My Predicament

[Death on Trapezoids]

If it was me, I'd go for the second option.
If it works, you (hopefully) will enjoy a long, healthy life.
If it doesn't, they'll learn from it and you will have a medical procedure named after you.
Plus, if it doesn't work, you could always go for the transplant.

 

[liongurly]

Option two
1. You either die quickly in your sleep or live longer than if you took the transplant.
2. You help scientific discovery.
3. Your body wont reject your heart because its already yours.
4. You wont have to take those immune system suppression pills.

but i'm just a stranger on the internet so the decision is yours. Either way good luck!

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Think of it from both my point of view and from a 3rd person perspective of the situation.

From your perspective, the second option is horrible, something few would go for. But looking in from the outside it's the better option. I could write a wall of text as an answer saying that it'll advance the field and everything but ultimately it comes down to the person you are.

If you can live with the looming feeling of fast encroaching death then go with the safe bet. If you can take all the risks for a long life and go out guns blazing then go for the surgery.

So which guy are you? I'm guy 2, holding onto a sliver of hope that I'll make it out with a tale to inspire all.

 

[k-ossuburb]

I...I think that you should talk this over with your family.

This right here.

I don't want to sound apathetic to your condition, I think it's terrible that you've got to make this choice and suffer the stress of not knowing along with the stresses of waiting for the hammer to drop, so to speak. But we're just people on the internet, I personally don't know you, right now you're just some text on my screen, don't put your life in the hands of people who care a lot less for you than your family and friends do. They're the ones you should be sorting this out with, not us. I can't speak for everybody, maybe there's some people on this forum who really do care deeply about you, but I'm a stranger, you can never trust my choice because I don't have to face the consequences so it's easy for me to toss a coin and say "yeah, do that". I'm sorry if this comes off as dickish, I empathize as best I can for you, but I'm a nobody so my opinion on your life is invalid.

 

[Knusper]

I'm really sorry to hear of your problem, and I wish you the best of luck. Personally, I'd go for the second option, because the waiting list for a donor can be ages. But then again, I can't really appreciate your problem, and I dread to think what I would do if this choice is al I have. I think it's best to listen to your family and closest friends and do what you feel is right, not just what the majority of the Escapist says. It's your decision, no one else can really appreciate the risk in either option for you.

Once again, my condolences and best of luck.

 

[yizas]

You should play it safe, you have your betting on your life and the stakes are to high. Wait for the transplant but in the end its gonna be whatever you want it to be

I wish you the best dude and i hope everything goes ok for you

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

Wow. That is rather serious. Most things 'serious' on this site concern girls and shit, but this... Man, I don't know. It's a big risk you're taking, we're talking about your life here.

You're the only one who can make this descision. Sorry for the shitty answer, but it's true.

This.

One thing I've learned is that fourms are the last place you want to take advice from...

But then by not taking my advice, you WOULD be taking my advice...

FFFUUU-

 

[DSEZ]

ok i am sorry if i sound like a dick when i say this but i think you should do the surgery fortune favors the bold

 

[JMeganSnow]

The risk with a heart transplant is not zero, so I'd go with the valves personally. If you die on the table, you'll never know it, you'll just go to sleep and not wake up. So you have the advantage of a relatively "pleasant" and uncomplicated death. I *suspect* that your risk of complications with the valve surgery are actually lower than with the total-heart transplant, especially if it can be done laproscopically. They have to crack your chest open for a full heart transplant and that can be a big shock to the body.

Still, neither option is that great. Sometimes in life you just gotta roll the dice.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

It started at birth with aortic stenosis. When they tried to unblock the valve they punctured it. After that I had a ross procedure which was botched and damaged my heart. After that the damage caused my heart to swell which damaged the rest of the valves. So I'm where I am mostly because of doctor screw ups which doesn't make putting my life in their hands once again any easier.

That's why I very much hate having to have anything to do with surgeons. I always get the idea that they are going to do something wrong.

Then again, I'm a hypochondriac, so I've gone through pretty much all the major diseases.

"Chesty cough? I have brain cancer!"

I do get unexplained chest pains though.

I would advise the surgery. I would hate to have to be in anticipation of the next 10-15 years when I'd need another transplant.

 

[helldragonX]

I would suggest the second option as an outsider and that is the option I would choose myself.
Because from what I understand there is about a 10% - 15% chance that the transplant will fail. So the surgery isn't much more of a risk and you would be helping advance the field of study.

 

[mandalorian2298]

Ok, if it were me, between the too options, I would definitely opt for the surgery to repair the valves. Keep in mind that transplant is not much safer then the surgery. Since it is going to happen in a partially random moment in time (when your heart valves start deteriorating), one risk of the transplant is that, should the your condition advance rapidly, a donor heart might not be available quickly enough, plus the procedure itself is by no means without risks. Finally, as you have said yourself, should the procedure completely succeed, you get 5-15 years, during which you will be forced to abide a very strict lifestyle in order to preserve your heart.

