Home > Community > Patient News Feed > Jane Higginbotham

Jane's Posts

Diagnosis: Aortic Stenosis

Member Since: April 16, 2017

Send Jane a Note

My Posts

Jane Higginbotham posted an update

9 years ago (April 22, 2017)

I am just getting started on this journey and have my first heart cath and TEE on Wed.Can someone tell we what to expect? My surgery for aortic valve replacement will follow shortly in May at Mount Sinai in NY. I live in south Florida so have some traveling issues... Read more.

👍 Debbie Wood reacted to this

Noreen Kitchen

I understand your anxiety and felt the same thing. Even though I used to work in the cardiac cath lab and literally saw hundreds done I was very nervous to be on the other side. I have no memory of my TEE they gave me some drugs just before and... Read more.

Jeff Kirsch

I am just barely ahead of you in the process but I have had the TEE and cardio cathorization. The tests were not bad at all for me. I dreaded both exams and afterwards wished I had not dwelled so much on them. The teams were great and very supportive.... Read more.

Marie Myers

Ditto on the notes above. My anticipation was was far more than the reality of both tests...

Vanessa Corwin

Same here. Tests were not a big deal.

Catie B

I too had a lot of fear; had two caths in the 70s! I don't remember the actual cath last year, due to the sedation, but things went smoothly and they used some new sort of plug that allowed me to avoid the hours of lying flat. Much easier than... Read more.

Terrie Hodges

Also, Jane, after the Heart Cath, Coronary Angiogram, you lie flat for 4 hours or more, in a recovery unit ,to allow the femerol artery to close up and not bleed

Unknown

Heart/cardiac cath's can be done either thru the wrist or groin, the preferred way is thru the wrist but if your arteries are to small the have to go thru the groin. Mine was done thru the wrist but you still have to stick around the hospital for a while... Read more.

Jane Higginbotham posted an update

9 years ago (April 16, 2017)

I found out just last week that I need an aortic valve replacement due to stenosis. I an 75 but still teach in a wonderful private school. I hope to have my surgery the end of May and be back ready for school in the fall. I'm wondering if this... Read more.

👍 Briana Morgan and Jane Welp reacted to this

Cathleen Weed

Hi Janeâ¤ï¸ That sounds like a good amount of recovery time. Depending on your overall health and physical condition, you should feel pretty good after three months and definitely almost normal at six months. A lot of the healing has to do with the sternum. So going back to teaching... Read more.

Clare Auten

I am a teacher too.... elementary special ed in public school system. I was 45 at the time of surgery but was back to work in 10 weeks (could have been sooner but I had some blood pressure issues).

Jane Welp

Hello to another Jane who is a teacher too! Blessings to you because working is the best. I am 67 and am looking forward to my return to work on 5/15 after surgery on 3/14. You can follow a good schedule and be back to work in the fall but... Read more.