Kimberly's Journal

Marie Myers  Good question! He has been through so much! Hoping he gets through this surgery without any complications…

Ana Brusso  Tyler and Mike, lifting you both in prayer fora successful and recovery. God bless you 🙏❤️❤️‍🩹

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you Deena and Mark. I spoke to my cardiac specialist and she is going to help me get any testing I may need done by end of December in case I cannot switch my insurance until its time for my renewal. She is so wonderful! 

Ana Brusso  Kimberly, please don’t stress over this. Call your State people to find out what are your options. 🙏❤️👍

Rose Madura  Kimberly, is this insurance through your job?  What a terrible thing to happen. You seem to be hit by a lot of things all at once.  Praying for you. 🙏

Margaret Fielden  Praying for you Kimberley. My surgery was to be private here in the UK but, because I took longer than expected to recover, my surgeon transferred me to the NHS. Miracles happen

Susan Lynn  Kimberly - Usually you have to wait until open enrollment to change plans. Communicate with your employer - they may not be aware that Northwestern isn't going to be participating in this plan. Chances are others will also be reporting it to the HR Department, too. Best of luck to you. Please keep us posted.

Meredith Bray  Hi Kimberly. I had a similar insurance issue about 3 months before surgery  - my dingbat cardiologist referred me to a surgeon who was no longer alive! Can you believe that? I contacted the Patient Advocate (a Humana employee with an office in my employer's headquarters) to help me find a surgeon that was in-network. The Advocate helped me get an appointment with the surgeon. I took with me a list of in-network cardiologists, and when I was checking out after my consultation, I talked with the front-office staff and asked them to circle some names on my list that they had good relationships with. I found myself a new cardiologist in the same building, and form there I found a new PCP also. All within 3 months of surgery. It was so frustrating, the processes moved so slow, and it seemed like nobody knew any answers. I remember one evening I was so dejected I about gave up. Like...I wanted to stop going to doctor appointments and just let whatever happen :(
Do you have insurance through your employer? Do they have a patient advocate you can talk to? Or maybe an EAP/employee assistance plan that can assign you to someone to help guide you through the next year? If not, can you reach out to someone at the insurance company (I know...good luck with that, right?) I found that people were so very helpful when I approached them asking for help.
Gosh I hope you can get this all sorted out, the last thing we need is insurance and scheduling stress. Please take care of yourself, get enough sleep and mild exercise and eat well. You'll get through this!

Meredith
Oak Ridge TN

Ana Brusso  Hi Kimberly it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about it. I started having blind spots and didn’t do anything about and about 15 years ago both eyes went blind for a few minutes, I drove home from work (not a good thing to do) and when got home I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a TIA. It has not happened since but it can be serious or not. Keep us posted. ❤️🙏

Kimberly Eisenhut  I have messaged my opthomoligist and cardiologist and will call them tomorrow also. I asked to have a CT scan of head and scan of carotid arteries. I will update when I found out anything. How long was it from blind spots to full on blind like you said?

Kimberly Eisenhut  I mean, the at work temporary blindness episode. What did they do for it?
Thank you for this tonight, I really needed some reassurance before I go to bed tonight :)

Beth Leonard  I’m not sure if this is at all what it could be but wanted to throw it out there as a less scary possibility. I occasionally get ocular migraines. They are not painful but I suddenly get blind spots or vibrating squiggles in my vision. Lasts for about 20-30 mins but then goes away and vision restored completely back to normal. Eye doc told me they don’t real know what causes Occular migraines. I think mine could be brought on by anxiety!  Hope that helps! 

Marie Myers  It could also be a retina problem, so best to check it checked out. I have ocular migraines myself, and they start with bright, zig zag squiggly lines that grow into a larger “blob” that will block vision in one area. They last about 30 minutes max for me. In my younger years, these visual disturbances were followed by a migraine headache. Thank God I grew out of that! Now I just get the ocular migraines, no headache.