The surgery, while it also has risks, offers a chance (if I have understood your post correctly) of complete cure for your condition. It is also risky, but with much greater potential benefits then the transplant, which is why I would definitely choose it.

Having said that, I would like to add two more points:

1. I would check very thoroughly if the surgeon can deliver what he promises. Please remember Wizard's First Rule - People will believe any lie as long as they want to believe it's true. In your case, this surgeon is de facto promising you life, which surely makes you want to believe him, so I think that you should definitely look for a second opinion about the procedure itself (optimally from a totally impartial medical expert).

2. Given any choice, I would not allow anyone to perform any kind of surgery on me before they come up with a full explanation of my condition. My advice to you is not accept the "we are baffled" explanation, and look for someone to who can figure it out. If there is 1 chance in a billion that your condition can be cured in a non-surgical way, then I definitely think that your efforts would be best directed towards someone capable of fully diagnosing your condition.

There is one final thing to remember: this is your life and the choice is 100% in your hands. There is a possibility that your decision might be one of your last acts on this world. Choose in accordance with yourself and forget all other considerations. When the road of our life ends, the paths that we have chosen are the truest, eternal testament of who we were.

Good luck to you.

 

[mrsultana]

My personal choice would be for the transplant. I would rather take immunosuppressants for the rest of my life than anticoagulants. My patients live a pretty good life after transplants. The coagulants make people worried all the time and spend the majority of their lives getting blood draws and worrying what happens if they skin their knee playing golf, wrestling with the dog, or just standing in line for groceries.

 

[Heart of Darkness]

I read through this, thinking you were older than sixteen. Once someone mentioned your age--oh, man, I'm really sorry about this. Teenagers shouldn't be exposed to this sort of problem.

Anyway, back on topic: What you really need to do is to sit down with your family and your doctor and take a nice, long look at both procedures: risks for mortality, risks for infection, risks for complications, what (proposed) benefits you're looking at for each procedure, what kind of maintenance you'll need to undertake in order to get the most out of either operation (medications, check-ups, anything). Talk it over, and give this decision some serious thought, and then only proceed once you're ready and completely sure of yourself. Don't be afraid about making the "wrong" decision, just do what feels the most comfortable to you.

This is where I'd suggest my personal option, but really, since I'm not in your position, I really can't say what procedure I'd go with. If you want a better shot at a relatively healthy (and relatively guaranteed) life, you're probably better going with the transplant; if you're willing to try and fix the problem once and for all, go for the experimental surgery. Do whatever you think would let you live a better life.

If you want a more objective opinion (lol, like those exist), go for the surgery. If it's botched and you're still alive, you'll still have the chance to go for a transplant. If it works, you'll have helped advance the medical field and potentially help hundreds, if not thousands, of other people suffering from this condition as well and reduce the need for donor hearts. If it doesn't work, the same thing applies; it's a win-win for medicine (unfortunately, though, not necessarily for you).

Of course, I'm not a doctor, so this post probably amounts to nothing more than a mere rambling and a regurgitation of everything else you've read in this thread. Just do what you think is right, and hold fast to that conviction. Don't let others force you into doing something that you're not comfortable doing, especially when your life is at stake.

Good luck, and pray for the best.

 

[helldragonX]

My personal choice would be for the transplant. I would rather take immunosuppressants for the rest of my life than anticoagulants. My patients live a pretty good life after transplants. The coagulants make people worried all the time and spend the majority of their lives getting blood draws and worrying what happens if they skin their knee playing golf, wrestling with the dog, or just standing in line for groceries.

Wouldn't taking immunosuppressants cause you to get sick more often and when you do get sick make it take longer to recover?

 

[ZleazyA]

Honestly I'd really love to give my full two cents about this to help you with your problem, but I'd need more information.

Here's the 1/2 cent I can give right now though: I think you need to get as much information about this as you possibly can. Talk about the specifics of the surgery and your condition, to both the doctor who would be performing it and to other doctors. Talk to your family, most definitely, and to close friends if you wish. If you want to get more detailed opinions from us, relay some of the information to us. I'll probably weigh in more heavily then.

If I was asked to choose one right now, I would probably go with the valve reparation surgery. If the valves in your heart are indeed the only problem, then the surgery could offer a good solution, depending on how well the valves are placed and the validity of the surgery as it was planned. From what I can see, the only reason you would pass away as a result of it is if someone didn't plan out or place something properly, or if the doctors encounter some unexpected problem that they couldn't help (your heart doesn't restart, for example) It might be a good chance at living a good and long life.

However, this decision is still yours. You will see the outcome of this and know it was your own choice.

I'm not a very religious person, but I'll be praying for you. Good luck.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

"Only 10-20% chance of dying? Gogogo!"
That was my first thought.

Mine too.

I say you tell all family and friends you love them, take care of what you need to do, and go do that surgery with no regrets, and no doubt in your mind that you are going to make it through.