Debra's Profile

On January 23, 2014, I went to my Internist for my annual physical. I knew that I had mitral valve prolapse but at this checkup she referred me to a cardiologist for an echocardiogram. I got an appointment with the cardiologist's office that afternoon for the test. I knew something serious was wrong when the technician asked if I'd had previous heart surgery. I was immediately seen by the doctor who said I had the loudest heart murmur he'd heard in a long time. He informed me that I needed immediate open heart surgery to correct my defect. I was terrified. I didn't know anyone who had gone through this procedure and didn't know where to turn. Fortunately, I was referred to Dr. Bruce Lytle at the Cleveland Clinic. I had successful open heart surgery on March 19, 2014. I spent 5 days in the hospital and was released. I was able to recover fairly quickly and resumed normal activities after 4 weeks. I suffered from fear and depression for a long time. I would have loved to have known about such an amazing resource as this website. What an invaluable resource to people going through such a terrifying time. Thank you Adam for developing this.