Shana's Surgery

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Tammy

Hi all.

I visited with Shana at St. Joseph's on Saturday. She was doing great. The surgery was Thursday and she was moved from ICU on Friday. They were talking of releaseing her Sunday, I haven't checked yet to see if shes home.

She had the Aortic valve replaced and a stent put in. Also she agreed to an experimental new adhesive - she is only the second person to get it. More new advances!!!

Talk later.

Tammy
 
Congratulations Shana!

Congratulations Shana!

Thanks Tammy for letting us know how the surgery went for Shana.

That's wonderful news. Continued good recovery, Shana. We'll hear from you soon. You can fill us in on how it went.
 
Thanks Tammy

Thanks Tammy

Thanks for posting about Shanna's surgery. We like to hear the good news.

Shanna we are all pulling for you and awaiting your own posts when you get home. Don't sneeze now!
 
Thanks for letting us know. We always wait anxiously to hear. Sounds like she has some news for us in the new procedure with adhesive. Was it used to close the incision? My prayers are here. God bless
 
Have been wondering how Shana is doing.

Does anyone have any news? Tammy? Or did I miss a message elsewhere on the forums?


Jennifer O.
 
Hello everyone! I am back. It has taken me awhile to get back online. Sorry for the delay. I am feeling pretty good. I have not bounced back as quickly as I thought I would, but I am so glad it is over and I do not have to think about it any longer. I have decided the date change was for the best.

Surgery went well. It did not take nearly as long as first predicted since there were no signs of the Marfans once they were in. Dr. Murphy feels that this was a congenital birth defect and nothing more and should have no further problems. They used a new sealent in my heart to plug the holes left from surgery. I am sorry I cannot remember the name of it right now, but when I go back I will get more info about it. I was so nervous when they were telling me about it I did not retain much. I know that it was supposed to lessen my chances of a blood transfusion and also speed my recovery. I was the 2nd person to receive this (as far as Dr. Murphy's patients go) and I was guaranteed use of it once I signed off on it. Anyone after me was picked at random by the mfg. I finally got to come home on Monday but was still very anemic. Now I am just working on getting the coumidin dose regulated.

I thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I was terrified when I went in and I still cannot believe I have been through this. I tend to be a little irritable with my family, but I hope my nerves will calm down and I will soon be back to normal. I am pretty laid back and it is surprising to everyone to see me be so upset sometimes.

Well, I am going to go for now. Again, I appreciate this sight so much since it has given me peace about a situation that I cannot change. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and I will be back soon.
 
TAMMY & SHANA and all on this great Forum: Today's medical treatment is hard to believe.....and Aida and I are so happy for your speedy recovery......and now I will add Aida's adventure in this never-never land...as I sent it to our relatives and friends to keep everyone posted......as requested:
******************
GREETINGS: Medicine and Medical treatment sure has
taken a Giant Step forward, these past number of
years.

My wife, Aida, barring complications, should be coming
home shortly, and be her old self, once more....her
Double-By-Pass and her Heart Valve Replacement
operation(s), a thing of the past.....for shortly
after all of the above, rather than send the patient
home as an invalid for the rest of her days, the
KAISER HMO, had her transferred to Scripps Torrey
Pines Convalescent and Therapy Center....for rest, and
properly supervised exercise, and get her ready to
return home as a New Woman...Glad to be Alive and
active as before.

When I phoned her this morning, she was located in the
GYM.....imagine....walking up and down stairs, playing
"catch" with the nurse, using a huge beach ball. The
nurse would throw the ball straight to her and also to
each side, forcing her to stretch ever so slightly,
but still retain her balance...the desired result.
Her occupational nurse had her get dressed in street
clothes in order to get her used to "being back to
normal", instead of her thinking of herself as a "just
operated-upon patient". This is really
wonderful....and I only wish I had the same fortitude
and nerve and guts to go ahead with my needed Hip
Replacement....but since it is not life-threatening, I
will try to ride out the storm...for my last 25 years,
or so. <grin>

The other day, sitting alongside her bed, as she was
paying our bills, the nurses all gathered around and
remarked that she had her office there...and only on
second day....Remarkable!
****************************************
There is one thing, though, that I must warn you
about. As Aida was about to be discharged from the
Scripps Hospital, and transferred to the Convalescent
Center, I offered to drive her there, or else she
could have gone in our daughter's van....as long as
the nurse would help her to the car and a nurse at the
Center, help her out.

Over the years, as a Licensed Real Estate Broker in
Forest Hills, New York, I would insist on "Hand
Delivering title reports and bank and mortgage
statements, in order to make sure they got to their
destination without a problem....and it worked just
fine all those years. This is why I wanted to do the
same with Aida, and drive her to the Center, which was
only about 10 minutes drive away.....but when it came
time for her actual discharge, the head nurse decided
that since Aida might still need some Oxygen for the
trip...bed to bed....she would have to go by the
Shuttle service that they use. ....And this almost
proved to be a DISASTER!

Rather than argue the point, I went along with the
idea and soon the Shuttle driver appeared....but minus
an Air Tank....and our nurses at the hospital had to
loan the driver a tank of oxygen for the trip. I then
went to retrieve my car from the garage and drive to
the Convalescent Center....and when I arrived
....there was no sign of Aida....for she had not
arrived as yet.

I was amazed for they left before I did....and sorry
to say, I had to wait at the center for about an hour
before Aida finally arrived via the shuttle.

Ironically, the driver was rather new on the job and
got lost and instead of going due West to the
facility, he went North and they ended up in Del
Mar....a half hour out of their way....asking
directions and finally phoning into the Center, the
driver finally arrived. By this time, poor Aida was
"all in"....frustrated, no end, for not only was the
ride so long and tiring, but the driver seemed to pick
out all the rough roads, and Aida kept bouncing in the
Shuttle.....It was just very fortunate that she still
did have the Oxygen attached, otherwise....God knows
what could have happened to her.

Whatever could possibly have gone wrong, certainly did
on that fateful drive.....so now I vow to do my own
thing should a similar situation ever arise, again.

We are just lucky today, that she shows no sign of
that terrible trip...and is recuperating under the
wonderful care and attention at the Center.

.....And this story would not be complete, without
telling you that our grandchildren continue having a
most wonderful time visiting Grandma Aida and driving
Grandpa's motorized scooter in the huge patio with
curving walkways, statues and fountains.

Their visits always cheer up Grandma Aida....and I
love to see them, too....I mean three! (Eric, Dee and
William)<G>

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL....AIDA & MITCH MENSCHEL

PS: Although San Diego is supposed to be the 7th largest City in the U.S.A., to us it still is a "hick-town"....for none of the nurses were able to tell us what the ROSS PROCEDURE IS.....AND THEY ALSO NEVER HEARD OF A "NEW ADHESIVE".

Can anyone tell us what the two items above really are, in detail, as much as you might know.

THANK YOU ALL......MITCH MENSCHEL
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Hi Mitch,

Glad to hear Aida is doing so well. Tell her to keep it up.

Here is an short explanation how the Ross procedure is done:

The Ross procedure. Here, the patient's own pulmonic valve is transplanted to the aortic position and a pulmonic homograft obtained from a human donor is then placed in the pulmonic position.

Hope this helps.

Christina
Aortic Stenosis
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
St.Jude's Mechanical
Coumadin 20mg a day
 
CHRISTINA: Thanks a million for responding to our question about the Ross Procedure.. It really was surprising to us to find that no one at our hospital knew about this or even seemed to have heard the term used.....but I guess it goes back to the time when we first moved out to San Diego from the "Big Apple" our birthplace....both of us.....on the "lower East side" of Manhattan.

Shortly after relocating to San Diego, Aida started working at a place in Escondido, part of San Diego county.....just a bit North of where we now reside. Laughingly, she would tell her friends that when she goes to work, she gets "SAND" IN HER SHOES.....for the area did not even have cement sidewalks....not then, but now most of the streets do sport sidewalks....HOORAY!!!...AND IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! <GRIN>

Still, the "NEW ADHESIVE" term is foreign to all of us....does anyone know something about this latest giant step forward?

We are very much interested in knowing what it is and where and when is it used, and for what purpose and end result.

Looking forward to some additional information on the above.

Thanks, again, Christina.....and all on this Forum.....

AIDA & MITCH MENSCHEL
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Hello everyone! Mitch, I am glad to hear such good news of your wife's recovery. I am still amazed that I have gone through this. I am so very sore, but I know that will go away eventually. Anyway, I think the name of the sealent they used in my heart was called CoSeal. Please do not quote me on that since as I stated before, I really cannot remember much about the conversation. I go back to the doc on the 23rd of this month and I will get the info again so I can share with all of you. Sorry I cannot do better right now.

