Michael's Photos

It has been a while since my last post and it is in fact, fast approaching 7 years since my surgery and I just want to post a recap, so to say, of my journey with BAV disease. All of your stories are very inspiring and courageous and always encourage me to keep on moving! In the 1960's when I was born, I was diagnosed with a hear murmur. Diagnostic procedures of the day did not reveal any further effects nor was anything unusual ever recorded. I went on to live my life limitless and free. I just kept moving! Every now and then a routine visit would cause a doctor to remind me of that old heart murmur. In my early 40's, I noticed on several occasions, I was getting exceedingly tired, rather quickly after playing with my kids. My primary physician referred me for a stress test. I do remember the lab technician calling in a staff cardiologist to discuss what she had seen. From there I was assigned a consulting cardiologist who informed me I had coarctation of the descending aorta… like a kink in a hose he described. The fix was simple, a rather large stent was inserted into the kinked section of the descending aorta and that was that. However, I quickly learned a bi-cuspid aortic valve usually accompanies the coarctation condition. And so it was, and my cardiologist would monitor it from time to time. But as for me I was free to do whatever I wanted. Just "keep moving". Ten years later, a critical symptom appeared. I was finding it extremely difficult to run. After about a quarter mile I was completely winded. It was time to replace the bi-cuspid aortic valve and the ascending aortic arch. I followed all the recommend pre-surgery guidelines and post-surgery rehab routines and I am now living freely with three prosthetics keeping me afloat — a descending aortic stent, a bovine tissue aortic valve and an aortic arch graft. I like to share the anniversary of my surgery with my wife and kids as my second birthday. This year I will be celebrating birthday 2.7 and plan to run my 12th half marathon (post-surgery) by year's end. My journey is not over (as a second surgery looms overhead) but I am fully healed and living life as it comes — traveling, running, swimming, yoga, hiking, fishing, walking, biking and kayaking… just "keep moving" has a new meaning! I know thoracic surgery is a major procedure which puts tremendous pressure on you physically and emotionally. I had my surgery at Cleveland Clinic where they provided me with meditation tracks for preparation. I listened to them every day leading up to the surgery and I am reminded how the meditation helped me. How will I be after? How will I feel? Will I ever heal and feel normal again? To paraphrase the meditation — "Some healing will come from medications and treatments given to you. Some healing will come from within you. With your body and mind working together, everything heals."