Amy's Guestbook

Amy Minto  Thank you so much Bonnie! I'm home and very very slowly recovering. I was in the hospital for only 3 days, but the pain has been pretty intense and very difficult to manage due to the fact that I've been a chronic pain patient for 30 years. The surgery went very well, and my valve is perfectly repaired. The surgeon said I had a very badly damaged mitral valve, and I wouldn't have made it much longer, so I'm very grateful that we were able to travel down to Houston and happy to be back home recovering. I really appreciate your post and I'm sorry to have taken a break from the site- the pain had made it extremely difficult to use my arms, even to hold up my phone until about a week ago. Hope you are doing well and thank you again!

Bonnie Stone-Hope  So sorry to hear about your pain, but so happy to hear that your mitral valve is totally "fixed". Enjoy your summer while you recovery and know that thoughts and prayers are coming your way.

Kim Lonergan  I'm glad your surgery went well and your valve is repaired. How long was your stay in the hospital? I emailed you about your surgeon but I didn't realize you just had your surgery! I just wanted to send you Best Wishes for your recovery.

Elaine Phares  Amy, here's to a successful surgery and a great recovery. I know you have a darling little one to get back to and just as an FYI, my 2-year old grandchild learned quickly that I can't pick him up. He has adjusted so well and we still are able to do quite a bit together. My surgery was a little less than 6 weeks ago and am able to do everything but lift and pull. Hopefully you will be able to post soon so we can celebrate with you.

Amy Minto  Thanks so much for your reply! How are you doing? We leave in 3 days for Houston... had a calm week with low anxiety, despite having to pay $10,000 out of our savings to cover our portion of surgery & hotel. That hurts!! But so very blessed to even have this as an option. We'll see what happens when we start packing up! Love to hear from you! Feel free to email me too- amysminto@gmail.com . It'll be easiest for me to respond via text so email me and I'll share my number with you if you like. I just don't check this often enough and I just now saw your reply.:)

Amy Minto  Absolutely! I think it's a pretty amazing story. My son really saved my life, and I his. About a month before he was due, at a regular prenatal visit, my doctor decided I was having the baby TODAY. As in go to hospital via wheelchair NOW. At the time, he diagnosed me as having severe preeclampsia, my body was rejecting the baby, and the only "cure" was to deliver, early or not. I was given Pitocin to induce labor, but as our son began crashing on the fetal heart monitor, an emergency c-section was ordered. After a very painful c-section (the anesthesia wore off mid-surgery), I went into cardiac failure. It was then discovered I had severe mitral valve regurgitation. It's funny what you remember at stressful times like this... as I began to lose the ability to breathe, all I could think about as the room filled with doctors & nurses after alarms started going off was "please don't wake up my poor, exauhsted husband. He's finally getting a chance to rest!". Anyway, had I carried my son to term, we would have lost him, as my heart was barely keeping up with me. And had he not started crashing on the fetal monitor, I would have progressed into labor, and would not have survived. I was given about a 3 year estimate for valve repair, and our son is now 4.

I've started going downhill rapidly, as the 1st surgeon I met with did predict accurately. I was told by the 1st surgeon I met with back in September that a full sternotomy was absolutely necessary, and because my valve was damaged in a rather unusual way, it would be a 50/50 shot as to whether I'd wake up with a mechanical replacement. A few weeks ago, I was given the name of an amazing surgeon, Dr. Joseph Lamelas, reportedly one of, if not the world's leading pioneering minimally invasive valve surgeons in the world, I called his office in Houston to see if he'd be willing just to view my heart cath and echos. Instead, the surgeon himself called me on his way home from the hospital that night!!! He even apologized for not getting back to me sooner. I got the call from his team late last week, and I am now scheduled for February 23rd. I was absolutely elated that he was willing to even take a look at my scans, incredibly grateful to be a candidate for the minimally invasive approach, with his reassurance that my valve can be repaired.

But now, I am an absolute mess. I can hold up just fine at work, discuss my condition casually with our patients, but once the distractions of work are gone, I can't seem to stop the swirling anxiety and worry about all the logistics. I actually burst into tears walking through a department store today. Travelling 3-4 hours to Houston with our 4 year old son, my husband, and our elderly cat is overwhelming me. My wonderful, strong, creative, amazing husband is confident it will all work out, and I have full faith in him. I am just dreading all the time alone in the hospital, possibly being by myself when I wake up from recovery, managing post op with my husband at work during the day, all the daily life issues that go along with it. And to boot, I have severe chronic pain issues on top of my mvr. I'm sorry for rambling. I'd love to hear about your story!

Amy

Gina Fiorentino  Amy, I share a lot of your hopes and fears... and agree that it is quite a rollercoaster ride. My surgeon and I are looking at March 8th for my surgery, so we are on similar timing. I read about your surgeon and he sounds wonderful and has a great reputation with his work and results. If you would like to talk more, please email me and I will share my phone number with you. gjfiorentino@gmail.com