Pamela Gregory  I started getting ocular migraines after my heart surgery. They are way less frequent now  but very strange for sure

Geoff Curtis  I also get ocular migraines, got them almost every day after my surgery for 3 weeks, slowly starting to go away.  Good luck 

Sue Maize  So glad to hear Kimberley, and you actually answered a question for me—it was never made clear to me that the regurgitation of my tricuspid valve was connected to my liver enzymes. Thanks for all the details! I’d like to know what a bubble test is too? ❤️‍🩹

Richard Munson  Sounds like we all want to know what the bubble test is. I am bubbling over with anticipation. Car show saturday in wareham, home of my hvs friend and fellow mgh and same doctor kath. She and husband came last year before her surgery. Maybe this year post surgery. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  It tests for a hole in the heart. They use salt water solution, shake it up to create small bubbles, then inject it through an IV during the echo. It will show if there is a hole in the heart. I am going to make sure it is just the salt water and no actuall dye, as I am allergic to it, and wish I had never had Ct scans with dye. I had several when I was younger and now know how bad that stuff can be. Thank you all for your responses and of course to my HVS step dad; Haha! Yes, a glass of champagne would be much nicer than these tests.
Sue, my cardiologist said she just wants to be vigilant and be sure the regurgitation is not affecting my liver. 

Kathy Pate  We're here for you, Kimberly!  I've not been on here a long time; but, just knowing all of these sweet & kind people understand what we're going through means soj, so much!!  Welcome to HVS!!

Michelle Persson  I had emergency surgery the end of Oct. & everything went well. The staff watched everything very closely & I was in the hospital a little longer. Everything turned out well.

Dan Fouratt  I have not had one but in the last year my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, friend's wife and manager at the club have had one.  My DIL works for Striker medical in the replacement knee department. Only one person spent the night in the hospital but they have diabetes.  They were all up and walking (aided) the same day.  The first week is painful which lasted about 6 to 8 weeks on average.  Only one used an opioid.  I would say recovery from OHS is easier! My wife broke her heal 6 weeks ago.  Like with knee surgery you have limited mobility.  I was able to do more for myself the day after OHS then she can not after 6 weeks after heel surgery.  This mobility issue was true for the knee group, so you will need some help.

Ana Brusso  Agree with Dan. I had knee replacement surgery last December. I have had two OHS. Recovery from OHS is better. There is a lot care involved in recovery, ice machine and lots of ice several times a day. Sleeping is not pleasant. Pain is worse than OHS. But I had it done and now is bearable and almost normal. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you all for your input and info. I know it took my mother months to really get back to somewhat "normal" getting around, but now she is so much better with walking long distances and just doing normal daily activities. Anna, you are amazing! I am so nervous about this and may try to wait until early next year if possible. I have to have help in place, and the next couple of months are not good for any of my family members to help. I am not in pain at the moment, but do have a hard time walking. Bone on bone in my right knee but since it is not terribly swollen or painful right now, I may try to wait a bit.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Dan, I hope your wifes foot is better soon and thabk you for the information. I really have gotten so many conflicting outcomes and advice about knee replacement. Some have terrible stories and some say it was not bad and they are so glad they did it.

Dan Fouratt  Funny we were out grocery shopping and a lady commented on Palma's boot and crutches. (Please note I have not past the fresh fruit inspection test according to my wife's standard.) She said she was going to be like that next week as she is having knee replacement. It will be her second one in two years. She said she knows it will hurt but is looking forward to it anyways as after recovery she will have far less pain.  It looks like the pain is worth it.  Good luck.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you everyone for the prayers, it is so appreciated

