Patient Story of Bev Witt

My Story

About Me (In My Own Words)

I was diagnosed with critical aortic stenosis after my first Echocardigram in January 2021. The echo was ordered by my PCP due to the way my murmur sounded at that time. I then saw a cardiologist who explained that I was a good candidate for the TAVR procedure. He referred me to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora, CO, where my surgeons were very experienced in performing TAVRs. I was 70 at the time & opted for a bovine tissue valve made by Edwards Sapien. My heart CT scan the day before the procedure revealed that I had a bicuspid aortic valve. I never knew until that day. That explained a lot. My entire life I always needed a lot of sleep & never woke refreshed. My TAVR went well & I was released the next day. Within 5 days I was able to take a 30 min walk with my sister. Unfortunately, 10 days after my TAVR I threw a clot that went to my left eye. Got to our ER quickly & was flown back to UCHealth for extensive tests. I lost about 40% of my field of vision in my left eye. My brain adjusted & I rarely notice the vision issue now. I had to go on blood thinners after the eyeball stroke. Since then, they discovered that I have a persistent blood clot on the outside of my new valve. It doesn't affect the function of the valve at this time. I get heart CT scans every 6 months to monitor the clot. It's a bummer but I don't dwell on it. I feel lucky to be alive!! We keep hoping that the warfarin will help eventually so the clot will dissolve. My 1 year TAVR Anniversary is this week on 4-14-22. Every day is a gift. I am so thankful the aortic stenosis was discovered in time & I could have the minimally invasive TAVR.