Jennifer's Profile

I was diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child. When I was around 35, my internist heard the murmur again and thought I should just follow up with a cardiologist. The cardiologist diagnosed me with moderate mitral regurgitation and told me that eventually I would need a new mitral valve or repair but not until it the regurgitation became severe which could be many years. This year at my annual cardiologist visit, I mentioned that I felt that my cardio endurance has begun to go down and that I find myself more winded in my workouts BUT I do very intense workouts 5 days per week so I couldn't imagine that it was my heart. The cardiologist suggested I get a esophageal echocardiogram (TEE) to take a better look at my mitral valve. The echocardiogram determined that my mitral regurgitation has become severe. I was immediately sent to speak with Dr. Scharff, the surgeon. I am now scheduled for a mitral valve repair on August 25th.