From Bhilwara to Ahmedabad… In Search of the Right Heart Care.
🫀 Heart to Heart — Episode 4
by Dr. Bhupesh D. Shah
About two weeks ago, the clinic received a phone call.
“Sir, I am calling from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. My father has a heart problem. Someone we know suggested we consult you once. Can we get an appointment?”
The staff replied, “Please send the reports on WhatsApp first.”
Within the hour, the reports arrived.
I reviewed the echocardiography carefully.
There was a serious problem with the Aortic Valve — one of the heart’s most critical components.
Severe Aortic Stenosis.
The valve was almost completely blocked.
The staff called them back.
“Doctor has reviewed your reports. Please come for a consultation on Wednesday.”
Friday morning, around half past ten,
a family walked into the clinic.
Father, two sons, and his wife.
The exhaustion on their faces was visible.
They had travelled through the night and come straight to the clinic.
The elder son folded his hands as soon as he walked in.
“Sir… we are the ones from Bhilwara.”
The father sat quietly.
His wife kept folding and unfolding the edge of her dupatta.
I asked, “When did you leave?”
The son replied,
“We took the ten o’clock bus last night, Sir. Reached Ahmedabad at six in the morning. Freshened up a little and came straight here.”
I reviewed the reports again.
Studied the echocardiography carefully once more.
The opening of the Aortic Valve had narrowed significantly.
The heart was working far harder than normal just to pump blood through the body.
Aortic Valve Replacement was now necessary.
I explained everything in detail.
After a while, the father spoke for the first time.
“Sir… we have a small cloth shop in Bhilwara. Everyone at home depends on me.”
He paused.
Then asked,
“After the operation… will I be able to go back to the shop?”
In that one question was his entire responsibility, his entire family, his entire life.
I smiled and said,
“Yes. But the operation needs to happen in time. If we delay, the condition can worsen to a point where even daily activities become difficult.”
He said nothing.
But something changed in his eyes.
I asked,
“How did you decide to come to Ahmedabad?”
The son replied,
“Sir, there is an uncle in our neighbourhood. You had operated on his brother-in-law for a valve problem about four years ago. He told us — ‘Consult Dr. Bhupesh Shah once.’ So we thought, let’s come and meet.”
I smiled and asked,
“You came all the way to Ahmedabad just based on that?”
The son smiled too.
“Yes Sir. We had shown the reports in Jaipur as well. They also advised surgery. But we wanted a second opinion. So we came to Ahmedabad.”
The night before the operation,
the younger son met me outside.
He spoke quietly.
“Sir… everything will be okay, right?”
I said, “We will do our best.”
He replied,
“Sir, my father has never left Bhilwara in his life. Coming to Ahmedabad was a very big step for him. But he came… because he trusted that he was in the right place.”
The Aortic Valve Replacement surgery was successful.
On the day of discharge,
the father slowly got up and stood.
He said nothing.
Just folded both hands.
And his eyes filled with tears.
His wife said softly,
“Sir… we were very scared when we left home. But now it feels like… we came to the right place.”
Bhilwara to Ahmedabad.
An overnight bus.
An unfamiliar city.
An unfamiliar doctor.
Just one name.
And complete trust in that name.
🫀 Don’t Ignore Aortic Valve Disease
Aortic Valve disease often progresses slowly and silently.
In the beginning, the symptoms seem ordinary.
Breathlessness after a short walk.
Difficulty climbing stairs.
Getting tired too quickly.
Most people dismiss this as aging or general weakness.
But many times, these are serious warning signs from the heart.
If the valve is not replaced in time,
the heart gradually weakens.
And in many cases, the risk of surgery also increases with delay.
Never ignore these symptoms:
🔴 Breathlessness after minimal activity
🔴 Extreme fatigue while climbing stairs
🔴 Sudden dizziness or fainting
🔴 Heaviness or pain in the chest
🔴 Difficulty breathing while lying down at night
If you experience any of these, consult an experienced cardiac surgeon immediately.
A medical degree gives knowledge.
Experience gives skill.
But trust —
that comes from patients themselves.
With their pain.
With their hope.
And that is why every operation is not just a surgery.
It is someone’s entire life. ❤️🫀
If someone you know has a heart condition and is still hesitating — share this with them. Sometimes one right decision, taken at the right time, changes everything.
Dr. Bhupesh D. Shah
Heart Surgeon, Ahmedabad
Experience of 17000+ Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeries
