Brent Weinberg’s Story
"Having previously undergone six open-heart surgeries, I wasn't expecting too many differences during lucky number seven, although the location changed and the doctor line-up was different.
"A month earlier, I had an angiogram. The results led to the conclusion that surgery would need to be performed within the calendar year. I was promptly set-up with my surgeon-to-be, and I was very confident in him after we met.
"During the hospital pre-op appointment I quickly knocked out the required chest x-ray and blood draws. The hospital staff did a phenomenal job of educating me on my condition, what the current procedure was going to correct, what past procedures had corrected, and the future prognosis of my condition. They walked me through the recovery process, literally, as I toured the main entrance to the hospital, the pre-op area, intensive care, and the cardio-renal floor. They even discussed hotel options for my mother, who flew out to be with me. After spending 3.5 hours at the hospital, I felt in control of the situation, which relieved any remaining stress I may have had.
"On surgery day, everything went just as discussed. Later that day when I woke up from surgery I felt great, relatively speaking. That was a surprise because usually coming out of heart surgery I felt like a train wreck. The surgery went very smoothly and while recovery was tough, it wasn't the same degree as I had experienced in the past.
"I saw both the surgeon and cardiologist regularly throughout my week of recovery in the hospital. When it was time to check out I felt good; I didn't feel rushed or hurried to leave the hospital. The medical team helped me to understand my limitations and when the limitations would be lifted as well as any symptoms to watch for during my recovery at home.
"For any patients dealing with members of the Adult Congenital Heart Center at St. Joseph Hospital I would tell them that they will definitely receive excellent care from confident and knowledgeable medical professionals who are on the leading edge. Every step of my open-heart experience, from diagnosis, to pre-op, during surgery, and post-op, the Adult Congenital Heart Team at St. Joseph's took excellent care of me. "