why now??
Hello all, I had a triple by-pass 7 years ago at the age of 48. I just suffered my second heart attack and had two new stents put in and a replacement for an old one. Now my doctor tells me I may need open heart surgery again to replace a leaky valve that is getting worse. I have had this since childhood. My question is, why didn't they replace the valve the first time?? Why do I have to go through that again. I'm depressed. Thanks for listening.
Hello keewee, It may well be that your valve was not sufficiently deteriorated when you had your bypass. I just had aortic valve replacement, 3 years after my CABG X3. My pressure gradients progressed from 5 to 10 to 20 to 30 over that period of time, showing a rapid deterioration of my aortic valve. It would have been very premature to have replaced it 3 years ago. There is an EXCELLENT website at www.ValveReplacement.com with lots of information and support for people with valve disease. The main headings include Heart Links (for heart and valve information), Personal Stories (sorted by valve issues), and a FORUM supported by ~ 400 Valve Replacement survivors. The Forum is further broken down by major topics such as Pre-surgery, Post Surgery, Valve Selection, Reference Sources, Coumadin, etc. This site was established by a computer technician who has had valve replacment surgery. NO Question, Valve Replacement is MAJOR surgery, but survival rates are VERY HIGH when performed by experienced surgeons at Hospitals that do this type of surgery on a high volume basis. The Cleveland Clinic is the #1 rated Heart Hospital in the U.S. (world?) but there are many excellent regional centers. www.HealthGrades.com rates hospitals by procedure so you can compare your local hospital(s) to help decide where you would prefer to go. Think positive and keep a Positive Mental Attitude ! That goes a long way towards a successful outcome and recovery. Best Wishes, 'AL'
In a message dated 6/18/02 12:28:18 AM Canada Central Standard Time, keewee93@... writes: << You seem to be so much more informed as to your medical condition than I'm. Maybe I don't ask enough questions. I've had so many medical procedures that some of the doctors kid me that I should just do my own and send in the results :-) <