"In the next eight
to ten years, your heart's mitral valve will probably have to be
replaced" he said.
"Does that mean
splitting my chest open?"
"Yes. It's the only
way to do the procedure."
"Is it possible
that it might not have to be replaced?"
|
|
-
|
- "Not likely. We're seeing
enough regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium that we
know the valve will only become less efficient over the next several
years and it will start causing some issues."
-
- That was March, 2003. I had
been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse three years prior, but
there were no symptoms other than an occassional flutter. I didn't
even know what a mitral valve was.
|
-
That was
then - this is now.
The valve did
get more frayed, which caused my "flutter" to become more severe,
resulting in several bouts of atrial fibrillation from 2010
through the spring of 2012.
It was time
to make a decision.
|
|
-
|
- I could stay on anti-arrhythmic
medications and blood thinners a little longer, some of which
have serious side effects after even a year of use, or I could
look into my options for getting the valve replaced. Thanks to
Lonna's experience doing medical research for her parents' issues,
she discovered a procedure pioneered by Dr. A. Marc Gillinov (pictured
at the left) at the Cleveland Clinic, that could probably repair
the valve, rather than replace it and do it without splitting
my sternum. I was all in for that.
|
-
The procedure
is called Robotically Assisted, Minimally Invasive, Mitral
Valve Repair. We both did more research and spoke with doctors
as well as someone at the clinic and everyone said that if that's
the path we choose, Dr. Gillinov is the the only surgeon they
would recommend. This was in June.
-
-
After my records
were reviewed by Dr. Gillinov's team, we were told that I was
a very good candidate for the surgery. We made the appointment
for September 10, 2012 - the earliest we could get in. Obviously,
this required some planning for both of us with our jobs, Lonna's
parents' care, and for me with the band.
-
-
Because we learned
so much about the doctor, the procedure and the recovery time,
I was not concerned about the outcome or my ability to heal
from the surgery. It's amazing how knowledge can put you at
ease.
|
|
-
|
I'm pictured above the day after
the surgery. Two band members from TGL (Michael
Doctor and Paul Bernard) surprised me (Lonna already knew they were
coming) by driving the two and a half hours to the clinic and presenting
me with a stuffed animal (a pig, to be exact) that we named "Pinky."
It was actually Michael Doctor's wife, Tracey, who sent it up with
them for me.
I was released three days later
(September 14th) to go home.
The next day, I was sitting
with dad watching an Ohio State University football game.
|
-
Sixteen
days later, I was back on stage with TGL and eight more
days later, back to work.
-
-
I know that
having this procedure done now rather than later was the right
thing to do. I was confident that those whose hands I put my
life in were capable people who would keep me safe throughout
the process. This is not to say that there weren't some bumps
along the path, but I am blessed with a wife who stayed by my
side through everything. In addition, the knowledge of what
to expect and the understanding that the unexpected can also
happen certainly helped to make everything go well.
I was able to
experience (via FaceTime on my iPhone) the birth of our granddaughter
on September 28th. I attended the wedding my youngest son on
October 7th. The band only had to cancel two dates, but since
these September cancellations happened in June, the buyers had
plenty of time to book other acts to replace us. I am blessed
beyond measure.
|
|