Herman's Profile

My mom had her aortic valve replaced at the Mayo Clinic in 1979 at age 39. I was recently concerned about a low resting pulse as reported and tracked by my Apple Watch. I would often get short of breath after running for 2-3 minutes. I was never told that I had a heart murmur. I was referred to a cardiologist because of the bradycardia. On July 11, 2019, at age 55, I was diagnosed with severe AVR and surgery was recommended. My mom and I did not have bicuspid aortic valves which makes this apparent congenital defect rare.