Doug Fults - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

Doug Fultsposted an update

2 days ago

A question for the community - how many days did you spend in the hospital following surgery? We're trying to make travel plans for what is hoped to be a Mitral ...Read more

A question for the community - how many days did you spend in the hospital following surgery? We're trying to make travel plans for what is hoped to be a Mitral Valve repair by way of robot, and wondering what to plan for (with the understanding that plans will need to be adjustable). Thanks!

Sue Maize Hi Doug, I didn’t have the same operation but my neighbour in the hospital did and I believe she wa ... Read more

Sue Maize Hi Doug, I didn’t have the same operation but my neighbour in the hospital did and I believe she was in for 5 days….would have been less but she needed electrolyte infusions. It wasn’t robotic though and that may affect recovery time too.

Rose Madura I had surgery on a Wednesday and was discharged on Monday evening.

Doug Fults Thank you Sue & Rose! That's good to know.

J Alexander Lassally You'll be likely released on day 4 or 5, but they want you back for a follow up a few days after... M ... Read more

J Alexander Lassally You'll be likely released on day 4 or 5, but they want you back for a follow up a few days after... My take - no rush. There is no reason to rush home with planes etc. I stayed in Cleveland 2.5 weeks after and regret not staying longer.

Anna Ma I agree with AJ. No need to rush. The general advice is 2 weeks post op for flying. I didn’t book r ... Read more

Anna Ma I agree with AJ. No need to rush. The general advice is 2 weeks post op for flying. I didn’t book return flight until green light after follow up check. I booked hotel to exactly 2 weeks after surgery knowing that I have the flexibility to extend or shorten the stay if needed. That is also one reason I didn’t book airbnb. Hotels have more flexibility. I also booked a more comfortable suite with kitchen but a bit further away from hospital post surgery. It worked out well

Doug Fultsposted an update

5 days ago

Adam Pick reacted to this

Tested positive for Covid Wednesday morning :( Cardiologist recommended Paxlovid, I'm about half way through the course, and am feeling much better already. ...Read more

Tested positive for Covid Wednesday morning :( Cardiologist recommended Paxlovid, I'm about half way through the course, and am feeling much better already. Just curious, any heart valve / covid associations or stories out there?

Adam Pick Doug, Me too!!! COVID got me, my wife and my son (evidence below). It was pretty tough. I had horribl ... Read more

Adam Pick Doug, Me too!!! COVID got me, my wife and my son (evidence below). It was pretty tough. I had horrible body aches, pains, fevers, chills, etc. Like you, I got on Paxlovid right away and that zapped it. I live in Los Angeles where there is a surge of cases. Last night, I went out to dinner and many people were wearing masks again. Be careful everybody!

J Alexander Lassally Hi Doug - Sorry to hear, I had covid before my surgery, back in 2022. Good to keep tabs on blood pres ... Read more

J Alexander Lassally Hi Doug - Sorry to hear, I had covid before my surgery, back in 2022. Good to keep tabs on blood pressures while on paxlovid... Especially with that high Durango air... (Was in Santa Fe for part of my illness and did not like that!)

Doug Fults Sorry to hear that Adam, sounds like you had it worse than me, it pretty much just conked me out to w ... Read more

Doug Fults Sorry to hear that Adam, sounds like you had it worse than me, it pretty much just conked me out to where I all I wanted to do was sleep for a couple of days. I'll definately be thinking "mask" anytime I head the door up through & returning from surgery.

Doug Fults J Alexander, have been watching BP & O2 as well. My first symptom actually was a climb in BP to ... Read more

Doug Fults J Alexander, have been watching BP & O2 as well. My first symptom actually was a climb in BP to where I could feel it in my head, while doing nothing, just sitting on the couch. I was told that paxlovid interacted with amlodipine to further lower BP - that seems to be the case for me, but only mildly, some 3-5 mmHg. Does altitude affect BP? That hadn't occurred to me. It definitely affects O2; my O2 is some 3% lower on average here than when I'm at sea level. Being wary of covid's affect on oxygen saturation, I've been watching that to - first day it was definitely down a few percentage points, but am back to normal now.

Ana Brusso Adam, sorry you got it bad, but glad you are over it. Thank you for the heads up.

Adam Pick Thanks Ana! That Paxlovid is amazing. My symptoms were gone in 24 hours. Hope all is great with you!! ... Read more

Adam Pick Thanks Ana! That Paxlovid is amazing. My symptoms were gone in 24 hours. Hope all is great with you!!!

Daneen Douglas Wow! Sorry to hear you had Covid, Doug & Adam. Glad you are doing well. I didn’t know there ... Read more

Daneen Douglas Wow! Sorry to hear you had Covid, Doug & Adam. Glad you are doing well. I didn’t know there was a recent surge in cases. I’m in AZ. I’ll need to check out our numbers. School is about to start up and I’m about to return to work in a couple weeks with all the 3rd grader germs! 🦠

Ana Brusso Yes dear hvs brother, I’m fine. Will be getting carpal tunnel procedure on the 11th. But all is goo ... Read more

Ana Brusso Yes dear hvs brother, I’m fine. Will be getting carpal tunnel procedure on the 11th. But all is good. God bless you 🙏❤️

Doug Fultsposted an update

10 days ago

Adam Pick, Kimberly Eisenhut, Diana Chamblin-Bevirt reacted to this

Wow, that was quick - just got back from Cleveland yesterday following two days of testing and got a call this (Monday) morning to schedule surgery. Great ...Read more

Wow, that was quick - just got back from Cleveland yesterday following two days of testing and got a call this (Monday) morning to schedule surgery. Great news on multiple fronts in that my surgeon will be Dr. Gillinov, that he thinks both a repair may be possible and that it ma ybe possible through robotic surgery (pending a check for suitable anatomy). Surgery date is September 10.

Adam Pick Doug, You are in GREAT hands with Dr. Gillinov who has successfully treated many mitral valve patient ... Read more

Adam Pick Doug, You are in GREAT hands with Dr. Gillinov who has successfully treated many mitral valve patients in our community. You can learn more about Dr. Gillinov and see over 100 patient reviews for him at this link - https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/surgeons/dr-Marc-Gillinov-Cleveland-Ohio.php

Dr. Marc Gillinov - Heart Surgeon in Cleveland, Ohio

https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/surgeons/dr-Marc-Gillinov-Cleveland-Ohio.php

See patient reviews, physician biography, videos and contact information for Dr. Marc Gillinov, heart surgeon, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Rex Austin Best of luck Doug! This is a great site that Adam has so generously created with lots of caring peopl ... Read more

Rex Austin Best of luck Doug! This is a great site that Adam has so generously created with lots of caring people and great information from doctors and a community that can support and share their experiences.

Doug Fults Adam, wonderful to know that I'm in great hands! Rex, good advice, I've the site to be quite educati ... Read more

Doug Fults Adam, wonderful to know that I'm in great hands! Rex, good advice, I've the site to be quite educational even in just the short time I've been on here. Thanks Adam!