Lynne's Guestbook

Lynne Jeffreys  Hi Roger, Perfect timing if I can say it. What did you do to cause your hernia? I have still been having spasms and cramping of the muscles, but less than before. I had sent a note off to my surgeon and said he was referring me to a chronic pain specialist. That's not what I asked him about but I guess there really isn't more that he or surgery could do and move you off to someone else. I have unfortunately developed some neck muscles spasms at the base of the skull (nothing to do with the pec muscles) , some hearing problems and vertigo. Since I have not been able to be as active as I was the muscle cramping and spasms of the pectorals have somewhat eased off. Now that I'm seeing a chiropractor for the neck he was made aware of the muscles and how they work with the upper body muscles, pectorals included. He has done some light releases along the top of the upper pectoral muscle. It hasn't changed the pain I get from a cramp when they happen but he has removed some of the knots in the muscle which could help with the cramping. I know as soon as I ask more of the muscles they will cramp and become sorer. Whether this time off will be of any help once I get the other issues under control is something to think about. Because it is such a thin muscle compared to most in other muscles it is just more painful when used. I'm going to pursue more once I'm feeling better from the neck. I do wonder really how much they are connected if at all. Sometimes I get a pinch and I'm not sure if it is the mesh on the bottom of the ribs or what. Doesn't last long, like a pin prick. I know that the surgery would cause some adhesion of the layers from the mesh out and I think at times there is some pulling.
I'm not familiar with his method of repair, but I think the area of study is not well known but doctors are becoming more aware that this is a risk that needs to be made aware of and told to patients. I had told my doctor that I'm an active person and gardener so stitch me up well. Guess he didn't stitch it up well. So now that this is becoming a more known problem you will start to see other ways of fixing a potential blow out of the lung.
I'm curious to know how you do if you get a chance at some point because I will need to have the valve replaced hopefully 20 years from now and they may need to use the same area. If this way works then it's an option in the future.
Best of luck to you Roger and call anytime with questions. I'll do my best to help.
Lynne Jeffreys

Roger Perkins  Thank you much Lynne. After my initial minimally invasive surgery my surgeon told me it was okay to stretch out the incision site to prevent favoring that area long term - as well as preventing adhesions to form. He also told me I was okay to work out again when it felt right. Being an avid weight-lifter, I was bench pressing 5 weeks later...& I suspect that's when the hernia formed (started having pain soon thereafter). Would get better in time - then hurt again when I would do certain exercises. Spent hundreds & hundreds of $$ on physical therapists - which would help some - but, the pain still resided because it was a mechanical issue that needs to be fixed.

In the immediate ICU days after my 2nd OHS in April of this year the lung hernia got way worse. Now, it is almost softball size when I cough or engage my inner cavity (I hold it in as much as possible). Again, as you know, pain is a constant companion. I cannot continue to "wait & see if it heals on its own." However, as stated above, your neck & spasm issues do give me great pause in this decision (I cannot imagine how painful this must be for you). So sorry to hear this about your recovery. Greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond. Take care & pls. keep me updated!

Lynne Jeffreys  Hi Michele, Things are going well. The size of the aorta appears to be 1.25cm squared from 0.56cm squared. So it was much smaller. The valve is called a Medium size Perceval S pericardial sutureless valve. I don't know what the opening size is or isn't. I never asked and they never said what the opening normally is. I guess it is what it is. Its working that's what counts!
My Mom's heart surgery was normal old age stenosis and bypass but there was more calcium buildup than anticipated from the testing and a piece caused a heart attack 12 hours later. She was 76. I know I said this to my surgeon as there was a lot with my bicuspid valve. We still to this day have unanswered questions but there's nothing we could do. Lynne
Merry Christmas too!

Tammy Pilcher  Lynne, I had pain in my mid back and shoulder blades. The nurses told me that would probably happen and that it is normal. They said it's from being in the position you're in during surgery. I was able to get relief with extra strength Tylenol, but some people use a heating pad too. I hope you feel better soon. It takes time, but you'll get there. Let me know if I can help. - Tammy

Lynne Jeffreys  Thanks Tom, I'll keep that in mind. They have cancelled the surgery and haven't really rebooked but Jul 7th was mentioned. Who knows??

Lila Robinson  Great post Lynne. It is so scary! And so many emotions. This website IS a God-send! Even if it's a bit scary on and off, you can sign on and off as often as you like to get the info you want! And somehow, hopefully with the knowledge gained and the posts by all those who have survived this, we calmly get to the right place were we Just Do It! No regrets here, even if I'm sure it's going to take me much longer than you to feel as great as you! I have weight issues about 20 years on you! But my new tissue aortic valve and Dacron aortic root will get me there!

Tammy Pilcher  Hey Lynne, thank you for responding. I've been reading more about the ascending aorta and I think you're right. I think they just used "enlarged" instead of "dilated" on my report. I also read that they don't usually call it an aneurysm until it reaches 4cm. My cardiologist didn't explain any of this to me and I didn't know enough about it to know what to ask. He just said I needed my bicuspid valve replaced before the end of the year and that I had severe aortic stenosis. He said my aorta was enlarged, but he thought once I got the new valve it would be fine. When I got my records to take to my surgeon I saw my numbers. My aortic valve opening was 0.39cm squared which is considered critical. All of my other valves have mild regurgitation. I have left ventricular hypertrophy and my enlarged ascending aorta is 3.8cm. Which from what I just read is pretty close to an aneurysm. I'm hoping that my surgeon, who I have very high confidence in, would have taken care of that if he thought it really needed it. What I had was my bicuspid aortic valve replaced with a bovine valve and an aortic root enlargement with a Dacron patch. He said he did the aortic root enlargement so that my new valve would fit better. So I don't think that is the same thing as my ascending aorta. Like you said "who knows?"! Anyway, when I read your story, it made me decide to try to find out more about this since I may have the same problem. I hope you can get the answers you need concerning the fibromyalgia too. I don't know anything about that other than it can be really bad to deal with. I'll keep you in my prayers. Thanks again, Tammy

Tammy Pilcher  Lynne, I got my Operative Report out and this is what it says about the aortic root enlargement: It was necessary to do an aortic root enlargement, reconstructing the non coronary sinus of Valsalva. This was done with a running 4-0 Prolene suture and a Dacron patch.

After reading that I looked up non coronary sinus of Valsalva and read about that. Now I think maybe this procedure maybe could have fixed the "ascending aorta problem". I'll ask my doctor to be sure, but I sure hope it did! Thanks!