About Me (In My Own Words)
I have had a mitral valve prolapse for as long as I can remember, but it was always so slight I never gave it much thought. In my early 30's I went for a baseline stress test and echocardiogram and again it was so minor I would only think about it every 4 years when it was time to see the cardiologist again. The last time I had a good check up they told me I might need surgery "in my 80's." I remember vividly thinking that if I was 80 nobody was touching my heart and I would just take my chances.
Fast forward to 2012. I am now 43 and suddenly having a very hard time exercising and running. I have been a runner all my life, and while the events of the past couple of years led me to get more out of shape than usual, I knew it shouldn't be so hard to get back into running. A couple of months ago some friends from the neighborhood started the "Couch to 5K" program, and as soon as we got to running 25 minutes straight I couldn't keep up, and we are not talking sprinting here! The one day that I really pushed myself I felt like I was having a heart attack all afternoon and immediately made an appointment. Even this time my holter monitor and stress test were good, but as soon as they did the echocardiogram things went in fast-forward to talking surgery. A TEE confirmed that my valve is now leaking severely and I have mild enlargement of my heart. Luckily my friends got me back out running and I was aware enough of what it "should" feel like that I went in while the valve can still be repaired instead of replaced.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Leesburg, Virginia
