About Me (In My Own Words)
I've known about my heart murmur since I was a teenager. In my late twenties, I found out I had PVC, but that the condition was common and wouldn't impact long-term heart function. At the time my echo noted mild regurgitation in the mitral valve.
Relocated to the Dallas area in 2008. One afternoon in late October 2010, I felt heart beat change and knew something was not normal. I checked my rate with my heart rate running monitor and noticed it was above 110 bpm while at rest and up to 160 just walking around. Tried to go for a bike ride to force it back into "normal" rhythm, but my ignorant attempts were, of course, unsuccessful. Went to my PCP's office that Monday and after an echo was performed, first learned I had atrial fibrillation. Had a cardio-version to correct the issue the next day.
A cardiologist reviewed my TEE, a stress test and several echos, and confirmed my mitral valve had moderate to severe regurgitation. He recommended having the valve repaired, but alas I was too smart for him! We agreed to monitor it for now, but he predicted surgery within a few years. I was confident he was being overly-pessimistic; at 34 years old, surely I could last 20 years before needing surgery!
On December 5, 2011, I felt my heart switch back to A-fib. Next day called the cardiologist to schedule cardioversion #2 and realized then that it was time to fix the problem before it caused more issues. Found this wonderful website, immediately bought Adam's book, began reading HVJ's, and eventually consulted with three surgeons. I chose Dr. Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic to do the procedure. Preliminarily scheduled for a robotic mitral valve repair and MAZE procedure on May 17th.
I feel incredibly lucky to have an amazing wife and a beautiful, 3-year old daughter. I mainly want to use this journal to keep friends and family updated and to hopefully help remember and document the surgery and recovery.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Parker, Texas