Posted by Ed Wehan on April 30, 2001 at 20:33:14:
In Reply to: Not Ready for the Maze Yet? posted by Jerry on April 30, 2001 at 20:32:09:
Jerry, first of all, I would start at the beginning of this board and read every posting. That really helped me. There is no 100% cure for anything and there is always some risk. However, as far as I know, the chances of risk is very small for anyone under 65.
I had my maze about five weeks ago. I was scared going in. When I said goodbye to my daughter prior to leaving, I was in tears. However, the more that you know about the surgery, the easier it is on you.
I was out of the hospital in four days (Dr. McCarthy said I could leave after three but there was no way I was going to do that). I was back home from Cleveland in California two days later. The recovery is somewhat difficult primarily (at least for me)for psychological reasons. Your heart may continue to skip around for awhile and it may take some work to get through the first couple of months.
I still have some flutter but it seems to be getting better. What helps me most is reading about others experiences that are posted here. Many of those people have gone through the same thing and I have learned so much from their experience. I now walk five miles a day and feel great. I am very pleased that I had this surgery.
The bottom line is quality of life. I am a runner, backpacker, tennis player etc and I want to continue to be able to do these things. At 57, I might have 15 years of real activity left. I want to play hard. I also want to keep up with my five year old daughter and be able to take her on trips and adventures.
I hope this helps you. Anyone on this board could have written this and some others may.