About Me (In My Own Words)
I am writing all of this post op as a way to contribute to the community. I cannot tell me how many nights I read community stories and how much everyone here who has contributed has made an impact on me. I found myself part student, part cheerleader and part relative to everyone on this board. And while your experiences have helped me, I hope sharing mine can help others. Now a little about me. I am 52 years old, have always been athletic and live in the Atlanta GA area. I have an amazing family who has been there with me through everything. About 10 years ago I went to get a calcification scan done at Emory University. One of those tests you hear advertised on the radio for $100-$150. I was fighting in full contact karate tournaments at the time. I figured the test might be a good idea since I was in my 40s with opponents as young as their 20s. The scan was fine (score 0.5), however there was some medical talk about an an enlargement of 4.4 cm on my ascending aorta and I should follow up with a cardiologist. So 9 years later (yep 9) I followed up when I started felling some "skipped" beats. The aneurysm had grown to 4.7 cm (this was Sept 2015) and I was then also diagnosed with a bicuspid valve mild stenosis 1.7 cm. I went on watch mode. About 3 months later I had an "event" at a business conference in Phoenix. I was pretty dehydrated and almost passed out. I turned white as a sheet and sweat through a shirt in 30 seconds. I got to the hospital but ended up being ok. I had been on watch and wait mode until my annual checkup in June 2017. My Stenosis went from 1.7 to 1.09 and my aneurysm measured at 5.0. Basically it was time. Surgery scheduled and happened July 6, 2017. I will add my experiences along the way. Thank you Adam for creating this community.
Godspeed
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
-
I am from:
Atlanta
-
My surgery date is:
July 6, 2017
-
I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
-
My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
-
My surgeon is:
Dr. Edward Chen
-
My hospital is:
St. Joseph's Hospital (now a part of Emory)
