About Me (In My Own Words)
When Covid locked us down in 2020, I was teaching 2nd grade from home. The stress drove me to do something I’ve never done before which was start running as a stress reliever. Before long ai was training for a virtual half marathon… very slow walk run, but I completed it in October. Then seeing as we were back to school O got Covid and was out of work for a month. I was very very sick, but came out the other side. Like many with that OG strain before the vaccine, ai experienced extreme fatigue and long Covid symptoms. One I thought was weird heart palpitations when I went out to run or walk which was also so much harder. I just couldn’t get back to even 2 miles. I saw something on the news one night that Covid patients were having heart issues and I thought aid mention that to my doctor in April 2021. The next thing I knew is I was getting an echo and then a TEE to confirm that ai had mild to moderate aortic regurgitation and they discovered I had a bicuspid aortic valve. I was monitored yearly until two years ago when I was moved up to moderate and told to come back in two years. I did and sure enough I was at Severe this November 2025. I also had been experiencing some symptoms. I was chalking the up to being almost 58. Some dizziness, fatigue and breathing stuff. After another Echo, TEE and CT. It was determined that unfortunately I was not a candidate for a less invasive procedure and would need open heart surgery soon. Date was set. Panic ensued and then I sat about-processing, researching and preparing.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Saint Peters
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My surgery date is:
January 13, 2026
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Dr. Linda Schulte
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My hospital is:
Missouri Babtist Hospital in St. Louis
