About Me (In My Own Words)
I'm an active and health-conscious 39-year-old male (38 when I was diagnosed) who kept an active lifestyle playing soccer, golf, and training at CrossFit gyms up until earlier in May this year.
I've made it a health habit and a priority to see my doctor for an annual physical every year since I was 24 years old. Every year, I would leave the doctor's office satisfied with the lab work results and knowing I was "young and healthy". This year was no different, except for a heart murmur that resulted in the most daunting experience of my life.
Once my doctor heard the murmur, he asked me to get an echo from the cardiologist's office next door that same day. While getting the echo done, I could tell by the nurse's expression that something was not right. The echo results were sent to my doctor 10 minutes later who suggested I see a cardiologist for severe mitral valve regurgitation. My doctor also suggested I stop any intense exercises until then.
I managed to get an appointment with the cardiologist about two weeks later who confirmed the severe mitral valve regurgitation diagnosis. He prescribed blood pressure medication to take temporarily until I see a cardiac surgeon. He referred me to Dr. Joanna Chikwe at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. I reached out to Dr. Chikwe's office to set up an appointment to be seen a few weeks later.
While waiting to be seen by Dr. Chikwe's team, I spent countless hours and days researching everything I could about this disease. I played out all the scenarios in my head, wondered what life would be like after surgery, causing tremendous levels of anxiety that I never experienced before. That's when I found this website and this community and learned about all the different experiences people were going through and learned what to expect during and after surgery. To my surprise, Dr. Chikwe was featured in many of them! I also asked multiple friends who work in healthcare or have connections at Cedars and other hospitals in Southern California and they all pointed towards Dr. Chikwe and the amazing team at Cedars, which gave me confidence that I was in the best care possible.
Eventually I met with Dr. Chikwe and her amazing team at Cedars. She calmly explained the structure of the heart, exactly what was wrong with the valve, how she planned on repairing it, and assured me that the cause of this disease had nothing to do with my lifestyle or anything I did or had done in the past. She explained that the heart is a very complex organ and it develops in complex ways.
I scheduled my robotic mitral valve repair surgery to be performed at 7 am on September 5, 2023. The surgery would be performed via a mini-thoracotomy on the right side of my chest. Dr. Chikwe and her team laid out the details perfectly, what to expect once I checked in for surgery, once I woke up from the anesthesia and the days that followed in the hospital. I spent the two months leading up to surgery with family and friends, spending quality time with my two-year-old son, and preparing to be out on leave at work.
On surgery day, I checked in at the hospital around 6 am. I went through all the documentation and preparation shortly after and waited in the patient area. While in the patient area, Dr. Chikwe stopped by to see how I was doing. I told her I did not feel well and that I had been experiencing food poisoning symptoms since the day before. She calmly assured me it was okay and that we could reschedule the surgery if I didn't feel comfortable with it. I did not want to reschedule given all the time waited and prepared for the surgery so we both decided to proceed.
When I woke up from the anesthesia after surgery, I remembered the slight discomfort Dr. Chikwe mentioned I would experience with the breathing tube. I remember the nurses saying they would remove the tube shortly so I tried to remain calm. I was in and out of consciousness so I don't remember them removing the tube or what that felt like. After I woke up the second time, I saw my wife bedside saying everything went well. I was in the ICU, experiencing bearable pain in the chest but in good spirits. Sometime that afternoon, I was helped up to a sitting position and shortly after I was helped stand up and get ready for my first walk around the floor. I was assisted by two nurses and a walker with wheels in case I fell down. I felt fine and able to walk. I think the hard part was juggling all the tubes and equipment that I had to drag along with me.
The next day I was transferred to the recovery floor where I spent the following two nights. The pain I experienced was bearable still, probably because I was given a good amount of pain medication through the IV. I noticed I had 3 tubes sticking out of my chest, which I was told was for drainage. The pain and discomfort I was experiencing was not because of the surgery incision but because of these tubes. I realized that was the source of my pain because once they started removing the tubes one by one, the pain I felt immediately subsided. As part of the recovery process, I continued with my walks 3x a day, was given low sodium meals, and spent the rest of the day exercising my lungs with a spirometer. I was discharged on the third day and sent home with a walker and my medications.
At home, I was able to manage my pain with Tylenol throughout the recovery and did not need to take stronger painkillers. I went out on walks and slowly increased distance each day until I was able to walk one mile with no symptoms. About a month later, I went to the follow-up appointment at Cedars where Dr. Chikwe's team ran tests and assured me that everything looked good. At that point, I was doing well and had no limitations on diet or exercise. I had the option of going back to work but I opted for extending my leave for another month to focus on my recovery. My Cardiologist signed me up for a cardiac rehabilitation program at Torrance Memorial where I started lifting light weights and walking on the treadmill while the team of nurses monitored my heart rate. I went to cardiac rehab three times a week for about one hour. This program did not only help me regain my strength but more importantly, it helped me regain my confidence. Three weeks later, I was taken off the blood pressure medication and started lifting heavier weights and jogging on the treadmill for approximately 25 minutes.
Two months after surgery, I decided to go back to work. This meant that I would not have time to participate in cardiac rehab anymore. Instead, I went back to my old Crossfit gym and started lifting weights and testing my new limits in a very careful manner. It's been three months post-surgery and other than the occasional tenderness around the incision area and the mental and emotional trauma of having to go through something like this, I'm very happy to say I'm back to normal.
I am truly grateful for Dr. Chikwe, Vivian Burkhart, and Mary Alvarado for the amazing experience I had at Cedars. Everything went according to plan and the way they said it would. I was well informed and very well taken care of pre- and post-surgery and I cannot imagine going through this without them. Everyone is a rockstar in this team and this hospital is ranked among the highest in the nation because of professionals like them. I am healthier than ever and now I can look forward to being physically and actively involved in my son's life as he grows for the foreseeable future.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Los Angeles
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My surgery date is:
September 5, 2023
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I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Repair
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