Debbie's Profile

Ever since I was young, doctors would tell me they heard a murmur when listening to my heart. No one was terribly concerned with it until I had an echo in 2010, and was told I had a bicuspid aortic valve. Again, nothing to worry about, I thought. In 2013, my primary care doc asked if I was being followed by a cardiologist. "Am I supposed to be?" I asked. She gave me a referral, and I had an echo and a CT. My ascending aorta measured 4.5 cm, and I had mild leaking in my aortic valve, so the cardiologist referred me to a cardiac surgeon. The surgeon told me it was time for surgery to replace my aortic valve and ascending aorta, and scheduled me a few weeks later. I started doing some research, and felt I needed a second opinion. Doc #2 was shocked that Doc #1 was so quick to want to operate. He told me he would wait until my aorta was 5.0 cm. I went for a third opinion, and found a surgeon I have full confidence in. I am now getting annual echos and CT's, and waiting for things to get bad enough to need surgery.