Posted by John Behle on May 30, 2001 at 16:28:13:
In Reply to: Re: Welcome to Tom posted by Jeanne on May 30, 2001 at 15:17:39:
Like Jack, I appreciate your post and was thinking along the same lines as he. I added the section of "Success Stories" and have posted links to the accounts people have shared. I am thinking of just making it "MAZE stories" or "experiences."
I'd like to see and share with people all sides and would never want this to appear to be some form of positive promotional propaganda.
It helped me a great deal to read all the stories on this newsgroup. Wow - what a decision - to have someone slice and dice my heart! It had me scared to death. Without the support and information this newsgroup offered I would not have known about or had the MAZE procedure.
I read your experience, someone else who had been in a coma, someone who had a nerve damaged and others with pacemakers. It gave me serious pause and caution that I think is good.
Knowing your procedure was "experimental" led me at one point to carefully weigh my surgeon and his procedures - to make sure I wasn't going down an experimental path. I was thrilled to see that he did it the most tried and proven way possible and am very excited about the results. (Seven weeks and no sign of AF or need for meds.)
I might have said "no" if he wanted to do it a "new" way. At first I was dissappointed that it would be the full open heart instead of the less invasive that I had read about here. Then I read how there can be a longer time on the heart lung machine, it can be more painful and the surgeon has less room to work - possibly increasing the risk.
The information here has helped me so much. All of it. We appreciate your input and if you would like to detail it more in a post, I can include it on that "MAZE experiences" page. People should see all the information available and maybe your experience could help someone pause longer and be more sure of their decision or be cautious about a "new" approach.
I haven't edited anything here or left anything out except one web based video of a MAZE surgery. I found it quite interesting, but it might have sent me running away if I had seen it before the surgery. I already had wanted to jump in a car and drive as far away from the hospital as possible. (I'll email the link to that video if anyone is interested).
You mentioned an ablation. I truly hope that works well for you and wish you the best. Please let us know how it goes and how you are doing.