Cardiologist Consult Today

Sorry to hear about the medical conditions you struggle with. I do not have any medical background so I cannot advise you there but just wanted to say that I will be praying for you and ask God to guide you in your decision about surgery. Good luck and keep us posted.

Maria

Thank you Maria, I believe in prayer.

Good luck! I have a leaky valve also and I Just had bypass surgery. I asked my doctor "Why did you not fix my leaky valve while you were in there". He laughed and said it was not bad enough yet. I did not think it was a bit funny at the time.

Jerry

Sending you prayers, sorry you are going threw this, please let us know when you are going in for surgery,

Thanks for letting us know what is going on with you. A friend of mine had a valve replacement a few months ago and he too waited for a while, until it worsened and he knew it was time. His went very well. Please do let us know what you decide.

Kathy

The Ejection Fraction of 37% is pretty close to needing an implantable defribillator per our cardiologist. When I don't know if I should have the procedure or when I had to make decisions for my son when he had his brain injury, I always asked the doctor: If it was your wife/child, what would you recommend?

Prayers are wafting their way upward for you.

I'll pray for you at church tomorrow for the Lord to guide you in making the right decision, for Him to be with you in whatever you decide, and to help you be at peace.

Hi, maybe a dumb question, but have you had a second opinion? If your MD's not sure what's what, then get one. Just about every MD I've ever known and worked for (x decades) has been really happy to make that referral because it will either validate what he believes, or save him from getting sued (if he's wrong). If you have sarcoidosis, along with the other things, get more advice!

Severeena wrote:My cardiologist is letting me decide if and when I have surgery to put a new Aortic Valve in. The reason he gave is because I have to many variables for him to say whether or not to have surgery.
I have Pulmonary Sarcoidosis, Sleep Apnea and Type II Diabetes.
I am now weighing the benefits of this surgery and to have and not to have the surgery. I also have 37% pumping of my heart. The doctor is not sure if it is because of the valve malfunctioning or my Sarcoidosis.
He is worried about my Sleep Apnea and the Sarcoidosis.
I just thought I would bring you all up to date.

Severeena,

Has the cardiologist explained what his concern was with each of these diseases?

As Debjax suggested, I would suggest the same thing to ask him... what he would do if it were one of his loved ones?

I will also be praying that God directs you to make the right decision and that if you decide to go ahead with the surgery that God will guide the surgeon throughout the surgery and that you will have a good recovery.

Have you talked this out with your family as well?

Not an easy decision to make but we are praying your decision will be the right one for you.

Take care,

Anne

The doctor is afraid that I may not wake up because of the Sleep Apnea. The anesthetic induces extreme deep sleep and with Sleep Apnea we have periods of non breathing.

Sarcoidosis is an auto immune disease that produces granulomae. The granulomae absorb the anesthetic thus after absorbing the anesthetic they become so engorged that they explode thus releasing the anesthetic back into the system thus causing the patient to goes back into a deep sleep.

The Type II Diabetes causes a healing problem. He is afraid I will not heal correctly.

Severeena,

I think I have a bit of a clue how touch it is to make that kind of decision. The more medical conditions we have the riskier surgery can become and if the risks are significant most docs generally like to wait until a decision can't be put off . Some conditions, like yours, make surgery more directly risky. I had an ejection fraction of 35% about 11 years ago - today they would likely have put in an ICD but they weren't available back then. Luckily I got better.

The following web site provides information on Shared Medical Decision Making, a movement that is starting to create partnerships between health care providers and patients in making specific choices. I haven't seen anything about your situation but thinking about things in this way might help you to frame questions for your doctor.

http://www.informedmedicaldecisions.org/

I'll be thinking of you and wishing you strength in making your decision.

Best,
Mindy

Your explanation of how sarcoidosis factors in was enlightening - thanks for answering my unasked question. I have a friend with sarcoidosis in her lungs, and I'm sure she will find that interesting. Now I'm wondering, does the doctor say you would need to not use your cpap after surgery, or why is the sleep apnea such a factor, unless it's central instead of obstructive? Sorry to be so inquisitive, just eager to learn.
Kathy