Re: Health question


"mrpomfrit" <mrpomfrit@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:46d86168$0$25954$ba4acef3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sorry to bother you all with this, but I need to share...I know you all to
be good people who speak from the heart...
I have no other family than my wife and ten-year-old daughter...they're my
whole world...we're a nation of three...
At this moment I'm scared because my wife has been diagnosed with stenosis
(constriction) of the aortic valve of her heart which has to be monitored
and may (will probably...two, five, ten or twenty years from now...they
don't know) require open heart surgery to replace the valve.
I need reassurance about this because she's all I've got and it frightens
me. Do any of you know anything about this, do you know anyone who's been
through this? This is a tough moment for a nervous nellie like me and I
want to be strong for her but am freaked out. Please help, lovely
Deadheads...

I had aortic stenosis for most of my life. Back in the dark ages when I
was a kid they called it a "heart murmur". As an adult I was given the same
prognosis: in two, five, ten, or twenty years you'll need the valve
replaced. I was managed on meds by a genius of a cardiologist for about 13
years before my heart had enlarged to the point where waiting was no longer
an option. Those 13 years went along just fine and I lived perfectly
normally until I started weakening about a year before I had the surgery.

Generally you want to put off the operation for as long as possible; not
only so new medical procedures can come along to make it easier but because,
depending on the type of valve one chooses, you may have to have the
replacements replaced after they start to wear out. The idea is to outlive
the valve if possible.

There are scores of meds that can keep the enlargement of the heart (almost
always an effect of the stenosis) to a minimum. My doc tried quite a few
on me as time went on, as he needed to subtly alter their effects. None had
any negative side effects to speak of. Its also extremely important to
maintain good blood pressure; if your wife has it she'll be put on a blood
pressure medication. And of course lifestyle; good diet, no smoking,
regular exercise, etc. are important.

There are currently 3 generally used valve types: mechanical, porcine, and
bovine tissue. Mechanical valves last forever and never need to be
replaced. The other side of the coin is that you need to take a blood
thinner like Coumadin for the rest of your life to prevent clotting, which
can be a real drag for a lot of people. Those meds can have some seriously
negative side effects. Porcine valves are actual pig heart valves.
Bovine tissue valves are cow throat tissue fashioned into human heart
valves. Those are the kind I have (I had my mitral replaced too). Neither
require any anti-rejection medications. The negative is that they currently
last about 15-20 years before they start to wear out, so I'll probably have
to have them replaced at some point. One real positive with my choice was
that it turned out I was allergic to the Coumadin they were planning on
giving me for a few weeks after the installation of the cow throats. I
almost bled to death. If I had chosen mechanicals they would have to pull
them out and stick animal ones in since I couldn't take Coumadin for one
day, much less the rest of my life. This shouldn't concern you since the
hemotologist told me I was the one person in a million who has that
reaction,

The surgery is super common, almost routine. Surgeons do them all day long,
assembly line style. Success rates are in the 98-99% range depending on the
condition of the patient and the skill of the surgeon. If all goes well
(which it almost always does in an otherwise healthy person), its about a 4
hour surgery with about 5 days in the hospital, with a couple of weeks of
rest at home. Then you're good to go. I had some rather serious
complications after my surgery, but that was partly because I had two valves
and my aorta (which had an aneurysm) replaced all at the same time, I'm very
unusual medically, and I was in a filthy infection ridden hospital staffed
by incompetent morons. My surgeon, on the other hand, was brilliant and
the valve job itself went swimmingly. I've had no problems with my heart
since. I hike with my dog every day.

While your wife is being managed on meds for the years prior to the surgery,
she should be getting regular echos to monitor the progress of the stenosis.
She should see her cardio if she experiences regular light headedness,
dizziness, or shortness of breath. All may be signs of a need to change
meds. Taking fish oil every day is about all you need if you want to cover
the supplement angle. Have her ask her cardio about it. Flaxseed and
borage oils are also common ones.

So all in all, while there may someday be surgery in her future, the outlook
is great. Normal life until then, normal life afterwards. And if it takes
20 years for her to get to the point where she needs surgery, they'll
probably be installing the valve endoscopically down the throat or via a
laproscope through her belly button. Just be sure to pick a GREAT surgeon
and a GREAT hospital that handles thousands of these surgeries every year to
maximize the odds in your favor.

Best of luck,

OR



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