Hi Bob,
Here's wishing the best for Ben and your family. I believe you mean
"aortic" rather than aerobic, if my memory serves me correctly. I had
mechanical replacements for both the mitral and aortic valves in 1993, but,
at 63, I was a lot older than Ben. And yes, I do have to take blood
thinner. That is really the only disadvantage that I know of when
mechanical valves are necessary. Today's methods with tissue valves and
modern techniques are quite advanced compared to what I faced 19 years ago.
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Whitmire" <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Olympus Camera Discussion" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 11:40 AM
Subject: [OM] (OT) Need that Positive Energy Again
> Well, once again the call goes out for prayers, positive energy, good
> thoughts, etc., for No. 2 Son, Benjamin, who will be admitted to the Maine
> Medical Center on Sunday, and on Monday will undergo an aerobic valve
> replacement.
>
> You may recall back in December 2010 when Ben suffered congestive heart
> failure and we almost lost him. Your positive energy was much appreciated
> at the time. though the past year he has shown slow and steady improvement
> in his heart function, to the point where now his cardiologist and cardiac
> surgeon believe he's well enough to undergo the surgery. We've got a real
> cracker-jack of a surgeon, so there are no worries in that department.
>
> The plan is a Ross Procedure, which is where the surgeon replaces the
> aerobic valve with the patient's pulmonary valve, and then replaces the
> pulmonary valve with either a cadaver valve or an animal valve. The
> benefit of the Ross Procedure is that the patient does not require blood
> thinners, as would be the case with an artificial valve. The surgeon did
> warn us, however, that once he gets in, he may have to fall back to an
> artificial valve if Ben's pulmonary valve doesn't seem a likely candidate
> for moving. In that case, he plans to use an experimental (in the US) On-X
> valve (which has been approved for use in other parts of the world for a
> _long_ time). The benefit of the On-X valve is that Ben will need Plavix
> rather than Coumadin.
>
> We were amazed that they typical hospital stay for this surgery is 4-5
> days. Who'd-a-thunk? And, if you're interested, the Ross Procedure is the
> subject of a series of YouTube videos under the auspices of the Cleveland
> Clinic. I was astonished as I watched the operation (severely condensed)
> at how capable and confident the surgeons were. Ben's family practice
> doctor, who was in the Air Force before setting up private practice, calls
> it "Fighter Pilot Mentality." (Go, Chris!) He says these types of surgeons
> are like fighter pilots: they're so well trained and so confident that it
> never occurs to them that they can't do it, and they are extremely capable
> of reacting to any contingency. After viewing the video, I believe it. <g>
>
> The issue, other than standard dangers of this type of surgery, is that
> Ben, who has autism and mental retardation, doesn't understand what needs
> to be done. He has no incentive to cooperate. Fortunately, the surgeon has
> done this operation on children and other mentally handicapped
> individuals, so he's confident that he and the hospital staff can manage
> any issues that arise. To date the staff has been most compassionate and
> helpful, and has kept in touch to keep us apprised of their plans. For
> example, contrary to policy, Ben should get a room by himself so as not to
> cause some other poor soul to suffer loud outbursts, etc. They've also
> worked with us to streamline the admission process on Sunday so has to
> minimize anxiety provoking incidents that come with waiting around for
> clerical details to be ironed out.
>
> At any rate, I'm planning to take a laptop with me next week, and good
> lord willin' and the crick don't rise, will be on and off, messing around
> with stuff, including this list.
>
> But in the event I'm not, have a happy thought for Ben on
> Monday--particularly you UK and Continent types, who can get the positive
> energy flowing while Ben's still asleep. <g> At the moment, the surgery is
> scheduled for 6:15 a.m., but he could be bumped until later in the day for
> any of a number of reasons, mostly having to do with patients in more
> acute distress.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> --Bob
>
>
>
>
> --
> _________________________________________________________________
> Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
> Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
> Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
>
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|