About Me (In My Own Words)
I was diagnosed during the first part of May 2014, with a heart condition called ascending aortic aneurysm. My aorta had expanded beyond healthy levels. It should be about an inch in diameter mine was at 2-1/2” in diameter, this had also impacted the aortic valve making it difficult to seal properly.
I didn’t have ANY symptoms. I wasn't light headed, I didn't have high blood pressure, I didn't have diabetes, I wasn't hyper-tensive. My EKG (the way my heart beats)was normal, I'm not a smoker. I just went to my doctor for a very routine physical and he heard a heart murmur. He ordered an echo-cardiogram, which revealed the enlarged aorta. Apparently genetics is the culprit for this condition.
On Friday March 9th, 2014 I had a CAT Scan done to determine how much of the aorta is involve with the aneurysm. It appeared the aneurysm did not involve the entire aorta, which is good news, it makes the surgery less complicated.
On May 28th, 2014 I had my Open Heart Surgery it went very well, I had my aorta grafted and had my aortic valve replaced with a mechanical valve. My surgeon used an On-X valve which by the way recently got FDA approval to reduce the level of blood thinner from the typical INR of 2.0 to 3.0 to 1.5 to 2.0
It's now been over a year and I'm feeling great!
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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My surgery date is:
May 28, 2014
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Pedro Valdes
