Yvonne's Posts

It's been a while since I posted. My Valve surgery on 10/15by Dr Luis Castro at Sequoia Hospital is a success. The heart rate holds steady and vales no longer leak. The surgery itself turned out to be a little more involved than anticipated due to blood-pressure issues, and a weaker heart than expected, resulting in a few extra days in ICU. Dr Castro repaired the mitral & tricuspid valves, did a COX MAZE procedure and removed the Left Atrial Appendage through a mini sternotomy. After that, my heart was a little mad, so a balloon pump was used to encourage it along, and I remained sedated an extra day. The pump was removed the following day and I was on the mend when my blood pressure started dropping. This turned out to be tied to my secondary adrenal insufficiency, which the Drs thankfully sorted out. I came home 10 days post-surgery and feel great. I'm being well cared for by family, and am walking 1.5 miles a few times/day. Still have some water-retention issues, so I went to the infusion lab to move things along. Hopefully this will resolve itself soon. I just wanted to say how much this forum helped me with both the decision to do this surgery now vs later (now turned out to be the right timing), and the confidence to know it would work out. I also appreciate the support leading up to surgery. Having spent a bit of time at the hospital, I have to say how impressed I am with Dr Castro's team and the staff at Sequia Hospital. Everyone I met was professional, compassionate, capable, and on top of things. While there, a nurse broadcast her zoom wedding which provided a nice distraction, and I even received a shower cap shampoo one evening! 9 days post-surgery I came home and am mending well.