Thomas D. Townsend
Saabtech@vnet.net
01/01/99

It is one day shy of two weeks since I underwent the open heart surgery for the second time in my life. I am now 45 years old and the first surgery was in 1966 when I was 13 years old.

I was born with a bad aortic valve and a stenoses of the extending aorta. In 1966 a Debecky patch was used to open the narrowing of the extended aorta. Several days before Thanksgiving I had a yearly physical at which time the doctor seen a problem from a stress test. It was the test where you ride a bike with a camera up against your chest. The results are in color on a TV screen. The doctor ordered a catherization for the day before Thanksgiving. My initial feelings were ...cant this wait till next year. I feel good and don't see any need to look for trouble.

During the catherization the doctor stood up and said "We got a problem here" My heart started feeling like someone reached in and started to squeeze it very hard. I turned my head and started to breath in a manner to overcome the pain. Another doctor gave me a shot and I woke as they were moving me off the table. Well the next thing ya know There's the local heart surgeon and my doctor standing in my room telling me I need immediate attention as I was in great danger of sudden death heart attack. The Debecky patch and scar tissue was plugging my coronary arteries more than 85%!

I met with the local heart surgeon after the Thanksgiving holidays and discussed what he had in mind. He wanted to install a mechanical valve with a extended dacron aortic tube to splice into what good was left of my extended aorta. He said I would be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. He said he could do it the very next day or the day after. I asked him "how many of these extended dacron tubes have you done?" He said NONE!!! I told him I would let him know.

I called my doctor and told him that. My doctor said he was dealing with Duke at the moment and to wait for his call. Mean while because of the trade im in I started calling doctor contacts and people of higher education. Many of them not just customers but true friends. I asked that they find out who the PRIME heart surgeon is at Duke. Well the next day I got word. One friend was educated at Duke and his good friend was a doctor who when through Dukes program to become a doctor, afterwards moving else where in the country. Other friends made similar calls.

One Doctors name came up. DR. DON GLOWER at DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. My doctor came up with the same name!

I was to check in on Monday morning and the surgery was to be Tuesday morning. I checked in and all of a sudden there was a different doctor telling me he was the surgeon. I was scared as hell. He pops out a document for me to sign, giving him the rights to do what he sees fit when he gets in there. I asked what happen to Dr. Donald Glower??? This other doctor told me Dr. Glower examined the study done on me last week and thought He was the best of their team to take care of me. He explained that he was a pediatric heart surgeon and the surgeon for ROSS PROCEDURE. Thanks to the help of the good people of the News group news://news/sci.med.cardiology.

"THANKS so much"

JAMES JAGGERS M.D. Assistant Professor Cardiothoracic Surgery 919 681 2343 DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

When Doctor JAGGERS was done talking to me a warm feeling overcame me and I knew I was in good hands. I could relate to what he was saying as I have done mechanical operations all my life and there is nothing worst than to go deep into a gear box and find more damage than expected and being confined to a written estimate and dealing with the hassle of long term longevity or keeping within the boundaries of the estimate. In The doctors case he couldn't wake me up and discuss options. Another surgeon had been in there some 30 years earlier during the pioneering days. I signed the paper with ease.

The Program:
During check in day We were guided and looked after by FRED ELLISON RN. FRED told us all the details that would go down in the next couple of days and gave us the grand tour as well as a group session for the group scheduled for surgery the next day. It looks like 10 - 20 heart operations are done here per day. DUKE is a very large place and without someone like FRED you could get lost in the paper work and shuffle. This Man is truly dedicated to helping others. When the operation starts he gives your loved ones a pager as to keep in touch and comforts them as needed. As I was leaving the pre op room for the Operating table, FRED ELLISON RN was at my side. I asked him "man what if I got a real mess in my chest and ......" FRED replied "Townsend its like this .... can you imagine a 30+ bay Garage! Well this place has over 30 operating rooms. If the attending Surgeon has a problem the place is right full of the best doctors in the world"

DAY1: Wed.
It had to be around 9:00 am when I entered the operating room. The next thing I remember is my loved ones standing before me. Then the doctor saying we are going to remove the breathing tube and I need you to help me spit it up and out ....ok its out. I could look past the doctors head and see it was 12:00. I asked "is it noon time or mid night"? He said Its midnight. I felt the comfort of a cool sponging off sometime during this time.

Day2: Thur.
At 6:00 AM the nurse said its time to get in the chair and helped me. She took a spoon full of ice and put it in my mouth. It wasn't long I was drinking a ginger ale. Soon a doctor came over and took my hand, told me his name, mentioned mutual friend's names, and told me he was the chief surgeon for Duke and he and my friends were looking after me. I was so sick that I didn't catch his name. When he squeezed my hand I knew it was for real. Later that day I was moving around well and was moved out of ACU after they removed the drain tubes and wires. I felt those drain tubes come out so make sure you just had your pain medicine shortly before.

For the next several days I was treated with pain killers and kept comfortable. I was allowed to walk with everyone else and each day my strength doubled. On Monday morning I was discharged to home.

I would advise anyone who is in search of the best doctors and hospital to take a close look at:

THE DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER DUKE HEART CENTER JAMES JAGGERS, M.D. 919 681 2343