As background, I was diagnosed with a heart murmur during a routine physical in April 1999. After an echocardiogram, they told me I had a “moderate to severe” mitral valve prolapse. Prior to being diagnosed, I ran numerous marathons and never had, and still do not have, any symptoms.

Like yours, my doctor also suggested monitoring it which we did for the last ten years. Over time, my mitral valve prolapse category changed to “severe”. This past year, they recommended surgery to repair the valve which I am now scheduled for this coming week on 5/13/09. I am nervous about it but I have checked this out with several doctors and they all think proceeding wit the repair is the best for my situation.

I would recommend a couple things if you have not done so already. One is to obtain a copy of your echocardiogram and office visit reports from the doctor. While they can be technical and complicated to understand, I have found them to be helpful to better understand my valve disease and be able to ask more informed questions. Another recommendation would be to get a second opinion. For example, there are a lot of other factors than just the different categories or grades and too many to list in an e-mail. The second opinion really helps to better understand all the information for your particular situation.

I hope this helps and best of luck to you!

Dan

P.S. Adam, Thank you for the great website and book. They have been very helpful to me and my wife as we prepare for my upcoming sugery. Thank you! Dan