Headed to the Mayo Clinic

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seth

seth

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
76
Location
Los Angeles area
Hi all. Tomorrow (Friday July 9) I fly to Minnesota. I will rent a car and visit family over the weekend and then drive down to Rochester on Monday. I have evaluations at the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday & Wednesday. I still have the pounding-vibration problem (as always) and recently have developed irregular rhythm issues as well. My insurance isn't covering this Mayo excursion so I got blood tests and chest X-ray done here in advance through my PCP and insurance and will take those results with me. On Tuesday I will have more tests done, including an echo, then meet with Dr. Hector I. Michelena at the Valvular Heart Clinic. On Wednesday I consult with surgeon Dr. Thoralf M. Sundt. After that meeting I drive up to Minneapolis and fly back to L.A. the same day. I feel I need to do this, to have someone else look into my situation and tell me what is going on. Perhaps this will be a fresh start of sorts with new people and new minds. My sense is that my current doctors have drawn conclusions and lost their curiosity and open mindedness regarding my case and answers are hard to come by.
 
Hi Seth,
Wishing you the best of luck on your journey, hope you receive whatever it is you need to help you with your pounding heart issues... take care.
 
Seth, good luck on your trip east...if only as far as Minnesota. Hopefully some answers await you there....sometimes if you don't go looking yourself, the answers are not found so commend you on taking this upon yourself. Our thoughts will be with you.

Midge
 
I am so happy for you, Seth, and I am continuing my prayers that Mayo clinic will have the key and the answers to resolve your issues.

With prayers and good wishes, and awaiting to hear from you when you can :)
 
I think your doing the right thing. Maybe it really does take some fresh "open minds" to look at the problem.
 
FYI, Dr. Sundt seems to be the Top Aorta Surgeon at Mayo Clinic. You probably already know that.

Whatever happened to the Modeling and Testing Studies that were going to be done at your local University?

Personally, I think you have a "Mechanical Resonance" in your graft that is the Root Cause of your Problems. To prevent the 'Water Hammer Effect', you would need to either dampen the response or change the resonant frequency (by changing the characteristics of the graft...Length, Diameter, Rigidity of the conduit).

and Yes, that would most likely require another Surgery.

It will be interesting to hear what Dr. Sundt has to say,
and to get some RESULTS from those University 'studies'.

You may want to ask about the status of those studies and what 'they' did with the valves and conduits supplied by St. Jude to support those studies.

To my (Engineering) mind, characterizing and modeling your valve and graft would seem to be the Best Way to understand the Pounding Response you are experiencing to your Heartbeats.

'AL Capshaw'
 
This sounds like the best way to go. I wish you well and hope you can get some answers and a plan. Altho like Al, I'm afraid the solution would be another surgery. But hopefully the Mayo can come up with some less invasive ideas.
 
Seth, you will be in my prayers. I hope that the doctors at Mayo can at least look in a different direction than has previously been explored and might be able to give you some concrete answers. My very best wishes to you.
 
I like your thinking. This sounds like a good journey. Keep us posted.

Good luck and best wishes!

Marguerite
 
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