About Me (In My Own Words)
I was having shortness of breath when I would climb stairs or hills. I have rheumatoid arthritis so I let my doctor know, he did a lung x-ray and did not see anything. within the next few months I experienced a racing heart at work and went to urgent care. They did an EKG and then referred me to a cardiologist. I had an echo-cardiogram that revealed I had a bicuspid aortic valve with severe stenosis. My local hospital did not have any surgeons on staff so I went to the University of Chicago and met Dr. Balkhy who performed minimally invasive valve replacements. I had the surgery on July 13th, 2018, there were some complications and I ended up needing a pace-maker implanted for complete block. I am now five years out and doing well. I have about 3.5 years left on my pace-maker and will need to have that replaced. I also decided on a bovine valve, so far it is doing well, but will probably have to have the valve replaced again as well.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Crown Point, Indiana
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My surgery date is:
July 13, 2018
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Pacemaker Implant
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My hospital is:
University of Chicago
