IF you wish to HELP CHERIE
https://www.gofundme.com/cherielaytonAcct set up as of 5/6/16
Note: This "beginning" of my story, was written prior to me going to Mayo Clinic in December of 2010. I just added a journal entry to bring people up to speed, on what's happened, recently. The "journal" is where the updates are shown.
Here's the scoop, about "wassa matta wit me"Evidently, I was born with an "extra" electrical pathway in my heart, and so, my heart can go into a very fast heart rate. About 20 years ago, there were several attempts to "ablate" (or sever) this pathway, with a procedure done much like a heart catheterization (NOT surgery).Anyhoo, during the last attempt, a catheter was accidentally passed through my aortic valve (oops!), and perforated one of the leaflets (I also had a stroke, and couldn't see for three weeks, but that's a story for another day). Since that time, my valve has been leaking. We have kept a close eye on my heart........serial ultrasounds, etc, because you want to be sure that you get the timing just right for fixing the valve. You don't want to do it before you need to, but you also don't want to wait so long that the heart size and function is being compromised.
They never did successfully ablate the pathway, so I have continued to have episodes of fast heart rate, although, I am usually able to stop it within a couple of minutes (with a valsalva maneuver, which is basically just "bearing down"). In the last 6 - 9 months, I have been more short of breath, and so, my cardiologist and I agreed that "now" is probably the time to get it fixed.Also, beginning in September, I have had issues with significant hypertension (never had before), and am taking a boat load of medicine to try to reduce the "load" on my heart
.I am a cardiac sonographer, and in October, attended a continuing education conference in Napa, CA. It was put on by the Mayo Clinic, and long story short, they ended up doing an echocardiogram on me, and feel that they can repair the valve, rather than replace the valve (normally, aortic valves are almost always replaced). It's still open heart surgery, but the long term ramifications would be better for me, if I don't have to get an actual "new" valve.So, AFTER the annual Christmas musical at GVCC, on December 20th, Scott and I are flying to Rochester, Minnesota.
I'll have several days of testing and procedures, then have surgery.Lots of our friends have expressed an interest in knowing what's going on, while we're gone, so we've created this site for that purpose.Disclaimer: Cherie will be updating this site BEFORE surgery, and Scott will be doing it, immediately AFTER surgery. Cherie cannot be held responsible for the content after that ;)
