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Community Question: "When Will The 'Voice of Doubt' Go Away?" Asks Stephanie

By Adam Pick on May 23, 2012

Earlier today, I spent some time at Heart Valve Journals, our online community. While there, I read an interesting question posted by Stephanie Cole, who had mitral valve replacement surgery on March 16, 2012.

In her journal, Stephanie asked, "When does that little, tiny 'Voice Of Doubt' go away? Is my valve still intact? Is my heart still shrinking? I love the freedom to do 'anything' but what if the doc's were wrong? I wish I could have monthly echo's for reassurance."

Stephanie Cole, heart valve patient, shares concern about heart valve surgery

Personally, this question conjured up several familiar feelings for me. So you know, even though my surgery was six years ago, I still have moments when I think to myself, "Is my heart really okay?" or "What was that twinge of pain going down my sternum?"

That said, I wanted to feature Stephanie's question in this post and see what you think. Do you have any thoughts for Stephanie? Do you still have any doubts or concerns after surgery?

In advance, thanks for sharing your experiences!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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