About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with a double orifice mitral valve. Although I wasn’t diagnosed till I was 2 1/2 years old, my mom knew right away that something wasn’t right from the day I was born. My heart was constantly beating out of my chest. She would question the doctors at every visit. After some time, she switched doctors and the doctor immediately asked how long I had the heart murmur for. She was taken back and couldn’t believe it. After many tests, and two rounds of pneumonia, they decided to replace the mitral valve for the first time at 4 1/2. At that time I also had an EP study where they found slight leakage of aortic valve. At the time, the surgeon thought it would be best to put a mechanical valve. Not knowing much about the different types of valves and their life span as well as being a first time parent, my parents agreed with the doctor and chose to go with the mechanical valve. The valve lasted 14 years almost to the exact day. My second open heart surgery took place after the doctor found the valve was functioning correctly due to calcification around the valve. The blood flow was delaying going from the top of my heart to the bottom & the leaflets weren’t opening fully, & the valve became too small for me. I am now 8 years post op and I have recently been diagnosed with a BAV and calcification around aortic valve. I am in the process of going through more testing to determine a diagnosis and to see how they will go about fixing the problem.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
New Jersey
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My surgery date is:
July 28, 2010
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Mitral Regurgitation
Mitral Stenosis
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Christian Pizarro
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My hospital is:
Alfred I DuPont Haospital for Children