Malcolm Learns About the Heart

My experience of heart surgery has been a profound wake-up call; and a reminder of the importance of love in the world. On the night before the operation, and the morning of the operation, I opened up to the intentions and good wishes being sent my way in various yoga and meditation practices around Montreal and elsewhere. What a feeling of being uplifted!

I practiced with a sense of urgency that morning, as in: “there’s the last bird of paradise for a while, maybe even forever.” I knew that the practice of yoga asana, meditation and breathing that I have pursued in the past years, and the cultivation of loving kindness that I have been part of in the Montreal community, were important to a successful outcome.

My thanks to the many who sent me their good wishes, by email or by psychic ether. This is where the physical heart and the metaphysical heart merge,
and healing goes beyond muscle and bone.

I wrote some notes about the operation, which follow:

May 20, 2006

Nine days after the open heart surgery, I am still lying low, staying with my sister Jennifer and keeping to very light activity only. While my sawn-through sternum remains very delicate, making certain movements very problematic, every day I feel stronger.

I was deeply impressed by the calm efficiency of the heart institute, the Institut de cardiologie de Montreal. They identified the condition - severe calcific aortic stenosis (a deformed heart valve that I was born with, but which caused no symptoms until it began to calcify, dramatically reducing the heart’s efficiency in pumping blood through the body). They explained the implications, and why an operation was urgent. My own research and consultation with alternative therapists (sp thanks to Stephanie Ogura, naturopath and Lyse Michel, homeopath) confirmed the view that this disease would indeed run its own course, no matter how I ate, exercised, meditated, etc., and that my life expectancy without surgical intervention was 3-5 years.

So even though surgical intervention requires massive intrusion – to get to the heart, cut out the old junk parts and put in the new ones – this was clearly the way to go.

For others who find themselves in this situation, I advise taking a close look at the different options for replacement valves. There is no ideal, but rather a shifting set of options, each with its advantages and drawbacks (and every one of them, of course, better than waiting for the disease to progress!).

The artificial valve is a metallic implant that is guaranteed to last longer than your body, Doctor Bouchard explained. Usually he recommends this for patients of my age. However, it carries the risk of blood clotting –hence strokes – because of the metal construction. Therefore a lifelong daily dose of a powerful blood thinning (anticoagulant) agent, Coumadin, is required to reduce this risk. This entails another risk – of excessive bleeding. Contact sports are to be avoided. Regular monitoring of the blood is necessary to ensure that it is neither to thin nor too thick. Diet, other medical treatments, medication, etc, must all be considered in the context of this need to maintain the correct anticoagulant level of the blood. Lots of people manage very well despite this regime. I found myself looking very hard at the options, however.

Option 2 is the “bioprosthetic” valve. Grown in a pig, processed heavily to make its suitable, it takes the place of the old valve without the need for blood thinning. However, its duration is more limited, so the more years you expect to live, the more likely you face the possibility of a second transplant late in life. Furthermore, for a vegetarian who left bacon and ham out of his diet many years ago, the fate of a pig is also worthy of consideration (not to mention the raft of dumb jokes…)

The Institut allowed me to make this decision the night of the operation, as both options were in stock. I opted for the bioprosthetic, and feel very content with this choice. The latest statistics from the manufacturer (Edwards Lifesciences) claim 92% of these valves are still in place after 20 years. And if my new valve should begin to fail in the future (typically by calcification), a survey of technology for valve replacements shows enormous efforts and investment going into ways to perform heart valve replacements and other heart surgery without the massive intrusion, risk, and long recovery of open heart surgery thaty I am currently undergoing.

Comments

[Vivian Lee]

Hi Malcolm!

Very glad to hear you're on the road to recovery. I don't get much info from Travis as you can imagine! Teenage boys don't talk about heavy family stuff with each other, have you noticed? Anyway, my Dad had a valve replaced, too. He went with the same option as you and he's doing very well.

Take it easy and keep us posted!

Vivian

[Claudine Saleh]

Hi Malcom,

A good friend of ours, Charlie Gurd, informed me of your illness. I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking about you and sending you all my energies for safe and healthy recovery...you touched many people including me, thanks for your strength and inspiration. Peace and love, Claudine

[suzanna sebastian]

I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes; nor would I be content with converting my tears, invited by my agonized self, into calm. It is my fervent hope that my whole life on this earth will ever be tears and laughter.

Tears that purify my heart and reveals to me the secret of life and its mystery.
Laughter that brings me closer to my fellow men; Tears with which I join the broken-hearted, laugher that symbolizes joy over my very existence. (Kahlil Gibran)

I am glad you are feeling better Malcolm
For you need your heart to feel tears and laughter

your friend Suzanna

[Paula]

Dear Malcolm,
I was doing a search on the net re: Heart valves and yoga and came upon your site. First of all I wish you the best of health. I just found out last week that I too have a malfunction in my Aorta Valve - it regurgitates the blood. I was also told I will need the operation in 5-10 years time. I'm 53 years old and have had a very stressed life until now with little exercise in the last few years. I have now the opportunity to slow down and I want to do yoga, with classes twice a week. I would be very grateful if you could give me some information on the exercises that are best avoided?
Kindest of regards and I hope everything is going well for you.
Paula