Natina13
Well-known member
My name is Renee, I recently joined your "waiting room" team. It has taken me a couple of months to find a good forum, with active, informative, kind and supportive posts from people. I am so happy I found this site, and am privileged to be a member. I have mostly been reading alot of comments/threads over the last week, trying to absorb needed knowledge, to hopefully help me make my final decision before my surgery, as to which valve type I want used. They should never offer a woman a choice, without the ability to try it on first, to see if it fits right or if it comes in any other colors !
My whole life I had a heart murmur, which my Mother felt was caused by a childhood illness. I have had numerous doctors ( you tend to do that when you get pregnant 9 times) over my lifetime, and all they would say is, " Are you aware you have a heart murmur". So, I was sort of shocked, when a Dr. Gregory, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, in Fresno...informed me, my Mother had been mistaken. I had been born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, which had gone undiagnosed for 59 years.
After a year of not being able to walk up a flight of steps ( I had been hiking for miles in Yosemite, feeling great, prior to this), without feeling like a 500# weight was sitting on my chest, fatigue, fluid retention...and the IM Doctor trying to regulate my hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's disease ) , telling me...".It will be ok, as soon as I get your medicine regulated "! I decided to go back to my Cardiologist, I have seen for over 12 years, even though, my last stress test had been normal 8 months ago. He does an echo, says I need an angiogram,then says I have 1 proximal artery occluded 50% and he can get the insurance to authorize a Stent placement in 2 days.
After a few days of research online , I asked my insurance for a second opinion , thus...meeting Dr. Gregory, who after reviewing my tests, including the DVD of my angiogram...informed me, I need my Aortic Valve replaced due to severe stenosis, as a result of my congenital heart defect...and I have 3 proximal arteries more than 75% occluded, thus needing a Triple Bypass too. This was in December, I wanted Christmas with my family, but told the doctor I would come back in January. At my January appointment, I told him March17 seems like a lucky day, as I am part Irish. He wanted it sooner, but I needed time to go through my shock, denial, anger, back to denial, then back to anger, then to my " maybe if I pray hard enough, it will all just go away" stages,lol
I know this has been long, so please accept my apology....but as you can see, I have been kind of , well, pissed off , I am trying very hard to get into the positive attitude I need to come through this surgery with flying colors.
I feel better now...just getting all that off my chest. Now, if Dr Gregory will get that 500# off it, I will as he put it " have a correctly working heart for the first time in my life".
Your words of compassion for each other have been of great comfort to me, as I read them and your jokes have made me laugh, something I needed greatly. So thank all of you, for being the awesome people you are....your words calm fears, light the way and make others know, they are truly not alone on this journey.
Those of you who are post-surgery, give of yourself, your knowledge and your time, to help the people to yet go where, you have already been. . You are all "Special" people here, there are :angel: among you....never doubt it...
My prayers and well wishes go out to all of you and may the light of God's eternal love keep you all safe.
ps..my doctor will be shocked on surgery day, as I plan to leave hot-pink post-it notes all over my body...like on my thigh "While your here harvesting a vein to use in my CABG , please remove the cellulite " and some on my chest which say " Since your here anyway, can you do a breast lift/tummy tuck combo and the most important on my right nipple "Press here to restart my heart, if this fails, roll me over and kick my arse" Hope he has a warped sense of humor like me .....:tongue2:
My whole life I had a heart murmur, which my Mother felt was caused by a childhood illness. I have had numerous doctors ( you tend to do that when you get pregnant 9 times) over my lifetime, and all they would say is, " Are you aware you have a heart murmur". So, I was sort of shocked, when a Dr. Gregory, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, in Fresno...informed me, my Mother had been mistaken. I had been born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, which had gone undiagnosed for 59 years.
After a year of not being able to walk up a flight of steps ( I had been hiking for miles in Yosemite, feeling great, prior to this), without feeling like a 500# weight was sitting on my chest, fatigue, fluid retention...and the IM Doctor trying to regulate my hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's disease ) , telling me...".It will be ok, as soon as I get your medicine regulated "! I decided to go back to my Cardiologist, I have seen for over 12 years, even though, my last stress test had been normal 8 months ago. He does an echo, says I need an angiogram,then says I have 1 proximal artery occluded 50% and he can get the insurance to authorize a Stent placement in 2 days.
After a few days of research online , I asked my insurance for a second opinion , thus...meeting Dr. Gregory, who after reviewing my tests, including the DVD of my angiogram...informed me, I need my Aortic Valve replaced due to severe stenosis, as a result of my congenital heart defect...and I have 3 proximal arteries more than 75% occluded, thus needing a Triple Bypass too. This was in December, I wanted Christmas with my family, but told the doctor I would come back in January. At my January appointment, I told him March17 seems like a lucky day, as I am part Irish. He wanted it sooner, but I needed time to go through my shock, denial, anger, back to denial, then back to anger, then to my " maybe if I pray hard enough, it will all just go away" stages,lol
I know this has been long, so please accept my apology....but as you can see, I have been kind of , well, pissed off , I am trying very hard to get into the positive attitude I need to come through this surgery with flying colors.
I feel better now...just getting all that off my chest. Now, if Dr Gregory will get that 500# off it, I will as he put it " have a correctly working heart for the first time in my life".
Your words of compassion for each other have been of great comfort to me, as I read them and your jokes have made me laugh, something I needed greatly. So thank all of you, for being the awesome people you are....your words calm fears, light the way and make others know, they are truly not alone on this journey.
Those of you who are post-surgery, give of yourself, your knowledge and your time, to help the people to yet go where, you have already been. . You are all "Special" people here, there are :angel: among you....never doubt it...
My prayers and well wishes go out to all of you and may the light of God's eternal love keep you all safe.
ps..my doctor will be shocked on surgery day, as I plan to leave hot-pink post-it notes all over my body...like on my thigh "While your here harvesting a vein to use in my CABG , please remove the cellulite " and some on my chest which say " Since your here anyway, can you do a breast lift/tummy tuck combo and the most important on my right nipple "Press here to restart my heart, if this fails, roll me over and kick my arse" Hope he has a warped sense of humor like me .....:tongue2:
