About Me (In My Own Words)
I'm ten months past a complicated surgery and feeling pretty good. I still tire easily, but I am back to my normal life. Since I am a competitive swimmer, 75 years old, I swim two miles five days a week and walk 3 1/2 miles one day a week. I work out in the gym for 30 minutes two or three days a week and I practice yoga four days a week. I am still suffering from "pump head". I do weird things from time to time with no memory of having done it. For instance, preparing for dinner guests, I made a Ceaser salad dressing ahead of time. When it came time to put it on the lettuce, it was nowhere to be found. Apparently, I dumped it into the dressing for the shrimp dish I was also making. The blue bowl I had used was washed and put away. Fortunately, there were many of the same ingredients in both dishes, so the shrimp was not ruined. And, again, fortunately, I had a full bottle of salad dressing that I dumped on the lettuce. The dinner was fine, but I am worried about my cognitive ability. I have done other things, too, but that was the worst.
I am now 2 years and 8 months past my surgery. At 18 months past, I started to feel myself. At 17 months past, I competed in a swim meet. Although I didn't get my best times, I did win a gold in one of the races. I sent it to Dr. Stephanie Mick, my surgeon. She graciously called to thank me. At this point, I feel pretty good and still continue to be active. Because "pump head" lasted longer than I expected, I consulted a neurologist. After hours of testing, she determined that there were no areas of concern for my age.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Annapolis, Maryland
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My surgery date is:
July 20, 2018
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I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
Atrial Fibrillation
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Repair
Pacemaker Implant
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My hospital is:
Cleveland Clinic