About Me (In My Own Words)
I was diagnosed with BAV and mitral valve prolapse at a young age. when I was a year old in 1981 I was treated for Patent ductus arteriosis. After that I was monitored every year through my childhood for mitral valve prolapse and BAV till I got to my teen years and stopped getting checked for a number of years. I never had many symptoms except for getting winded a lot sooner than the other kids at school. I could never run the mile the whole way. I always had to slow to a walk. in 2005 I had a spontaneous pneumothorax and the doctors noticed I had a loud heart murmur, so I was referred to a cardiologist who told me I had moderate mitral regurgitation and we needed to keep this monitored. being as scared as I was about the diagnosis I kept trying to avoid it but every time I was seen by a doctor they would remark about my loud murmur and refer me back to the cardiologist. in February 2013 my cardiologist informed me that he wanted to do a TEE to get a closer look at my valves. I ended up refusing, but, knowing I had a problem that could no longer be ignored, I requested to see a different cardiologist. The new cardiologist was a lot nicer and more willing to listen to me but he was also a bit more aggressive (in a good way) in getting me the treatment I needed. he said a TEE wouldn't be necessary because I obviously needed repairs as my bicuspid aortic valve had also begun to leak. I had started doing research at that point and Cleveland Clinic kept popping up as one of the best heart hospitals, so I asked my doctor to refer me there and he agreed it would be great to get me in there. I went for an evaluation in October 2013, which showed severe mitral regurgitation, moderate aortic regurgitation, a dilated left ventricle and an aortic root aneurism. I was scheduled for surgery on may 23, 2014. The waiting was the hardest part but I used that time to learn as much as I could about my condition and cardiology in general, even watching actual surgery videos on youtube. That really helped alleviate the fear for me. I had my surgery on the scheduled date and 3 months after I was managing a slow jog which I hadn't been able to do since I was in 5th grade! My home cardiologist said they did an excellent repair and it really shows because I feel like a new person now!
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Saratoga Springs, New York
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My surgery date is:
May 23, 2014
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Mitral Regurgitation
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
Mitral Valve Repair
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Gosta Petterson
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My hospital is:
Cleveland Clinic
