Susan's Profile

Heart disease runs in my maternal family. My grandmother died from a stroke at age 53. My mother complained about her "palpitations", had a stroke in her 60's but died from pancreatic cancer. I started with high blood pressure in my 30's. I progressed to diabetes, then kidney disease after being diagnosed with a heart murmur. In my late 60's, I was diagnosed with AFib. Two years ago, I had non-invasive surgery to implant the Amulet device in the atrium (it's like the Watchman). At each 6 month check-ip, the cardiologist said that I would need TAVR in 6 months to a year. Well, my time is finally up at age 73, needing the surgery. In the meantime, both of my valves now need replacement, and I'm in the process of scheduling the surgery and applying for a clinical trial for the mitral valve.