About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. I found out when I was 51. At that time it had started to stiffen but was not at the point of requiring surgery. I was told sometime before I was 60, I would likely need to have it replaced and I had 2 options, mechanical or tissue. Neither particularly appealed to me. I was to be monitored once per year. The year that I was 54, I did not get an appointment. I called my cardiologist and managed to get an appointment 4 months later than usual. It would seem that was critical because there were less than 3 months between my cardiologist appointment and surgery. That being said, when I went to see my cardiologist in February, there was a procedure being done called the Ross Procedure. This had just started at St. Mary’s 3 months earlier. So I had 3 choices now. If I had gone 4 months earlier to my cardiologist, I would likely have been scheduled for surgery with only 2 choices.
Surgery was successful but I had many complications afterward. I was in ICU for 9 days and then spent another 5 days in hospital with less serious and more manageable problems. I was sent home with a pamphlet called “How to live with heart failure”. I was not impressed, to say the least. With the correct meds and exercise, I no longer have heart failure. I am now 60 and living a full life of travel, exercise, family and work.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Kitchener, Canada
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My surgery date is:
April 29, 2019
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Ross Procedure
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Kassem Ashe
