About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with congenital heard defects that were not discovered until I was about three years old. The said I had Coarctation of the Aorta (CoART) and a bicuspid aortic valve (they valve wasn't fully diagnosed until later in my early teen years, but it was suspected prior to that).
In 1977, I had my first open heart surgery when I was about 8 years old to repair the CoART. This was successful with no serious issues.
In 2017, I started to be symptomatic for the valve issues, and it was determined that I needed valve replacement at that time. I had planned on doing a Ross procedure, but due to complications, they implanted a St Jude mechanical aortic valve, as well as an aortic root (as mine was quite dilated). I was a little upset that I had to be on warfarin, but I have grown to adjust to this, and it is not that big of a deal.
Since about the year 2001 or so, I have been home monitoring my INR. I have seen a number of different INR testers over the years (I believe the first one I had was about the size of a shoebox).
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Perry, Ohio
