About Me (In My Own Words)
I was diagnosed with a systolic murmur about 2001. I had previous episodes of a "murmur" in my early twenties that was prevalent only when I was sick, and then it would go away. About 6 months ago, my internist thought that my murmur had changed and suggested that I have my cardiologist , have it rechecked. We did a 2D echo, that was suspicious and that was followed with a transesophageal echocardiogram, which showed that I had a aortic leaflet that was "floppy", all other parameters were within normal limits, no signs of left ventricular hypertrophy or aortic stenosis, with good ejection fraction. At that time we decided (me, cardiologist, CV surgeon) that we would continue to evaluate it, since I was asymptomatic. I had another 2D echo, 6 months later and had a significant change in my amount of regurgitation, it changed from mild on first one to moderate to severe on repeat echo. It is also of note that I was beginning to have symptoms, such as shortness of breath with minimal exercise. Surgery was scheduled and went off without difficulty. I had an uneventful stay in the ICU and cardiac stepdown unit.
I noticed two very large hematomas to my bilateral flank area, that was approximately the twice the size of my hand, no one could explain why or how they appeared.
I had a mini-sternotomy , so therefore I had bruising and tenderness to both sides of my chest.
It is now 10 days post surgery, and I have minimal to moderate chest discomfort, with left shoulder to left scapula pain. I also have right shoulder pain, however this is something that was present prior to surgery.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Destrehan, LA
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My surgery date is:
February 4, 2015
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Michael Weaver
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My hospital is:
Touro Hospital
