Hi Marti,
You are so fortunate to be so close to Mayo! Our drive is about 7 hours, so even to go for a one day consultation is a major effort. However, Cleveland Clinic is even further away, so tempting as it is to check in there for a consultation because of their Radiation Heart Disease Clinic, that'll need to be a pass for us. There comes a time when you just need to put your faith in the skill of your doc/surgeon to handle whatever is encountered. My surgery at Mayo is a little over a month away, so I'm leaning into that and tamping down my tendency to keep wanting to investigate other options. I've got to get busy putting plans in place for family/friends to visit while I'm hospitalized and/or recovering there in Rochester. Temporary (affordable) housing is not easy to come by in that area - I guess because it is in such demand.

You always share such interesting/intriguing things 🙂 I'd never heard of Vitamin K2 until you mentioned it. I checked it out, but seems to be something I have to skip due to the blood thinners I'm on and likely to remain on indefinitely following valve replacement surgery.

It seems I've managed to acquire pretty much all the heart structural problems possible from radiation. Still, I have to keep in mind that I could be much worse off. The biggest challenge is to keep positive and focused on the good things in life. I could easily dissolve into feeling sorry for myself and retreating into a hermit-like existence. I fight everyday to keep as active as I can, and to communicate with family and friends about topics that are life affirming and uplifting. At the same time, I'm sounding the alarm to those I know who've had radiation to the chest for breast or other cancers. At the very least, they should consider having the CCS!

You are clearly focused on doing all you can to keep yourself healthy and expand your knowledge of your condition. I am certain that your commitment will enable you (with the assistance of your health care providers) to slow the progression of this horrid disease while more effective treatments are found.