Experimental surgery doesn't happen to all. Let's disclose here

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ MAZE Alumni Forum ]

Posted by John Behle on October 16, 2001 at 14:07:38:

In Reply to: Re: 5 months yeaterday! posted by Jeanne on October 16, 2001 at 12:58:30:

Jeanne, I am so sorry about your situation and it is on my mind a lot. I do hope and pray that something comes along that reverses the Afib for you.

While the MAZE absolutely should be weighed and investigated carefully, your case is rare, unique, unfortunate - BUT not the norm and is not practiced anymore.

Your operation on a "Beating heart" was I understand only one of two cases and discontinued. Why it would work in the trials with dogs, etc. and not with you - and have such unfortunate results doesn't make much sense.

We have details of your surgery here I believe and we would welcome any kind of full and detailed account. Yet, your surgery was unique. It is not done any more. It had for you disasterous results and does not represent the risk or type of situation one would face now.

Thousands of MAZE surgerys have been performed. Most have spectacular results, some still need pacemakers or drugs. A few haven't worked well. It is major surgery and should be weighed carefully.

I looked at the worst case scenarios and even a potential risk of death was preferable to a life of misery. I and thousands of others not only have more normal, enjoyable, happy lives, but with LESS RISK.

The risk of stroke from AF I am sure outweighs the risk of stroke during surgery. I believe I wouldn't have made it another year without the surgery and now have a chance at a normal life.

I am deeply grateful for this newsgroup. It gave me a chance to discover, weigh, evaluate and decide on the surgery that may have saved my life physically, but un-questionably saved the quality of my life.

We have in no way censored any posts here nor do we intend to. It isn't a MAZE advertisement. It is an educational resource of great value. But, I would ask that when and if you post you make it clear that your surgery was experimental and does not represent what occurs on a daily basis.

While any post minimizing, covering up or hiding the risks of the MAZE and making it look like a minor procedure, would be un-balanced, so is a post that highlights the risks without pointing out special circumstances.

I appreciate the discussions, experiences and points of view here. Before my own surgery, I was able to discuss the type of MAZE and items like cryablation with my surgeon to be better informed and comforted. In the end, though, such a monumental decision came down to the experiences of the MAZE Alumni here.

I shudder to think of what life would have been like if I had not found this newsgroup. If I had focused on all that could go wrong or even seen the surgery performed, that may have scared me away. Believe me, I was ready to jump in the car and head the other direction anyway. I'm glad that didn't happen and I had the support and knowledge gained from the site Jack Drum set up to help us all. Thanks Jack.

Follow Ups:


Post a Followup

Name    : 
E-Mail  : 
Subject : 

Comments:


Optional Link URL:  
Link Title:         
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ MAZE Alumni Forum ]

WWWBoard 2.0a and WWWAdmin 2.0a © 1997, All Rights Reserved.
Matt Wright and DBasics Software Company