Here ar the findings;
CONCLUSIONS:
-Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography was performed using standard views & projections with M-mode and Doppler (continuous, pulsed wave, spectral & color flow). Three-dimensional imaging was performed. Strain imaging was performed.
-The left ventricle is normal in size. There is no left ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular systolic function is normal. EF = 62% (2D biplane) Global LV myocardial strain is normal at -18.10 %. Left ventricular diastolic function is normal.
-The right ventricle is normal in size. Right ventricular systolic function is normal. The estimated right ventricular systolic pressure is 23 mmHg. The right atrial pressure is 3 mmHg. Finding is consistent with normal pulmonary artery pressures. RV free wall longitidinal strain is normal at -20.23 %.
-There is trace, physiologic mitral valve regurgitation.
-There is trivial tricuspid valve regurgitation.
-There is trivial pulmonic valve regurgitation.
-Sinus of Valsalva 3.0 cm. Sinotubular junction 2.4 cm. Mid aortic arch 1.9 cm. Proximal ascending aorta 2.6 cm. Mid ascending aorta 2.8 cm. The visualized aorta is normal in size.

Kimberly Eisenhut  I love the way the Dr just called the other day and said everything is perfectly normal when it shows trivial reurgitation in 3 valves. That is how I started out 8 years ago and now my tricuspid is moderate to severe. I do not understand these Drs. Im not making a big deal of it with my son right now because he already has such terrible anxiety. It is so bad, his heart rate is always above 110 when he goes to see the Dr and his blood pressure is between 135-150/80-85 when he goes for tests or any Dr visit. High for an 18 year old. It goes down when we get home. He works out every day and is a healthy weight, if anything he is under weight. Drinks NO soda or sugary drinks, is very consious of what he eats too. No high sugar snacks or fast food (maybe once a month we go to a fast food place) I will be reaching out to my cardiologist to see if she can see him this summer and just look at his echo herself and give us some peace of mind.

Grace Mason   It is good you now have a baseline echo for your son and you are aware of what it says. 
I think doctors should discuss all the findings even if they won't be recommending any specific treatment at the current time, so it is good you are reading the results too and can ask further questions.

Betsy Davenport  If "trace" and "trivial" in this context mean what they do in the dictionary, it reads okay but I am not a doctor. I'd be wanting to know whether these terms have clinical significance, because even trace and trivial aren't observed and noted in every echo report.

Anna Ma  I have trivial and trace in other three valves too and the doctors said it is normal, most people have a little. I hope mine stay "trace". I don't want another open heart surgery!

Susan Lynn  Kim - I'm sorry you got this news, but I might consider getting some other opinions. Heart surgery is very specialized and there is likely a surgeon who can approach your procedure with skill and confidence. Also, as you said, there are tremendous advancements in heart repairs and replacements every year. Chances are there will be a great solution when the time comes for you. Stay positive! Whenever your big day comes, we'll be here to support you.

Richard Munson  I agree with susan that maybe its time for another opinion from someone who has experience with your valve. Seems odd to wait till your ankles swell before moving forward. Let us know how things go. Want my key chain lady to be upbeat not down in the dumps.

Richard Munson  I saw a few articles on bicuspid valve repair and read a couple. Cleveland clinic and mayo but there are others. Worth checking out. Good luck kim. 

Brady Busch  Kimberly,
Reading your comments here,has me interested in finding more about tricuspid valves and surgery.Mostly,because there isn't much communication on them.
The first thing I was reading,came from the Nation Institute of Health.One of the things they basically said was,waiting until the regurgitation is severe,is not a good idea.So,I agree with Richard,that holding off that long is concerning.
Here is a link to the whole paper.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559179/

Valerie Allen  Although the hospital you list is excellent perhaps, as others have stated, there are specialists at other hospitals for your valve. Glad you are asking questions.

Rose Madura  I totally agree to get a second opinion of third.  Waiting doesn't seem like a good option.  Please keep us posted.

