About Me (In My Own Words)
For the past twelve years, I had been told I had a heart murmur. I read up on it and it understood that unless I was having problems with it, I could live with it indefinitely. This past January, the day after my 45th birthday, my BABY brother (43 years old) had a heart attack. He pulled through but it really opened my eyes. In August, I went to my local clinic and again was asked "Do you know you have a heart murmur?" I replied I did and hadn't seen a cardiologist. Normally, the doctor would move on but this doctor kept asking me questions and saying how loud it was. This frightened me enough to ask for a referral. After having an ekg, the cardiologist explained that I have aortic stenosis, so we scheduled a heart catheterization to get a clearer picture of what I would be dealing with. The heart cath showed that I had no blockages, and everything looked good until they tried to pass a catheter through the aortic valve to measure pressure on both sides of my heart. The valve was too tight and they couldn't get the catheter through. Before I left the hospital that day, the surgeon's office called and left a message on my cell phone for an appointment. I had my first appointment yesterday and he explained that I am not a candidate for TAVR, I am not a candidate for a bio valve (too young!), and I would need a full valve replacement--soon! He kept using the word "critical". So I am scheduled for surgery on December 28th. I am scared to death. I have three grown kids and two grandbabies that I want to see grow up. I would welcome any comments from anyone who's been through this. Thank you.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Omaha, Texas
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My surgery date is:
December 28, 2017
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Hiep Nguyen
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My hospital is:
Christus Mother Frances in Tyler, TX
