About Me (In My Own Words)
My journey started in 2017 during my pre-college physical when my GP heard a heart murmur. I was quickly diagnosed with aortic regurgitation and have been getting yearly echos since then. This past May, the imaging showed that my left ventricle has dilated enough for surgery to become necessary.
To this day, I have never really had any major symptoms. I
have exercised regularly throughout most of my life, although I did stop lifting weights at the direction of my cardiologist. I do have some palpitations every so often and only recently I have developed a slightly strong pulse. But other than that, my cardiac ability has not been noticeably affected.
I struggled for a while to make a choice between mechanical valve replacement and reconstructive surgery. Given that I'm only 22, the mechanical valve seemed like a good, life-long solution. But I am very hesitant to take blood thinners for the rest of my life, especially considering I am quite active. The aortic repair/Ross procedure route didn't really appeal to me initially as it was impossible to find data on long-term durability for either of these procedures. In general, it was difficult to find a lot of data on patients around my age for any procedure which made me very anxious about the future.
I saw a couple of specialists and ultimately went with Dr. El-Hamamsy at Mount Sinai. Meeting Dr. El-Hamamsy instantly made me feel much better about my prognosis and about reconstructive surgery as a viable option. I feel very lucky to have been referred to him. The goal for surgery is to try for a repair if possible and, if not, the Ross procedure.
It still feels surreal that I need to have heart surgery at only 22 years old. I'm definitely more than a little nervous, but knowing that I am in good hands helps a lot.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Ithaca
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My surgery date is:
October 6, 2021
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Repair
Ross Procedure
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