Pamela Gregory  Douglas Johnston is the head of cardiac surgery at Northwestern and is excellent. He was at Cleveland Clinic and had great reviews. Maybe start right where you are with a 2nd opinion

Klara Čičić  I am puzzled with this since you first mentioned it a long time ago. Are your other valves top shape? Did you have a second opinion? Maybe someone more experienced? Stay optimistic and strong, your current situation is still under control :) 

Kimberly Eisenhut  I wrote a long response, but for some reason it would not post. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I will look into speaking to another surgeon soon. My 18 year old son needs to go in for an echo next week because Dr heard a murmur at his physical. Praying they find nothing wrong

Kimberly Eisenhut  Brady, I read that atricle and as it states, most surgeries are only done along with left sided heart surgery as the outcomes for only the tricuspid are not good. I do hope that the medical field does more research and speeds up studying tricuspid so I have a better chance at surviving and having less complications when my time comes. That is also another thing Dr Malaisrie told me when I spoke to him about surgery, that if they go in too early I will most likely have more problems than I do now. It is a very selective few that actually undergo primary tricuspid surgery.

Paul McKinlay  You might want to look at this - https://unityhealth.to/2023/10/evoque-tricuspid-valve-replacement/ 

Ana Brusso  Always praying for our heart warriors continued good health. God bless you Kimberly and my hvs brother Richard. 🙏❤️👍🤗

Kimberly Eisenhut 
Richard, you were there in spirit
Well, the tech said my anuerysm was same or a little less, which is good! (3.8-4.0) Need to wait for tricuspid results. My Dr always does her own measurements, so I will wait to see what she says. Still, I am happy :)
Thank you Greg, Grace, Ana and Kath.

Sherri Waineo  Hi there! I am 5 weeks post-op now. I have had several times when my heart seemed to flutter strangely when I changed position, then went into a fib. The episodes lasted from 1 3/4 hours to 33 hours! It is not a nice feeling especially when it goes up into the 140-170 bpm range. My doctors have said I will just have to endure this for a while until the heart is not unhappy. Hopefully that will be before too long! All testing showed things to be okay, so I am glad for that! I am glad to hear yours didn’t last very long!

Rose Madura  Always scary when there's a bump in the road. Glad you reached out to your cardiologist and he is taking action to make sure it's nothing serious. Please keep us posted.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Sherri, I cannot imagne going that long with hr that high. I am so sorry you are experiencing that. I hope your heart settles down and lets you get back to normal sooner rather than later!
Much love and calm heart ahead

Robert Miller  Diostolic was a bit high but not too bad, especially if it was just temporary. Was this a single incident or does that happen with some frequency? Do you have Afib. From my experience the blood pressure monitors don't work very well if you have Afib. I was wearing a heart rate monitor on my chest for a couple of weeks. I can tell you that either those monitors don't work well (despite me taking great care of them staying connected close to my chest) or the people/computer evaluating the data didn't do a good job.

Tracy Chang  Cannabis?  Just learned it last night from a CNN special report.   
Titled "Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Cannabis is having a senior moment"

Deena Z  Also, try Peter Attia MD’s website. —Renowned longevity physician that has chronic insomnia. He has some cocktail that he uses. 

Richard Munson  Kim , wishing you the best in your quest for a good nights sleep. It must be awful . I sleep like a log so cannot imagine what you go thru. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you all. I have tried melatonin and magnesium, no luck. I may look into CBD gummies if Dr says it is o.k.
Love you all and so glad I have this site, to be a part of a community of such wonderful human beings

Klara Čičić  I struggle with insomnia for a long time, since high school. Try get into root of the problem. Cognitive bihevioral therapy helped me in that sense. Done by pychologist trained for treating insomnia. Besides that, after the surgery I started using diazepam in a small dosage (2 mg or 5mg) every now and then when I can't sleep. I know how you feel, it is so frustrating. Keep looking for a solution! Good luck!

Valerie Allen  Kimberly just a note in case you haven’t read to take melatonin at least an hour before bed for it to work.

