About Me (In My Own Words)
Hi Everyone,
I was referred to the site by Deb Zigler and it has become my new best friend. My story sounds similar to those I've read about here. About 35 years ago I had a very thorough physical at Sansum Clinic. They detected benign aortic stenosis and said that it would need to replace it when I am old. I don't consider myself old at 62 but my heart does. Last Nov. my doc did not like the sound of my heart and I was sent for an echo which showed that I had severe aortic stenosis. The only symptoms were palpitations at high elevations those went away after the first day. My cardiologist said to wait for two years and get a tissue valve. After doing some research that seemed like common advice. However, upon the encouragement of my husband's cousins who are surgeons, I consulted with cardiac surgeons. They both said it needed to be done within 4 to 6 months. The problem is that our daughter is getting married in September. My family did not like the idea of my dancing at the wedding without the replacement so I made the decision to do it sooner rather than later. Two days ago I received a surgery date for June 27 at Stanford Hospital. Oh boy! I am scrambling to get ready, taking all of the tips from you fellow patients and Adam's wonderful book. I still am not 100 per cent sure that the mechanical is the best for me because of the Coumadin. My surgeon assure me that it is a low dose. Most of the comments regarding mechanical and tissue are a few years old and helpful but I was wondering if anyone has made this tough decision recently and how they fell about their decision? Thank you.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Bakersfield, California
