Jim's Guestbook

Hi Jim - I had my MV fixed 2 years ago. Here's some nonmedical advice. • The scariest part is before the operation; after recovery, you’ll feel confident and grateful • If they’re going to crack your sternum (mine was), try to work on your leg muscles before surgery, like deep knee bends, so you can get out of bed with just your legs and not using your arms to push up • Bring an Amazon Firestick, Apple TV, or Roku box to the hospital so you can watch Netflix or something other than the cable TV channels • When you get home and get up in the morning, immediately wash your face, shave, brush your teeth, and put on some comfortable loose clothing – it makes you feel like yourself and not a patient • Get into cardio rehab as soon as your doctor lets you and work hard at it – they’re the ones who put me back together.

Jim best of luck!! I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I can tell by that beautiful smile you are a positive person and that will help you through this. Linda

Hi Jim, I saw your post, Yikes!, and we are both due for surgery on Monday, best wishes to you for a successful outcome. We are in pretty much the same situation, I have broken chordae in the mitral valve and Plan A is to effect a repair. Plan B is a replacement (animal valve) if repair proves impossible. I am 70, and my condition arose out of the blue in April. Monday will be my second crack at surgery - I attended the hospital yesterday only to be sent home because the OR was not free due to complications for another patient. Hoping for a smooth run on Monday. Though you are on Pole Position, I will in fact be ahead of you by virtue of our respective time zones 😆. I am due to go in around 1pm Melbourne time which is 9pm Sunday in Colorado. I'd like to say I will be thinking of you when I come back from surgery but I doubt I will be thinking of much at all! Prayers for you and best wishes, Roger

Hi there, I had a somewhat similar surgery for a flailing anterior leaflet prolapse. If you are asymptomatic, the going rule among the cardiologists I have seen is that there's no reason to have the surgery until the heart shows signs of dialation as the heart begins to compensate for the leak or if the ejection fraction becomes too low. I write this to you just in case your Dr. has not mentioned this. I would also ask the surgeon how many of these type of mitral valve repairs they have done and whether the can do non-invasive (right thorocotomy) versus sternotomy. If you find that you are not completely comfortable with your cardiologist and surgeon, I would recommend consulting and having the surgery at one of the centers of excellence, i.e. Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Mt Sinai. Some of them will do an analysis from echos, TEEs, and other data without charging you since they can only do so if you go there for an office visit. Keep in mind they do this as part of the sales pitch to have you come there, but my wife and I found them very helpful. The surgery is not a slam dunk. Like you, I was asymptomatic. I went to one of those centers of excellence since I had signs of torn chordae along with the some dilation and the severe leak. I had it done then 9 months later developed another moderate to severe leak. I feel fine and will continue yearly exams to make sure I am watching for the signs that resurgery is needed. Talk to your surgeon about success rates if for nothing else than peace of mind. They may be based on criteria that sounds good but get a clear understanding of their definition of success particularly how long mitral valve repairs done by them will last. May God be with you on your path.

Jim- I read your story and I had the exact same mitral valve issue that was diagnosed at age 59- I am 12 weeks post op robotic mitral valve repair. I hope to be hiking in CO in July during a family celebration that was planned before I had any idea I would have OHS. I am now 60 and working hard to get back into the shape I was pre- surgery! Keep me posted on your progress and best wishes for speedy recovery- it is quite the shock to face OHS but when you realize how many have conquered OHS- you will too!!!!