About Me (In My Own Words)
I am 56 and my whole adult life I have known about my mitral murmur. I was under the care of a cardiologist up till 10 years ago, when I had a hysterectomy and stage 1 ovarian cancer was discovered. I dodged a bullet, but then I stuck my head in the sand for 8 years regarding my mitral valve. The next time I turned myself in, my regurg had advanced from mild to moderate and I decided I better stay on top of it. Then COVID slowed me down and I waited a year and a half before I had my next echo. My echo of July 2021 revealed that my regurgitation had become severe, so it was time to get it taken care of. More tests revealed that I have Barlow’s Syndrome. Yaaay. Dr. Youssef thinks there’s an 80% likelihood of successful repair. He doesn’t seem as confident that he will be able to do it through a right mini-thoracotomy. Call me a baby, but I find the idea of a sternotomy to be depressing.
However, I am VERY happy that Dr. Youssef respects my stand on blood transfusions. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and I am deeply relieved that there are so many alternatives to blood transfusions these days. Especially since heart surgery can often pose such a problem with potential blood loss. Multi modal blood conservation methods are the way to go! Modern medicine has come a long way!
I have been watching videos from HeartValveSurgery.com on YouTube for about 6 months now. I finally decided it is time to sign up. I really appreciate all that you do Adam!!! You have been SOOO encouraging to me. And I love how you go after and disseminate such useable information from authoritative sources that informs and educates non-medical people, like myself. Great job! THANK YOU ADAM!!!
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Beaverton
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My surgery date is:
January 13, 2022
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I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Replacement
Mitral Valve Repair
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Samuel J. Youssef
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