Still on chair in corner of waiting room.

[bluefields409]

Yep..still here. Been watching so many come and and settle in until their turn, reading forums incognito and offering silent prayers and best wishes.I feel like someone who goes to a coffee shop and asks for a "free" cup of water and reads all the newspapers other patrons have left behind. :biggrin2:

Am embarrassed to admit that I became so frustrated with the lack of consensus between various physicians that I declared a medical emancipation .:eek2:

And so, in November it will be 3 years since I have had any follow up despite ongoing and worsening symptoms. I know, stupid, foolhardy, idiotic, stubborn. My comment to whose who inquired as to my status was "maybe when i am dead they will do something" . That pretty much sums up how I was feeling. Dark sentiment and a real damper to my spirit and did not reflect my usual sense of humour about what life tosses my way.

Turning 50 :rolleyes2: soon and I have told myself that I will book an appointment for an echo after birthday trip in September and will go from there. Continuing the game of roulette a bit longer but gee, this ostrich suit is still 'comfie':redface2:

Even hard to admit here that it may be time for this chick to move forward on the heart road. After all, I just got another cup of water :wink2:

Be blessed , be safe safe.

Blue

 

[ski girl]

Yes blue, stupid. I too declared medical emancipations of nine years followed by seven years but I was asymptomatic .

Glad to hear you're going to see a cardio soon! If you're experiencing symptoms you should go see someone NOW not after your trip.

Tough love session for the day - tick.

 

[tom in MO]

Blue, I know how you feel. Fed up with Drs. At 18months after surgery, I am currently ignoring a lot of "little" things that are not life threatening.

However, your BAV will not fail in a linear fashion. You will reach a tipping point and it will fail much more quickly. So, if you have symptoms, please get your echo. I had no symptoms, but when they removed my BAV it was shot. Ready to fail...in a heartbeat.

Choose life, since your Canadian, it's your right as a citizen and taxpayer

 

[iheart]

We do funny things when it comes to our health.

After my murmur was discovered I saw my cardiologist regularly over the next few years. Then, feeling confident nothing was brewing with my heart, I skipped the next six.

After a bad and stressful couple of years I decided to go in for an echo just to make sure things were cool--and luckily for me I did. An aneurysm requiring surgery was discovered in my aorta, and my valve was leaking badly. Still, even after this discovery I waited 6 months -- after my 50th birthday trip, lol -- to follow up, and schedule the surgery. That was stupid, inexplicable. I still can't believe I waited that long to take action.

I didn't have any symptoms. If you do, something's probably wrong. Get it checked. Good luck.

iheart

 

[T in YVR]

Blue,
Well I guess everyone has a different approach to it all, but I echo the sentiments of others to have it looked at. I'm 'severe' and asymptomatic and can't wait to get it done vs. having this cloud hang over me. If you have "ongoing and worsening symptoms", I'd get in ASAP....your body is starting to tell you something. You don't mention what the lack of consensus is regarding, but maybe you can escalate or change doctors? Also, I realize that if things are serious enough, they get you in ASAP, but the earlier you plan, the better prepared you can be in terms of researching and selecting a surgeon. It can take a while to move through the system and have all the pre-surgery tests and procedures taken care of.

One other VERY important point from a fellow Cdn - you mention you are going on a trip for your 50th. If you plan on leaving the country, be aware (if you are not already) that you would be doing so with documented knowledge of a pre-existing medical condition, and the insurance companies can get very difficult over these types of situations, should you ever require any emergency treatment (related to your heart condition) while outside Canada. You could get stuck with a massive bill if anything happened. I travel extensively for my job and I have been essentially grounded due to my AV (another reason why I want it fixed ASAP!). The risk of an emergency may be low, but FYI. Traveling in Canada is fine, as they have transfer agreements between provinces etc. I called 2 other insurance companies (outside of my coverage I have through my employer), and they won't insure me for travel into the U.S.

Good luck with it all...

 

[clawie1]

Blue,

One other VERY important point from a fellow Cdn - you mention you are going on a trip for your 50th. If you plan on leaving the country, be aware (if you are not already) that you would be doing so with documented knowledge of a pre-existing medical condition, and the insurance companies can get very difficult over these types of situations, should you ever require any emergency treatment (related to your heart condition) while outside Canada. You could get stuck with a massive bill if anything happened. I travel extensively for my job and I have been essentially grounded due to my AV (another reason why I want it fixed ASAP!). The risk of an emergency may be low, but FYI. Traveling in Canada is fine, as they have transfer agreements between provinces etc. I called 2 other insurance companies (outside of my coverage I have through my employer), and they won't insure me for travel into the U.S.

How true this is and I am not sure everyone is aware of this. Many of us purchase travel insurance but did not know many have exclusions. Case in point: My daughter is a physician at a hospital in Rapid City, S.D. Recently she admitted a woman who had aortic stenosis but like many of us, asymptomatic that is before she admitted into ER. The family was on vacation in Rapid City. When it was determined she needed surgery, she assumed because she had purchased travel insurance before her vacation, she was covered. Since her team was back at Boston Hospital, she decided to go back there. After contacting the travel insurance company, she was told since she had a preexisting problem, her travel back to Boston was NOT covered. The cost for emergency air lift $35,000. Thanks for reminding us about this very important fact. When I am able to travel again, I will try to get written authorization from the travel insurance companies just in case....
Clawie1 aka Nita
Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement July 21, 2013, St. Jude 21"mm porcine valve, septal myomectomy

 

[SuzanneSLO]

For those interested in travel insurance, the best message board I have found is on CruiseCritic.com. There are lots of knowedgeable folks there, including some from Canada and Europe.

The key for those on this board is to make sure you have a waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion. This is available to US residents if you purchase your policy shortly after you make the first payment on your vacation (although some policies allow for later purchase). You must follow the other requirements as well.

For many policies, that means not under-insuring. For most, you must be medically able to travel on the day you buy the policy, even if the trip won't take place for months. Bottom line: don't buy travel insurance while still in the ICU!
-- Suzanne

 

[knotguilty]

I, as well as everybody on this site, understand your frustration. It is important to get checked, and to stay educated, and have a few opinions. It is all up to you as to what you ultimately want to do. I will say that you may want to consider your loved ones though and how their lives would be affected if you were not around. I have three kids and they are dependent on me and it was not worth the risk to wait and see. Good luck to you. And prayers to you.