SatoriFround
Well-known member
So I went to my first surgical consult. It was with Dr. Alexis Shaffi at Baylor/St. Luke's. The first thing he explained was what the size of my aorta should be for a person my size, I think it was like a quarter, I don't remember exactly, but he said that currently it was the size of a pencil eraser! That is just crazy to me. He said at my age, 51, it could go either way, biological or mechanical valve. I asked about the cardiologist's statement that for bicuspid valves biological is the better choice and he looked at me like I was crazy. LOL He didn't know of any research to support that statement either. He didn't seem to have a strong opinion either way. We talked about the nose bleeds I get, but he said he doesn't believe it contraindicates a mechanical valve as I have only been to the hospital once for them. He stated if I chose a mechanical that the On-X was the way to go due to lower inf threshold required for them. He also stated he wasn't recommending repairing the aortic aneurysm since it is only 4.5, but this is dependent on looking at the films of the CT which he hadn't gotten yet. He wants to make sure it was measured correctly. He stated that the aneurysm most likely wouldn't stop growing with the new valve it was just a matter of how long until it crossed the threshold to needing surgery. He also wants to see positioning of my aortic valve, etc, since I have unconventional heart placement due to the pectus excavatum. This seems like a wasted opportunity to me. Why would you not fix both problems when you know the other one will be needing repair in the future? He stated it was due to added complexity and added risks, but he also stated that despite the added complexity it only added about 20 minutes to the operation time. Why would you want to put someone through TWO open heart surgeries when you could do it all in one? Two recovery periods.... *sigh* I got the impression he prefers tissue valves, but I could be wrong. He was quite difficult to read. The nurse told me once I get my second opinion, if I decide to go with this doctor they could schedule the surgery within two weeks.
I am dropping off my test results with Dr. Reardon's office at Houston Methodist tomorrow as the organization that has them has had my request to send them in the processing status and the office won't make the appointment without the testing results. Hopefully they can get me in quickly and then I can kick this thing off!
Both doctors are highly respected, as are the hospitals they work with, so I don't even know what will be the deciding factor in who I choose to go with.
I am dropping off my test results with Dr. Reardon's office at Houston Methodist tomorrow as the organization that has them has had my request to send them in the processing status and the office won't make the appointment without the testing results. Hopefully they can get me in quickly and then I can kick this thing off!
Both doctors are highly respected, as are the hospitals they work with, so I don't even know what will be the deciding factor in who I choose to go with.