Guestbook of Julie Gerard

My Guestbook

Julie Gerardgot a new guestbook post

2155 days ago

steven a husted posted a note for Julie that says:

hi julie i am not sure how you feel about cardiac rehab but i really enjoy it very much and it helped me a lot and i had a friend who was in cardiac rehab for ...Read more

hi julie i am not sure how you feel about cardiac rehab but i really enjoy it very much and it helped me a lot and i had a friend who was in cardiac rehab for 26 years and he enjoyed it very much it helps keep your heart in good shape i wish you the very best in your recovery a friend and heart valve patient steven a husted (popeye)

Julie Gerard I’m liking cardiac rehab so far. I’ve been doing it 2 weeks. Though I actually push myself more o ... Read more

Julie Gerard I’m liking cardiac rehab so far. I’ve been doing it 2 weeks. Though I actually push myself more on my own treadmill and my own stationary bike on my non-rehab days, I like the direction it’s given me to know it’s ok to do so. It’s good! Glad you had a positive experience as well.

Susan Lynn Just finished my three months of cardiac rehab, yesterday and I'm going to continue to participate t ... Read more

Susan Lynn Just finished my three months of cardiac rehab, yesterday and I'm going to continue to participate through their extended program. I absolutely loved the people and interaction! I highly recommend it.

Julie Gerardgot a new guestbook post

2162 days ago

Linda Sweeney posted a note for Julie that says:

Hi Julie, When I was around 19 I was told I had mitral valve prolapse and the doctor called it Barlows syndrome. He said the leaflets were floppy but closed ...Read more

Hi Julie, When I was around 19 I was told I had mitral valve prolapse and the doctor called it Barlows syndrome. He said the leaflets were floppy but closed ok. That was in 1972 or 1973. In May of this year I saw a cardiologist and had an echocardiogram due to chest tightness and tiredness and heart palpitations increased. (Last one I’d had was in 1995. Nothing had changed since when first diagnosed so I sort of forgot about it till recently.) The echo showed the anterior leaflet moderately thickened and calcified with mild regurgitation. At this point I started freaking out and started researching and found out about stenosis. And found this website and bought the Heart Valve Surgery book. My doctor said we need to monitor this and repeat the echo in a year. And if my symptoms increase or I feel worse we can talk about beta blockers. But as far as surgery it was not mentioned. I think because so far the regurgitation is mild. If surgery is in my future I have already found my support system here online! I’m going to follow you on your healing journey because you are an inspiration to me Julie. Have a wonderful day 🌺

Susan Lynn Linda - I also had Barlow's and had a repair done before my heart began to show any enlargement. The ... Read more

Susan Lynn Linda - I also had Barlow's and had a repair done before my heart began to show any enlargement. There are great resources on this site and many of us have had mitral valve repairs. We'll be here if you should need us. Wishing you good health!

judith monti linda:

I was dx'd with mitral valve prolapse in 1990 after my son was born. My valve was watched wi ... Read more

judith monti linda:

I was dx'd with mitral valve prolapse in 1990 after my son was born. My valve was watched with echocardiograms through the years.

In 2017 I started in afib that could not be controlled with meds. 10M later I had an ablation. The afib fid not improve. My mitral valve prior to ablation was moderate leakage. A month post ablation a t-test was administered and my mitral valve was at severe regurgitation. I was referred to heart surgeon and had a mitral valve repair Nov 29, 2017. I am doing well after some complications during recovery.
Keep doing your echo's to determine the progression of your mitral valve and good luck!

Judy

Kirk Bepler Mine was back in the late 80's, the Dr thought that I had strep throat that was not caught.

Julie Gerardgot a new guestbook post

2163 days ago

1 person reacted to this

Linda posted a note for Julie that says:

Hi Julie, You look very pretty in your picture. And congratulations on your mitral valve repair. I am 65 and recently found out I have a moderately thickened/calcified ...Read more

Hi Julie, You look very pretty in your picture. And congratulations on your mitral valve repair. I am 65 and recently found out I have a moderately thickened/calcified mitral leaflet with mild regurgitation. Did you have mitral valve stenosis? And if so, did the doctor explain how it happened? For instance, was it from rheumatic fever? Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope you have a wonderful day. 🌼

Julie Gerard Thank you for the wonderful compliment! I did not have mitral stenosis. I was diagnosed about 30 year ... Read more

Julie Gerard Thank you for the wonderful compliment! I did not have mitral stenosis. I was diagnosed about 30 years ago with mitral valve prolapse which slowly progressed over time to severe regurgitation. I’ve been on a beta blocker for about 15 years which is common protocol to slow the heart down and not let it beat so hard. Though I’ve always had palpitations, they’d been getting worse over the last 3-5 years (not that I wanted to admit it to anyone). I still have them after surgery so I’m still on a beta blocker, though it’s a different one than pre surgery. My mitral valve issue was not from rheumatic fever. I have a genetic link with two of my 1st cousins from both sides of my family. Is your doctor suggesting surgery to repair or replace?