Betty's Guestbook

Betty Atwater  Thank you, Adam. Your book, this website, and this very helpful, caring community have been invaluable to me and SO many others. My grateful thanks!

Adam Pick  You just made my day, my week, my month, my year Betty! Please let Dr. Gillinov know that I say, "Hi!". He's such a great guy! My thoughts are with you!!!

Betty Atwater  Thanks for your supporting comments, Bonnie. I’m scheduled to meet with Dr. Gillinov tomorrow (Tues.) and he’ll perform my surgery on Wed. I feel as though I know him already after watching so many of his videos. I’m very confident and trusting in his surgical skills!!!

Betty Atwater  Thanks for your good wishes, Karen. I'm confident all will go well. I hope you continue to recover smoothly from your TAVR surgery.

Betty Atwater  Hi Mark, I admire your positive attitude too. I hope your health problems (little bumps on the road of life, as you described them) don’t slow you down in your enjoyment of retirement!

Betty Atwater  Hi Karen, we drove here to Cleveland yesterday (Sunday). It’s now Monday noon and I’ve completed most of the pre-op tests so will be admitted this afternoon. I’m glad to hear your pre-op testing went smoothly. The testing stations were quite crowded this morning so I had several tests out of sequence. I’ll look forward to seeing you when we are both in recovery. Best wishes to you for a smooth surgery and a short stay in ICU.

Betty Atwater  Thanks for your message, Jennifer. I hope you have a safe trip to CC and a helpful evaluation for MVR.

Betty Atwater  Hi Lenore, Thanks so much for your message and for the encouraging words about Dr. Gillinov. I feel quite calm about my upcoming surgery because I know I'll be in good hands. And it's good to know that he is adept at operating on us "seniors" with heart problems. I have actually read many of your previous posts and learned a lot from your helpful comments. Thanks so much for your support.

Betty Atwater  Hi Karen, I'm so glad Phyllis Peterson wrote to you. She is from my hometown, Tucson, and I've had the pleasure of meeting with her. I think she would be very helpful in answering any questions you might have, as she was a definitely a help to me. Maybe you'll be having the same type of surgery she had. Will your mitral valve surgery be minimally invasive? Is someone traveling to Cleveland to be with you during and after your surgery? I'll be checked into CC on Monday afternoon, Dec. 11 for tests and heparin bridging before my Dec. 13 surgery. So I'll look you up when I get checked in, and will certainly try to visit with you while we are both recovering. Good luck for a smooth surgery -- I'll be thinking of you!

Betty Atwater  Thanks for your note, Phyllis. After hearing about your good experiences at Banner-UMC for cardiac rehab, I visited that program and think it will be excellent. I'm looking forward to participating there when I return to Tucson. Also, I expect to have an enjoyable week with my sister in PA before we drive to Cleveland. I hope everything is in place -- I'm prepared and thinking more about the recovery period than about the surgery. I'll let the doctor take care of the surgery, and will focus my attention and efforts at doing all I possibly can to recover well, do my exercises, and be patient with the healing process. The comments of everyone on this website, your answers to my questions, and Adam's book have all been SO helpful in giving me a good idea of the whole process surrounding my upcoming surgery. Thanks for contacting me!

Phyllis Petersen  I'm glad to hear things are progressing well and that you can focus on your future recovery. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Lenore Mitchell  Betty - while scrolling through, I noted that you’re traveling to Cleveland Clinic and your surgeon is Marc Gillinov. You picked the right place and the best guy there! I traveled from Colorado to Cleveland Clinic for Mitral Valve repair w/maze with Dr Gillinov in January 2015. I’m now 72, and it was the best decision. I’m a retired RN, so very aware of the need to choose the best place and surgeon. My two daughters traveled with me, and one stayed with me right at home for a week and then I was fine on my own. Doing well now too, and so very glad I traveled to CC! They’ll take great care of you. Best wishes!

Bob Sorensen  You certainly did pick the best ! He did my second aortic valve replacement, and also did tricuspid repair and lad bypass at the same time -I am 72 yrs young and enjoying life . Good luck

Betty Atwater  Thank you all for your encouragement and best wishes! After reading a lot about hospitals and surgeons where frequent and successful valve surgeries are done, and seeing the positive comments by you and others on this site about Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Gillinov, I have full confidence and trust in having my surgery performed there. Last June I was told I would need valve surgery and my surgery date (Dec. 13) was set in mid-Sept. I’m happy to travel from warm Tucson to cold Cleveland for the surgery and am hoping my sister from western PA can be with me in Cleveland. As many have written, the months of waiting are the hard part, with all the questions, worries and scenarios imaginable rolling through my head daily. But I've learned so much from all the stories and experiences posted on this site that I try to feel encouraged and optimistic that all will go well. Thanks so much to everyone for sharing!!