hi Mary
My Name is Nina Wheeler and I have had two valve surgeries. my first one I was 38years old second one 42 .
most valve surgeries will last years and years I just happen to have a heart Anomaly that the Doctors missed . SO that’s why I had to have the second one .
I now live with a mechanical mitral valve which has me on coumidine for life . I didn’t have a choice but the first surgery was co considered to be a repair and a ring was sewn in to stop the valve from leaking .
my symptoms were severe :
Shortness of breath , chest pain, fatigue and sometimes felt like I would pass out . I’m assuming you must be having those symptoms as well if your valve is regurgitating (leaking) enough to be told you need it’s time for surgery.
The good news is they are so far advanced now that we have to look at the glass half full . my biggest advise is don’t let them talk you into “Side portal entrance”, which was my choice on my first surgery. basically they crack a few ribs and spread them to get to the valve coming from the side. biggest mistake I made .
the second surgery , when they went thru my sternum was so much better . less pain for sure .
Its normal to be scared I was both times . My parents , husband , children and family were worse then me . As the patient we tend to hide our fear And comfort our love ones . that was my coping method for both heart surgeries.
please feel free to reach out to me privately too if you want to talk a little about it . some times a voice helps more then writing . Keep in touch .
Email
njwheeler@comcast.netGood luck
Nina
Sent from my iPhone
Original Message------
hello, i am a very healthy 55 year old mother of two young adults. i was just told that i need to have my valve replaced, asap, and i am so scared, dont know what to do and who to talk to, do not want to talk to my kids and my husband is more scared than i am. i need to join this group to see who else had this surgery and how everything went.
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mary moses
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tujunga CA
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