Anyway, I wish continued success to your wife on her recovery and will be talking to you soon.

Happy New Year,
Shana
 
Shana: So good to hear you are doing well, and you must be so relieved to be on the "other side" and especially to know you don't have Marfans.

Keep getting better.

Jennifer
 
SHANA: HI! Thank you for the info on CoSeal....and even if that is not exactly the proper name, it is a clue....and I will check it out on the Internet....

Today the nurses and the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy people started bringing up the subject of Aida's possible discharge from the Rehab Center...The powers that be were to have a meeting and discuss Aida's situation and future at the Center.....and of course they were supposed to return in a few minutes and give us the results, their decision....but like it was when I was a "G.I." amd the Army was always, "Hurry up, and Wait!" <grin> Very likely we will know more in the morning, for they even said that a Therapy Nurse could even come to our home, every so often.....to check on Aida and treat as needed.

As far as we are concerned, though, we would just as soon have Aida remain as long as she wanted, in order to be fully cured and ready for battle......but we will have to go along with whatever decision is made by the Chiefs.

Now that the grandkids have been riding the patio day after day at the Center, today I gave them a special treat....I permitted them to ride the scooter ALONE.....just as long as they kept the speed down to the slowest and stayed in the center of the path, and not to go on the grass or shrubbery.....and not to chase the pet Rabbit. Should another patient in a wheelchair appear anywhere on the Patio, they were to stop immediately and then return to me at once.....which they did.....and we had no complaints...as yet. <grin>

A few of the other residents at the center asked me how I was able to have such a great scooter...while they only have skimpy walkers and wheelchairs.....It really is sad that no one advances the information that Medicare will take care of the expense, as long as they qualify and upon a Specialist's request, the might be given such a blessing, as happened to me.....But up till now, NOBODY even told them about the possibility of securing a scooter or motorized wheelchair. I wonder why?

MITCH MENSCHEL/WEBMASTER...AS AIDA'S SAGA CONTINUES.....
<>><><><<>><><><><<><>><><<>><><><<>><<><>
 
SHANA AND ALL: RE: CoSeal......Here is the latest information that I could gather from the Internet:
***********************
CoSeal: CoSeal?? surgical sealant (CoSeal) is a completely synthetic, resorbable sealant for use in preventing leakage following surgery or trauma. Once dispensed from the applicator the product immediately polymerizes to form a highly effective, flexible hydogel seal.

CoSeal consists of two synthetic, biocompatible components. The components are mixed together in the delivery device and applied as a liquid. CoSeal is designed to rapidly adhere to host tissue and inhibit leakage from surgical sites. CoSeal will remain intact through the critical wound healing period and then be absorbed and eliminated by the body.


What are the components in CoSeal?
CoSeal is composed of reactive polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers. The polymers are combined to form a completely synthetic hydrogel, which adheres to host tissue in situ.

Can CoSeal be resterilized?
No, attempts to resterilize CoSeal will render it ineffective.

Is CoSeal bioresorbable?
Yes, animal studies demonstrated the material is completely resorbed within thirty days after treatment.

Must CoSeal be prepared before surgery begins?
No, CoSeal can be prepared in less than five minutes by mixing two components and inserting them into the delivery system.

Can CoSeal be used multiple times throughout a procedure without clogging?
Yes, the proprietary delivery system minimizes clogging, which allows multiple uses of the same device.

What is the difference between CoSeal and fibrin sealants?
CoSeal is a completely synthetic hydrogel, while fibrin sealant is derived from pooled human blood proteins. Because it is synthetic, CoSeal carries no risk of viral transmission. Unlike fibrin sealants, CoSeal has no interaction with the clotting cascade. CoSeal works by adhering to the host tissue and forming a mechanical barrier which inhibits blood loss.

Can CoSeal be used with synthetic grafts?
Yes, CoSeal has been shown effective in animal models using PTFE grafts. In these studies, CoSeal was successfully used to treat suture hole bleeding, a common problem following placement of these grafts. It is anticipated that CoSeal will adhere as well or better to Dacron or collagen-coated Dacron grafts.

Is CoSeal commercially available?
CoSeal is commercially available in Europe. However, it is currently restricted to investigational use only in the U.S.
*****************************************
I hope this give you all an idea of "CoSeal"

MITCH MENSCHEL/WEBMASTER
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