Elizabeth's Profile

My name is Liz, I live in the beautiful Sierra foothills of California, and I am a seamstress, historical clothing designer and sewing teacher. A few months ago, I did not even know I had anything wrong with my heart. I hadn't felt well for several years, with serious fatigue, heaviness in my legs, achy joints, and heart palpitations, but I thought it was related to autoimmune conditions I have. My Rheumatologist noticed a loud heart murmur during an exam and suggested I see a Cardiologist. It took me 3 months to get an appointment, then another 2 months for the echocardiogram, TEE and angiogram, which revealed I had severe mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation. I scheduled surgery within 2 months, which was a mitral valve repair done through a mini-thoracotomy. The surgery was successful, and I am very grateful for that, but the journey has not been easy. I am now a month into recovery, and it has been really tough. I have had two visits to the emergency room and many sleepless nights, worrying about strange symptoms and potential complications. I am still very much in the thick of it, but feeling more myself every day. I am looking for support and information from other people who have had the same or a similar procedure. Nobody who has not gone through this would really be able to understand. Happy to have found this site!