Mary Jean's Profile

I was born with a congenital heart defect, coarctation of the aorta with bicuspid aortic valve. I had open heart surgery to open the coarctation when I was 7 years old (1965). Many years later, I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. My condition was mild for many years and a few years ago moved to moderate. During the past year, I've been experiencing shortness of breath while exercising and have experienced two episodes of syncope. My blood pressure has also dropped to what is considered low blood pressure. My cardiologist thinks my low blood pressure was due to my blood pressure medication and cut my Losartan from 100 mg to 50 mg. My cardiologist also performed an echo which revealed I am now showing a severe level of prolapse and regurgitation. I had a right and left heart catherization and a TEE, which also indicated severe prolapse and regurgitation. I have been scheduled for surgery to repair/replace the valve.