy.

You have to give in mate, accept the fact that you need this done NOW, and JUST DO IT!
You have been given so much good advice on this forum and the overwhelming consensus is for you to get your surgery done ASAP. What are you waiting for????
 
Scared about surgery vs scared about no surgery

Scared about surgery vs scared about no surgery

I think the best argument is that you are scared of the surgery because deep down you dont believe it can happen to you: aortic dissection. Unfortunately, that is not the case and it has a high mortality rate. Are any MDs suggesting you wait? If not, maybe there is a reason why.

Good luck on your surgery.
 
You know, I'm thinking we should get the OR prepped and do this surgery ourselves! We can do it Dr. House style. Knock him out and just do it.
 
Bridgette said:
Get the surgery done!!!!

There is no point in waiting around, researching every site known to man, agonising over the what ifs - you'll drive yourself and your family crazy.

You have to give in mate, accept the fact that you need this done NOW, and JUST DO IT!
You have been given so much good advice on this forum and the overwhelming consensus is for you to get your surgery done ASAP. What are you waiting for????
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I have an ascending aortic aneurysm that's at 4.5 cm and I was ready to get it repaired the minute I found out because it makes me nervous even knowing it's there! However, my cardio is still in the wait and watch mode.

I know surgery is a scary thought but you will come through it just fine. Have faith and trust in the surgeons.

Bridgette is right. What are you waiting for?

Good luck!

Cheers,
Michelle
 
So that someone of cour colleagues can sue the hospital for giving you unclear advice?

Or maybe if you want to change career and be able to describe as an ultimate wallraff journalist how a dissection feels like (but you could as well interview Ross, me and some very few other survivors on this forum).

::g
 
As a lawyer, when you have all arguments to your benefit, don't you take the case since you will win?!!

Here is the same situation! The surgeons and residents and nurses are on your side to help you win your health back.
 
Thanks to you all! Keep it coming. I am about 98% there now.

The thing I don't understand is this: Why did Svensson say wait? Why does my newly graduated MD brother-in-law say if he were married he'd tell his wife to wait? Why does one of my best friends who is an MD/JD say he agrees with Svensson?

Of course another Dr. friend last night said this when I asked her what she would do were this her child or herself. She said, I will say what I would tell you as a good close friend: do the surgery.
 
Rick said:
I think the best argument is that you are scared of the surgery because deep down you dont believe it can happen to you: aortic dissection. Unfortunately, that is not the case and it has a high mortality rate. Are any MDs suggesting you wait? If not, maybe there is a reason why.

Good luck on your surgery.
Click to expand...

Rick, yeah, as I just posted, they are. Second surgeon says he waits to 5.5 cm. The next said I am at 4.9 (though I have another scan showing 5.2 though the second surgeon said closer to 5.0/5.1) and he would wait to 5.1/5.2. Medical friends are saying they think waiting might make sense.

They haven't made a compelling case but I posted this thread to see if there were a compelling case. I am not seeing it!
 
They are playing the satistics game. Odds are your aorta won't ruppture at 4.9 (but as you can see from a couple here if it happens to you it don't mean squat) They are looking at your age and the possibility of more surgery down the road, However at your age unlless they put a mech valve in at the same time you are going to look at another surgery. By the way the odds of them repairing a BAV are not real good. Even if you wait chances are that puppy is going to grow and need surgery in a year or so anyway. Please go back and look at the list of problems Ross has because he followed the "lets wait till it is at least 5.0cm" I am facing surgery for almost the same things you are. Am I scared? Behond believe! However, I want a normal life again. I am tired of waking up in the morning and wodering if I will start having symtoms, pass out or trying to determine if I am having indigestion or blood is flowing into my chest from a rupture. I have grand children I want to watch grow, I have a hip that needs replaced (can't be done until I have the heart surgery) We love to travel and were 4 days from closing on a winter home in FL when I was dignosed. We backed out because of an uncertain future. I am tired of my life being on hold. I am tired of living in constant fear. It is time to get on with my life. I am glad we live in a time and a country that this can be fixed. Hundreds of thousands of folks around the world don't get this opportunity,
 
LET'S go HEARTman (clap clap clap-clap-clap)

Stop asking why this, why that...all these doctor friends of yours can tell you what they want, but it doesn't change the fact that YOU have an aneurysm and THEY don't. Maybe if it was in THEIR chests they'd change their tune.

There are many compelling arguments for surgery, and I'm still waiting to hear one against.

You can do it.
 
MissMelis said:
LET'S go HEARTman (clap clap clap-clap-clap)

Stop asking why this, why that...all these doctor friends of yours can tell you what they want, but it doesn't change the fact that YOU have an aneurysm and THEY don't. Maybe if it was in THEIR chests they'd change their tune.

There are many compelling arguments for surgery, and I'm still waiting to hear one against.

You can do it.
Click to expand...

Seriously, ask these Doctors that are basing their decisions on stats that if it were their aneursym in their chest, would they still wait? I'm betting they'd all say no.
 
You guys have me laughing a lot.

A doctor friend made a great point last night: if you wait, you add the years of risk of the aneurysm to the risk of surgery. If you go forward now, you avoid all those years of risk and take the same one-time surgery risk! Again a good point for doing it now.
 
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