GARY STANKO  How much melatonin do you take?  I take 10mg to 20mg every night.  I also take magnesium for restless leg.  The melatonin seems to work fairly well though I wake up a couple of times a night but get back to sleep.

Robert Miller  This is a forum about heart issue. Do you believe your insomnia might be related to hear problems? If so, can you elaborate? If it's a general question then it's hard to tell as there are so many causes. I hear you because I sometime I also have a hard time falling asleep (again). My two solutions are just getting me really tired (exercise more than usual) and count sheep (ok, not counting sheep but just concentrating on my breathing trying to phase out anything else that is going on in my brain, easier said than done).

Valerie Allen  I use the Calm app on my phone. It has Sleep stories, music, meditations, and more. Started using when very sick 6 years ago.

Cathleen Weed  250mg of magnesium citrate 30 minutes before bed Relaxes the cardiovascular and central nervous system. Very calming and I sleep 7 hours. Couldn't sleep more than a few hours anymore before I started taking it.

Klara Čičić  Dear Kimberly, I think going for a second opinion wouldn't be a bad idea, maybe some other surggeon/cardiologist would give you other perspective. Although it is rare as a primary issue, it is common as a parallel problem with another valve isuue, and it is commonly taken care of as a repair or replacement... So I don't see how it is still experimental when it is done daily. Sorry for my English not being better :) I hope you can find strength in amazing science and bright future of cardiac surgery which is improving rapidly during your wait

Ana Brusso  Hello Kimberly, I remember you battling with loneliness. Klara’s suggestion of a second or third opinion is valid. I and I’m sure Rose will also agree. Please don’t feel lonely or isolated, we are here to support each other. Klara, you don’t have to apologize, your English is perfect. God bless you all 🙏❤️😍

Rose Madura  Yes, I do agree!  It's always a good idea.  And although your condition may be common, know and believe that these doctors know what to do and are very good at it.  Do some research online. You have chosen a good hospital. My sister-in-law lives in Woodstock.... My husband is from Crystal Lake. You are not alone here.  Godspeed.

Rita Savelis  I'm sorry that you have to go through this. It's hard to have a valve problem that is not the standard aortic. I had my tricuspid valve repaired at the same time that I had my aortic and mitral valves replaced. If you search  under tricuspid you can find some information on this site. 

https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2023/03/22/tricuspid-forgotten-ailawadi-gorav-md/

Annette Sterzel  Kimberly 4 months ago I had a mitral valve replacement and tricuspid regurgitation repaired. Feeling much better now. I saw 4 surgeons before I made up my mind. I have no doubt I chose the right surgeon and hospital for me. Best of luck! Let us know how it goes. 💕🙏

Robert Miller  Did you check the learning center at https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/learning-center.php

including 
https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/tricuspid-regurgitation.php

and
https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/tricuspid-stenosis.php

Richard Munson  I am the knee cortisone injection kid. I have lost count especially my left knee after 4 surgeries for meniscus tears. 2 in right. Just had one last month. No side effects thankfully. I now have bone on bone and arthritis on top of it. I have fought knee replacement surgery. They did however try a gel a few years ago and i did suffer a huge side effect. We are all different regarding our bodies reactions to medications

Susan Lynn  Kimberly - I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. I think you might have had a reaction to the epinephrine in the cortisone shot. Many people experience heart racing when they receive injections at the dentist due to the epinephrine contained within the lidocaine numbing anesthetic. I have my chart noted because I had a similar reaction years ago.

I agree with you about the after visit summary. Some of my doctors are very conscientious about explaining everything while others simply add it to the documentation.
We need to remain our own advocates long after heart surgery. Be well!

Ana Brusso  I, like Richard, have become the knee cortisone injection kid. Will get one on each knee next week. So sorry you had such bad reaction Kimberly. Look at my little Angel Susan Lynn explained what’s in those shots. We all know that not all doctors are conscientious. Hope you are feeling better. Richard’, how is Shadow and Nancy?

