Jen's Profile

In June 2014 (on my 43rd birthday), I was diagnosed with a congenitally abnormal aortic valve with moderate regurgitation. A complete surprise to me! I had been having shortness of breath, chest pain, and difficulty with exercise so my doctor wanted to run a bunch of tests. Everything was normal except the echo. The first cardiologist I saw sucked. He didn't think my symptoms were related to my AR and basically washed his hands of me by saying it's up to my primary care doctor to figure out what's wrong. No follow up cardiology care required. I'm thankful for this site because I've read several times where people have mentioned the importance of getting a second opinion. The second cardiologist I saw was great. This time I looked for a cardiologist who specializes in valve disease and I was lucky enough to find one who is a runner like me. While he agrees that my symptoms aren't likely caused by the AR, he wants me to have another echo done in December since I had never had one before. Also, he wants to see if they can determine if the valve is bicuspid or not. The previous echo report just said it was congenitally abnormal and BAV could not be excluded. I'm happy I don't need surgery but if the day ever comes that I do, I know where to turn for support! Update - December 2014 I had my six-month follow up appointment today. The echo I had last week confirmed that I have a bicuspid aortic valve. The doctor said everything is pretty much the same as six months ago - moderate regurgitation. He also said I have a dilated aortic root and ascending aorta. I go back in one year.