About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and had a murmur due to the valve regurgitation. Over the years I was monitored with frequent ECG's. Sometimes I went, other times I skipped it. Over the years the stenosis changed from mild to moderate. I skipped the ECG when I was 43 figuring I wasn't symptomatic and figured it would show the same results. The summer of 2015, when I was 44 I started to notice changes. My workouts and running became more difficult. I passed it off as just 'getting old'. That fall I had some odd feelings in my chest but still never thought it was related to my heart. Then during our annual check at work a nurse commented on my low blood pressure. I always had lower blood pressure, but I was healthy in shape so it was normal except this time it was a bit lower. That is when I thought that maybe that is why I was feeling a bit off. I told my wife about that night so she checked my BP with an electronic device she had. It kept erroring it out because my pulse was stopping. My heart was stopping then it would beat once really hard and then beat normal for a few minutes. We decided it was time to see my Dr. My Dr. ordered an echo for the next week; scolded me for skipping it the year before and passed me on to see a Cardiologists. The echo showed what we were hearing...PVC's. The following week I met with the Cardiologists and he ordered a heart catheter procedure. By this time the PVC's were getting worse as were my symptoms. The restart beat of my heart was waking me up at night and keeping me from sleeping. I lost my breath walking just a short distance. An odd feeling given I had just ran a 10k two months prior to that.
As I was prepping in the hospital for the cath. procedure the Card. who was doing the procedure advised me I would most likely need to have my valve replaced. He was going to measure it and look for any blockage or anything else. At the conclusion of the procedure he confirmed the need for a new valve and my aortic root would also need to be replaced because the PVC's had caused an aneurysm. He said the situation was urgent and sent me directly to the Cardio surgeon. My surgery was scheduled for the following Friday. It wasn't emergent, but it was critical.
The surgery went well. The surgery was on a Friday and by Sunday afternoon I went home. Other than healing from the surgery my recovery has been excellent. My heart is strong and my new valve is working great. It is a biological valve...aka 'pig valve'. My kids like to refer to it as my pig valve since they raised pigs for the local fair every year. I am thankful for the top notch medical professionals in my area. Doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists, everyone was excellent and I am grateful for each and everyone of them.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Merrill, Wisconsin
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My surgery date is:
November 13, 2015
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
Atrial Fibrillation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Ronald Miles
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My hospital is:
Aspirus Wausau Hospital
