llove... My understanding is that pericarditis can flare up for decades... no problem as long the pericardium keeps its flexibility... I read somewhere that hokey players often have it... The real...
Jeatonov.. I wouldn't worry about the pain... that was not my problem.. I had pericardiectomy 16 mo ago... had rehab... made a remarkable but slow recovery... in my case, recovery (gaining strength)...
Hi Kenneth, My echo, CT etc. showed "medium" constriction... when they opened it, my pericardium was much thicker with heavy adhesion... as I understand sometimes there is a "disconnect" between the...
Elvina, Yes, the left ventricle is unusual... mine and most CP are around the RIGHT ventricle.... By the way, imaging (echo, CT) doesn't always give a precise picture... the key issue is the...
Elvina, I'm surprised that you couldn't find a great surgeon in Hong Kong.... Constr. Pericarditis is VERY rare in the US.... Due TB induced pericarditis they do thousands of surgeries in India,...
Mister_S Hypothyroidism..Huhh I also discovered after pericardiectomy that I have a mild Hypothyroidism... taking low dose of drugs... Are we discovering here something? Pericardiectomy and...
Christine, I agree, imaging is not always precise.... it seems to me when the open the chest they frequently find something different... I'm 9 mo after pericardiectomy... stunning difference for...
Ernesto, Apparently you pay about $5 US for a session... It'd probably cheaper for me to fly from the US to the UK for every session (on a discount airline)... the system her is chaotic and broke and...
Ernesto, Seems like you got a great surgeon.... Congrats!! I have ongoing fights now with my insurance company to approve post-op rehab... Ernesto, I'll immigrate to the UK... it seems that it is...
Hi Gang, 90 days past since my Cleveland pericardiectomy. Gradual improvement, I'm feeling better week by week. The pain of bone healing was not as bad as I expected. For me, the worst part was the...
Hi Guys, I just had my 2 mo post-op review... passed with flying colors... I still have to clear my throat sometimes... good ol' tube... I'm doing much better. The recovery is truly amazing......
Dear Bubbe, Well, I had the first night at ICU and 3 extra nights in the hospital... (some stay 4 or 5 nights max.).. We stayed the weekend - extra 2 nights in Cleveland... and I had no problem...
Dear Bubbe, I went to Cleveland from California. I could have had the surgery here, closer, less expense. The main issue in my mind was that this is a rare surgery, a "once-in-a lifetime" event.......
Storri, On the internet you cannot hide... I thought it was a GREAT article... I actually think it was well put together... and so many great photos... Don't worry about little details... so you had...
Dear Bubbe, If Dr. Klein stated that you need the surgery... that is the "end of road" so to speak... he is absolutely superb!!! ....and Cleveland is one of the best places in the world to do the...
Hi Guys, 45 days after pericardiectomy update... Cough is gone... still a touch of sore throat... that good ol' tube must have scratched something.. Started to drive and bike! Post surgery checkup is...
Hi Gang, Just checking out from the Cleveland Clinic... Full pericardiectomy 5 days ago... feeling like a million bucks already... Overall great experience at Cleveland... more to come next week when...
Thanks for all the positive thoughts... Well, we are in Cleveland, cleared for surgery... all the preop tests... took MUCH longer than expected... It seems that my surgery date will be delayed.. a...
Thanks for all the good thoughts... We are heading out to Cleveland tomorrow... I'll have the usual tests and hopefully will know the surgery date by Friday. If everything goes well, we'll be back...
Maya G, Yeah, that was also my experience with recurrent pericarditis... it comes and goes... Hawaii, I think the heat did not help either... I'm checking in around Aug 25 at Cleveland... after preop...
Boy... I got lost in Cyberspace.. but finally I found the right board... I'm still alive and getting ready... Thanks for your work Teri16 !!...
When I asked the Cleveland folks "Can I drop dead by overdoing stuff with CP?"... they told me it is practically impossible.... they suggested to work as hard as I can... my heart beats extra hard...
We live at the "cold" part of California... Cleveland will be hot in August... as you can see I'm still working on the "details"... ...
Specky, Great news!! I had recurrent pericarditis for awhile and was told that it MAY develop into CP (in my case it did)... most cases just slowly disappear... which seems to be your case. If you...
Hi Everyone, John99, yes I suppose to have a full review and possible surgery at the ned of August... my issue is a probable active infection in addition to partial CP... I'll know their verdict at...
Hi John99, You asked "you were at 5-7mm 2 years ago but how progressed is it now? It sounds like Cleveland may be more conservative vs Mayo." No. I think they have a "profile" of a typical CP surgery...
Specky, Yes I was told that the "down side" is that even with all the technology they have very little idea what do they find when they open the chest. The Pericardium might peel off easily and the...
John99, One more thing... I'm amazed how little is known in the US about CP.. of course it is very rare here. I read that in developing countries like India, Pakistan or Indonesia where it is very...
Hi John99, I was fatigued and low energy 2Y ago when I was suggested the "wait and see" approach... with 5-7mm "bread and butter" (no calcification yet) and partial constriction at that time... They...
Specky, In my case they also "suspect" ongoing viral infection; didn't do biopsies because it is too risky also recommended to take out the pericardium. Unfortunately this is just half of the...
Hi John99, Actually Cathy did an amazing job checking out hospitals, doctors etc. I contacted Cleveland after reading about her a couple of years ago in the Las Vegas paper here in California...!!!...
Henk, I could be wrong... I read the opposite... if the constricted pericarditis is caused by tuberculosis.. it is harder to remove... fibrinous pericarditis...??? I got this link to a series of...
John99, My symptoms were exactly like yours... Started about 2 years ago ...chest tightness, low grade fever, cough which lasted about 10 weeks. Diagnosed pericardial effusion... Continued with...
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Teri, Yes, I've been to Cleveland last year... since my CP was considered "mild", at that time I was advised the "wait and see" approach. Unfortunately my situation is getting worse, now I'm trying...
Cathy, Thanks for the tips!!! I agree Cleveland (Klein & Co) - absolutely awesome... I thought that they are far (I mean truly far) ahead in CP treatment compared to the best I have seen and tried...
Cathy, Congratulations!!! You postings were very informative... It seems that my pericardiectomy is coming up at Cleveland pretty soon... maybe I should get the name of the nurse... just for as a...
Dear Betsy, Thanks for your tips... I suspected that many surgical teams and hospitals would like the experience of doing this rare procedure but the question is how much ACTUAL experience do they...
Hi Teri16, Thanks for asking... my CP is in relatively "early stages" but surgery is considered due to a suspicion that I might have active infection of the pericardium... I have some pain... it is...
Hi, Well, finally I found Pericardiectomy Part III... and the saga continues.... I'd love to connect with people who did their Pericardiectomy in hospitals around the SF Bay Area... Anybody out...
Storri, Very interesting posts. My understanding is that our heart is simply compressed by the pericardium... when partially removed (basically taking off the top cover sitting on he heart) or remove...
Storri, Yes, I suggested the Shabetai book... I was able to get it from a university library, I loved it and it was amazing to me that EVEN I understood most of it... most information I saw about CP...
Mister, Fascinating... I posted earlier here, lately I regularly read your posts... I was diagnosed with CP less than a year ago... my symptoms are somewhat similar to yours... I'm "foggy" - not that...
Hi Ericleer... I'd love to connect with you... I was diagnozed with Constricitve Pericarditis last year....live SF Bay Area... I'm treated at UCSF... We have a lot in common... Huh... Please drop me...