About Me (In My Own Words)
Never knew I had any heart condition until 2013. Growing up my Brother was born with a heart murmur and a hole in his heart causing his heart be enlarged. But with the help of surgery and medication, it had helped him before the age of 2.
Growing up for me I had always been tired and fatigued to where I can fall a sleep about any place and working out was not helping me it made me feel more tired.
In 1999 I moved up to Los Angeles to start a new career and life. At one point in my life I was told by an Urgent care dr., I had a heart murmur, which and EKG was done and nothing was found. Years later I again was told you have a heart murmur and that I might want to get it checkout by a Cardiologist of course I never did. which leads us to today's problem...something I let go for so long is now starting to give me Congestive Heart Failure..Fluids in my lungs. Shortness of breath, extremely exhausted, lower back problems and some swelling of the feat. Now I have a problem. So I did go back into my Urgent Care Dr and I thought I had Bronchitis, I got Antibiotics and went home. 3 months we went on a trip to Austria and walking in the beautiful hills I thought I would not catch my breath right my ankles started to swell the last day we were there..but by the time I got to the airport...they looked like bricks on my feet. It took 4 days for the swelling to go down..now I do need to go back to my Urgent Care Dr. This time he took an e-Ray of my lungs only to find out I have an enlarged heart!! Here is my problem. Another EKG and nothing is found. Now with No insurance this is scary for me as if they find something...what do I do? I piked and Cardiologist from the list my Dr. had and went to see one. On Oct 2, 2013, I got my ECHO test and was told I need heart surgery....That I had Mitral Valve Prolapse with Regurgitation and I've had it for some time now.
Not having any insurance and waiting for the new insurance to kick in, I had to wait until Feb 6th for my appointment with Dr. Ilan Kedan with Cedars-Sinai. Who ran all my test and gave me some medication to help me feel better until we get this surgery done. Which had help me A LOT! especially with sleep. I have done test the TEE and CT-Angio Scan and Blood after Blood work...and everything has come back with no problems. I have been told I am a good candidate for the DaVinci Robotic Surgery. I was then sent to meet my Surgeon the best Cedars has to offer...Dr. Alfredo Trento...whom he believes in repairing (if possible) instead of replacing.
Its less evasive on the patient and recovery. So my repair is the strings that hold my valve to make it open and close. Mine is all over the place. I have the last of my Pre-op work to do on Wednesday March 19th and my surgery date is Friday March 21st!! Very, Very early in the morning. I'm running scared and nervous.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Chatsworth, California
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My surgery date is:
March 21, 2014
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My hospital is:
Cedars-Sinai Hospital
