Has anyone here had surgery for a heart defect?

[skooooo]

I did and am about to get follow up testing. Just wondered if anyone else had been through this kind of thing.

[KitchenWitch]

1. No, but eventually I will have to.

I have mitral valve prolapse.

[skooooo]

2. Not familiar with that condition...

Wish you the best of luck with it. Does it require surgery, or can they do it with catheters or some other means?

[KitchenWitch]

4. No, I will need to get the valve replaced because it leaks.

[mopinko]

6. they are doing an experimental technique for that.

i just read about it the other day, and may have the details wrong, but i think northwestern hospital has a study going where they are doing a laser ablation of the excess tissue in the valve. sounds like a way better idea than replacing it.

[KitchenWitch]

7. That sounds interesting

Not sure that I would be a candidate for that. My condition is a direct result of radiation therapy and it is more of a stiffness of tissue due to scarring rather than a buildup of excess tissue.

But I am glad they are finding less invasive solutions.

[skooooo]

8. I had robotic surgery to repair...

....my ASD. It was way cool. Of course I don't remember any of it, but the recovery was really quick, and I don't have much scarring because they are able to just poke a few small holes in you instead of cutting your chest open.

Good times!

Well, relatively speaking..lol.

[supernova]

10. Robotic surgery!

Cool! :D

I'm really fascinated by all the technology. :-)

I'm hoping I might be a candidate for Mitral repair vs. replacement. Like you say, much easier recovery. Plus, you want have to do it ever again.

[skooooo]

12. It was awesome...

I had a decision to make as to whether to take that route. The 1st doctor I talked to said he thought he could repair it with catheter and patch and gave that method a 70% probability that it would work for my specific defect.

Seventy percent didn't sound high enough for me, so I went with the robotic where they would sew the hole up and not leave any foreign body in my heart.

[supernova]

3. Yes, VSD repair in 1967

At some point I suppose I will have to get my mitral valve and possibly my aortic valve repaired also.

Follow ups, they usually just want to know that the repair/patch/new valve (whichever is appropriate) is working properly.

edit: If you've already had your surgery, you've already done the hard part. :-) :hug:

[skooooo]

5. I'm hoping that.....

...the right side of my heart has decreased in size since surgery. There aren't a lot of studies on this that focus on middle-aged people. Guess all you can do is exercise and hope for the best. I've been exercising a lot since my surgery.

Thanks for your kind words. Did the repair improve the quality of your life in any way you notice?

[supernova]

9. I've had about 30 extra years of life because of it.

:-)

If I didn't have the surgery then (I was 5), I would have died about 10 or 12 years of age. And many kids did die in the age before pediatric heart surgery. So, I'm definitely thankful for it. :loveya:

Yes, my exercise tolerance is somewhat less than others' with perfect hearts, but I do what I can. Sometimes people don't always understand that I am not 100% energetic GO GO GO, but that's their loss. I have to live life at my own pace.

[skooooo]

11. Know what you mean...

...I have a lot more energy since my surgery.

In fact, immediately afterward I could see more color in my face, and even doing very simple things seemed a lot easier.

You never know what people have going on with them. I used to get embarrassed by not being able to do regular stuff. Once you know what's going on with your body, it makes everything a lot easier.

[mopinko]

13. my grandneice has a patent ductus repaired

a few years ago. they just snaked a device up her femoral artery, threaded a springy thing around the whole, pulled it tight. hole closed, kid better, everything normal by the next day.
freakin' crazy.

[skooooo]

15. So many things just aren't a "big deal" anymore..

Glad to hear everything went so well.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

14. Yes. Had an ablation to correct heart arrhythmia.

Was successful mostly. Have had one incident since the operation two years ago.