Darlene's Guestbook

Hi Darlene, I am 4 months post-op and I stopped by this site to check-in as well. It always gives me a boost. Thanks for your post today. It made my day, and gave me that little bit of extra re-assurance as I continue to heal and adjust to life after OHS. I related to so much of your story- especially the diagnosis part (after my first cardiologist told me to "wait and watch" since I didnt have any symptoms, and didnt mention anything about repairing my valve). Something just didnt feel right, and so I did valve research on my own, got more opinions, and eventually traveled outside of my network to get into expert hands. When I had my TEE (which I also requested), my mitral valve was actually severely leaking and the Dr. said he thought that it had been leaking badly for a while. Its amazing how the heart can work hard to over-compensate, but with this info. I knew it was only a matter of time. I was still pretty assymptomatic, but was grateful to schedule surgery within a few months, even though I was scared out of my mind. I had a very good experience in the hands of heart valve repair specialist, Dr. Luis Castro, at Sequoia Vascular Hospital in Redwood City, Ca. - much like you had with Dr. Adams. I was willing to travel across the country for my surgery, but Im glad I didnt have to. I was extremely lucky that I was able to leave my HMO group plan, and enroll January 1st into a PPO plan where I could choose my surgeon. I often worry that others who get the same mitral valve news (especially when they are younger) and not told by their Dr. about all of their choices and potential outcomes, and in some circumstances face getting their mitral valve replaced instead of repaired depending on the skill level of the surgeon. However, I feel that Adam Pick has done an incredible job in the realm of patient advocacy with the YouTube videos and also in creating this heart community forum. I, too have made 2 close friends through this site that have helped me tremendously in my recovery. Life is good. Very good!