The cardiothoracic surgeon released me from his care today. Dr. Steven Leyland is a skilled surgeon, yet a very humble man. He noticed something about my mitral valve on an echocardiogram that three other cardiologist overlooked. He had more testing done and brought in a specialist to verify the problem. If this had been missed, I would have had a less invasive ablation procedure done to my heart, but it would not have solved my problem. Near the end of my first week in the hospital when others thought I should be released, he sensed that something was not right. He suspected I might have a rare genetic disorder that could cause my blood to hyper coagulate. A CAT scan showed I developed blood clots in my lungs. He brought in a hematologist and a lung specialist. By detecting this and taking action, he saved my life. My local cardiologist and another in Spartanburg, SC will be overseeing the remainder of my recovery.
Shortness of breath limited my walking today. I made a couple of treks to the upper pasture and walked less than half a mile on the track at the elementary school in town.
2 comments:
Sounds like great progress in your recent blogs! I'm so glad to hear that!! I can't wait to come visit your Hill and see all the work you are doing out there. You picked a nice time of year for your surgery so your recovery is in a time of growth and newness. I've got my vegetable garden half planted, and bought a new blueberry plant to add to the other 4. Raspberries are coming back great. But no hummingbirds yet. I think they are my greatest source of springtime joy - a sure sign that winter is behind us.
Stay tough Peggy - you are an inspiration!! Love you - Sandy
A good doctor is worth their weight in gold. Did you read that statistic I posted the other day, something like 30% of all autopsies in hospitals showed the patient had the WRONG diagnosis. I am very glad that you had a very perceptive doctor. You are making progress! yeah you!
Post a Comment