About Me (In My Own Words)
Hello,
My name is Brian. I have followed the Heart Valve Surgery community for the last few years now. It has been my favorite resource to learn from. I am currently a 43 year old male, 5' 8", 175 lbs. I am married with 3 young children. My story started with heart disease that runs strong in my family. I've had pain and weakness in my arms when I have them up to a level of my shoulder or higher, and it got so bad that I couldn't hold a drill up for more than 30 seconds or so before my arms got too weak. I was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) in both shoulders, with complete occlusion of arteries and nerves on one side. During this evaluation, I found out that I have a left pulmonary sling (goes between my esophagus and trachea). At about this time, I started having episodes of chest pain and palpitations. When I went to the ER (several times), it seemed that medical staff was dismissive of me and my symptoms even though I had extremely high blood pressure. I eventually got in with the cardiologist that my sister has, and with a hard-fought angiogram found out that I have a dilated aorta and bicuspid aortic valves (Type 0 Sieves). My ascending aorta and aortic root have a dilation of 44 mm / 4.4 cm. My profile is still a work in progress.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Sacramento, California
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I was diagnosed with:
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
