About Me (In My Own Words)
My journey started in 2009 (37), when my GP heard a murmur and recommended that I get an Echocardiogram (Echo). The result of the Echo showed that my aortic valve was Bicuspid (BAV). Back then I had no idea of what that was and why I had it. The Cardiologist told me nothing to worry about, 2% of people are born with a BAV and that I might eventually need to get surgery in my sixties to replace it. I was definitely depressed after hearing the news. I was told to monitor my BAV every 2 years. Up to 2023, my test results showed that I was mild/moderate aortic stenosis. I was very active, worked out 3-4 times a week, played volleyball and had no symptoms (chest pain, out of breath, dizziness..) whatsoever. I was now told to monitor my heart every year. In 2024, the results of the Echo showed that I was moderate/severe aortic stenosis (Gradient Pressure 37mmHg and 1.28 cm2 valve area) and the recommendation was to operate within a year or two. I still had no symptoms. I performed a stress test and passed with no issues. In January 2025 while running after the bus for a few seconds, I started to feel a bit lightheaded. I stopped and sat down immediately. It took me several minutes to recover. Same thing happened in June 2025, lightheaded after a brief run. Stopped and sat down, recovered within minutes. That is when I started to feel that something had worsen in my heart. I called my GP to schedule another test to see if things had gotten to a critical level. On September 11 ( of all dates) 2025, I was out for a brisk walk after lunch. On my way back home, I decided to speed up my walk for whatever the reason which ended up not being a wise decision. After only a minute or so I felt the same light headiness that I had experienced before but this time I did not have any time to recover. I experienced syncope. When I opened my eyes, I was walking in the middle of the street with my teeth in my hands, my glasses broken, my lower eyelid cut, my upper lip split open. Spent the night in the emergency room, lost 2 front teeth, fractured several others, had stiches on my lower eyelid and my lip. They transferred me to the Heart Institute and performed all the routine tests. The result for the gradient pressure was similar to the previous year but my valve opening area was down to 1.06 cm2 . This was not at the critical level but now I was showing symptoms. The doctors recommended to perform an aortic valve replacement (AVR) within the next couple of months.
For all of those people who are in this forum, please listen to your doctors and your body. I had several alarms/warnings but did not listen to them and ended up with major trauma.
Since then, I have been reading and educating myself with the heart, valves and various valve replacement surgeries. I am about to turn 53, the surgeon recommends the Ross procedure as I meet all the criteria’s for this type of surgery.
I performed all the pre-operation tests and now waiting for the surgery date.
I am hoping I can learn and receive moral support from this group and later on, help others going through the same journey.
Wishing you all the best of success in recovering your health.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Montreal, Canada
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Ross Procedure
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My hospital is:
Montreal Heart Institute
