About Me (In My Own Words)
Hello! I have been diagnosed with Aortic Regurgitation since I was 13. It's been over 20 years since I've lived with it. The doctors and several imaging has concluded I have a congenital defect: a biscupid aortic valve. Normally, you'd have 3 flaps to close the aortic valve when the blood is pumped from the heart to the rest of the body. But I somehow have only 2 flaps to close my valve. Sometime around my early teens, the heart murmur appeared. A normal working heart would sound like ba-dump, ba-dump. Mine sounds like ba-whoosh, ba-whoosh. Yeah... that's some leakage right there.
After struggling to find the timing right to do my surgery and finding the right surgeon, I managed to find Dr. Stelzer who is a specialist in the David Ross procedure. The Ross procedure would take my pulmonary valve and use it to replace my aortic valve and a donor valve would replace my pulmonary valve. This would allow me to stay from blood thinners for life and has better outcomes than the mechanical and tissue valve replacement.
The timing of the surgery was a little late for me. I have 67% ejection fraction. My doctor explained to me that only about 1/3 of the blood get's pumped to the rest of my body and 2/3 get's leaked back into my heart. Luckily my heart didn't get too big and thick and should be able to return to normal post-op. We waited as long as possible to perform the surgery because at another point of my life I may need to perform a similar surgery to repair my heart again (anywhere from 10-20 years). It would be optimal to not have to many of these surgeries in my lifetime.
**SURGERY**
Pre-surgery is definitely nerve racking. Waiting for the surgery was anxiety provoking. I am lucky to have friends and family who support me. It was helpful for me to be open about what's about to happen and prepare myself for the long recovery ahead. My mom will cme over from Florida to help me recover and to provide some needed support.
**Post Op Update**
My surgery turned out to be a success! Luckily I had two surgeons on my team: Dr. Paul Stelzer & Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy from Mount Sinai Hospital. They managed to repair my heart valve. The valve can now run smoothly with my 2 flap defect. Hopefully all my tests turn out fine and this repair lasts me for 20 years.
I managed to get home earlier (~4 days) and seem to get stronger everyday. So far it's been hard getting my lungs back into shape and pain management can be a bit rough at times. I am optimistic that things will get better and my body will recover quickly.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
New York, New York
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My surgery date is:
October 18, 2023
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Valve Repair
Ross Procedure
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