About Me (In My Own Words)
My bicuspid aortic valve was discovered in 1993 at age 21 when I was pregnant with my son. I had an Echocardiogram and was told no need to worry, I may never need surgery & if I did, it wouldn't be until I was 60-70. I'm 43 now and never had any issues, didn't think it was even a big deal. I would have an annual echo, but never gave it much thought.
Sept. 2014 I had a hysterectomy and apparently got a very slow growing bacteria introduced into my blood stream. January 12, 2014 I went to the ER with severe abdominal pain. Turns out it was a splenic infarct. After lots of testing it was determined that I had endocarditis in my aortic valve. The vegetation had broken off and went to my spleen. I was in the hospital 27 days getting the blood infection under control. During that time a new growth appeared. (9mm x 14mm). I was released and put on antibiotics 24/7 for 6 weeks in hopes that it would shrink or disappear, but it didn't. After anaphylactic shock & Stevens Johnson syndrome from an allergic reaction to daptomicin , I spent several days in ICU. The thoracic surgeon came to visit & informed me he found a small tear in the aortic valve now & I couldn't walk around like that. He scheduled surgery for the next week. I had surgery expecting to never wake up...the most horrifying days of my life. I woke up, thank God and slowly getting back to real life again.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Colorado Springs, CO
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My surgery date is:
March 31, 2015
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I was diagnosed with:
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Dr. Joseph Cleveland (Professor)
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My hospital is:
University of Colorado Hospital