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you all for your responses. I did not know about the stuff in the lidocaine ingredients, makes sense too. Spoke to the Dr and his nurse today, and he apologized for rushing me through the appointment and made a note in my chart.
Richard, I am so glad I asked on here, because he was also so pushy about the gel injections, now I will not get them! I asked for PT and will do the best I can to manage it myself for the time being. My niece is a registerred personal trainer in Indiana, and I plan on talking to her about sending me the best things to do to strengthen the muscles above my knee, as I read that can really help.
Hope you are all doing well today, and big hugs and lots of love sent to you all!

Klara Čičić  Kimberly I am sorry about your experience. I guess no matter what part of the world or what healthcare system you have, problems are always the same - the people. You have to be conceous and professional every time. He wasn't. I am glad you are seeking other options. The strengthening of upper knee muscles sounds good. Keep excersizing carefully. Keep us posted, warrior and good luck! 

Thomas Brusstar  Good luck.  They know what they’re doing at Northwestern.  I had my mitral valve surgery there in 2018.  Dr. Thomas as cardiologist and Dr. McCarthy as surgeon.  I also find the receptionists and other staff to be very professional.  Little things can be stressful at a time like this, and they make it run smoothly.

Steven Methot  Stress test are fun in a strange sort of way, but then again I was a runner.  A stranger runner, true, but you'll be fine!

Rose Madura  Donna there are no silly questions.  The journal is where you make a post about your journey. The guestbook is to leave a message for someone else. Hope this helps.

Klara Čičić  Donna I was wondering the same thing, this web page has a lot of space for improvement, things could and should be easier and simpler to reach nowdays, web page arrangement could be more intuitive, especially community of this size and sponsorship...

Donna Casaletto  Thank you Rose and Klara for clarifying….I confuse myself especially with technology 😂🙈😜‼️Hope you're feeling better Klara!

Richard Munson  Kim, they are beautiful. My daughters dog is luna. They bring so much joy to our lives. Although the last week shadow is a little out of control so hopefully he calms down a bit. The 5 month old blues. Just weighed in at 44 pounds. What happed to that little 10 pounder we brought home in may. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you Richard and Ana :) They make my teenager and I laugh on days that are a little gloomy Ana, do you have any pets? Praying for your upcoming surgery and will look forward to seeing your updates when you are on the mend. Much love, hugs and good wishes always!

  Kimberly, thank you for your prayers and well wishes. No pets yet, but we have been discussing that after surgery we might adopt a couple of dogs and maybe also a cat. We had a wonderful dog over 30 years ago and the loss was too hard and was afraid to have another one. Will post as soon as I am able. God bless you 

Richard Munson  Ana, i think adopting a dog would be a fabulous idea. If shadow keeps up his wild behavior, i might have a suggestion. Just kidding. 

  I know you are kidding, you love that Mr. Shadow and he loves you back. He is just being a teenager 

Deena Z  Just seeing these little ones.  oh, my goodness, so  adorable. must be hard to not stop hugging them.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Dr. Malaisrie told me yesterday in my telehealth visit, that after looking at my tests, he does not reccomend surgery yet. He indicated that with the tricuspid valve they go by symptoms not by severity of leakage. If I begin to have swelling in legs and feet, dizziness, need to sleep with several pillows, etc. He also wants me to have another echo in November, which makes me feel better, since my cardiologist was telling me it was ok to have it once a year instead of every 6 months, which Ive seen is the norm when it gets to this point. He made me feel much better about how I am doing right now, and also said I am a good candidate for minimally invasive surgery from what he sees.
Good day :)
I will update in November !
Thank you and best wishes

stephanie arnold  i am just catching your pists now, after my catch up this week( nov4,) you are good that you have time and good docs. i had emergency aortic valve replacement( bovine) mitral valve repair, and patched up or whatever it is, my ascending thoracic aorta which was pretty enlarged. so thats what the gang r