About Me (In My Own Words)
10/20/2020
I saw this site Adam put up, and wished I had seen it six months ago. As we go through this journey, there are many unknowns, and it is great to see others stories. Though I am on the other side of surgery, I hope my story helps others.
A year ago, I had no idea I would be having open heart surgery six months later, on 4/16/2020. There were some small indications. The heart developed an irregular beat that occurred occasionally, but by December was daily. In November, I asked my GP to take an EKG to see if I had developed AFIB. He could not see anything from the test, but the BP was a bit elevated so he prescribed 5 mg of Bystolic. I was using an acupuncturist to help out with some spinal arthritis, and during my December visit, she detected something not right with my pulse. At that time, she told me to go to a “heart Doctor”. I went back to the GP in December to follow up once taking the Bystolic. Another EKG, and he did not see any AFIB, but increased the dosage of Bystolic to 10 mg since the BP was still a bit high.
At that time, I scheduled an appointment with my wife’s cardiologist for 1/21/20, five weeks later, and also scheduled a Life Line screening for 1/29/2020. During this first meeting with the cardiologist on 1/21, he took my EKG, listened to the heart, and proceeded to tell me I had a serious problem called aortic insufficiency, and needed surgery. A follow up Echocardiogram and Stress echo were scheduled for 3/24/2020, nearly two months later. He also prescribed Eliquis for stroke prevention. Life Line detected the AFIB, but the carotid and peripheral circulation was good. With over two months between tests, I figured that things were not that bad.
At the Echo / Stress test, the issues became apparent. Dr Carlson, the cardiologist told me I needed very serious surgery, probably an eight-hour procedure, and scheduled a Cat scan in two weeks on 4/7, followed by an angiogram on 4/14, and a visit with the thoracic surgeon. Torrance Memorial Hospital, the hospital I used, will post test results on the patient portal, so I saw the results of the Cat scan on Wednesday, 4/8. These showed a dilation of the ascending aorta of 6.8 cm. This did not mean much to me so I found credible literature on the internet, a study which discussed the aspects of this issue. This literature showed a chart of dilation vs probability of a rupture, indicating that 6.8 cm was at the far-right side of the chart meaning the probability of rupture at 100%.
The angiogram on 4/14 showed that the coronary arteries were clear, and the scan of the carotids showed them as clear also. Dr Stoneburner, the thoracic surgeon, came to visit after the angiogram. He explained the issues with the aorta, and I told him I understood these things and committed to the surgery. He outlined all the worked to be done, that it was a long procedure. I asked him for his availability. This was a Tuesday, and he told me the Thursday of the current week, or Wednesday of the following week. I asked him to tell me what he would do if he was in my situation, and without hesitation he said this Thursday. At that point, they could not let me leave the hospital, so they checked me in and set the schedule. So, I was in the PCU the rest of Tuesdays and all-day Wednesday. Since I looked quite healthy, the most of the staff wanted to know why I was there.
There was no anxiety, fear or anticipation during those two days prior to surgery. The staff woke me at 4:30 am on Thursday, I took the antibiotic shower, then waited for the escorts. They wheeled me out at about 7:3o into the OR. I distinctly remember smiling at the OR staff, then thinking of the outcome post-surgery, I was OK with wherever I was. Then it was lights out.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
San Pedro, Ca, ca
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My surgery date is:
April 16, 2020
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Aneurysm
Atrial Fibrillation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. John Stoneburner
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My hospital is:
Torrance Memorial
