Okay.....It's a cryptic title, but read on and you'll "get it." First, this is in regards to my heart issues that I explained in the first post of THIS THREAD.

Since that time, I have undergone bookoo testing to get the best possible info on the condition of the aneurysm and how it will affect any surgery to repair the valve. We found out that the aneurysm is stable (no aneurysm is truly stable, but at least it's not changed in two years) and that the false lumen (tube) created by it is carrying an equal pressure, which is good. The problem is still that having any aneurysm while undergoing a surgical procedure is a loser.

I have been very fortunate to be where I am and to be accepted as a patient of Dr. Robert Michler, Karl Klass Professor of Surgery, and Chief of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Ohio State University. He has ordered most of the testing and today I had an appointment to discuss the possibilities and make a decision. Michler is very straightforward and did not downplay any of the risks involved, the most likely being death. The flip side option is that my heart will continue to worsen and in a reasonably short time......poof! So.......The good side of all this is that providing all goes as it should, the surgery will stop the excessive wear and I will have more energy...my "quality of life" will improve significantly and my life span will approach "normal." I feel good now and I'd love to have more energy, not to mention seeing my boys grow up!

The news gets even better. Although there is danger in being on a heart-lung machine in any surgery, open chest surgeries are extremely traumatic to your body.......Your sternum is sawn through for chrissakes......and I've been there before with the by-pass!

Enter "da Vinci."........The heart-lung can be placed at the femoral junction instead and a less invasive surgery can be done.........ROBOTICALLY! Dr. Michler now has more time on this method than even Dr. Wolfe (who helped develop it) and he has accepted me as a candidate. I will be calling on Tuesday to schedule myself into the queue of one of the busiest (but one of the nicest) surgeons anywhere to be found.......and luckily, he is here!

The robot is called the da Vinci and OSU had one of the first, prior to FDA approval. They now have two and when the new Heart Center is built, there will be four there alone. The surgeon doesn't touch the patient....he's several feet away playing a video game inside your body! For those of you still reading, here is some info on the da Vinci Robot and also some pictures of the da Vinci and Dr. Michler. This less invasive surgery is much less traumatic to the old bod (and the aneurysm) and recovery time is shortened to a few weeks instead of months.

I've said before that I have never believed that this is "the ONE" that will get me and I still believe it today, perhaps even more strongly than before. I'll keep you posted on when all this will take place.

Spaw