About Me (In My Own Words)
I am a 34 year old male. I have had issues with blood pressure and diabetes in the past but was able to control with diet and get off my meds, or so I thought... At the end of May I experienced some chest pain and I have a blood pressure machine at home so I tested it and it was a little high. So I called my GP and asked to get my blood pressure medication re-prescribed. She agreed but said I needed to go into our local lab for an EKG and some blood work. She called me that afternoon and asked me to admit myself as she seen something weird on my tests and wanted to get me into the city for an Echocardiogram. After a day and a half in our local hospital I was on a 5 hour transfer by ambulance for the test. Once they started the test they found that I had a Bicuspid Aortic Valve which is crazy to me as I have had three major back surgeries and nobody ever caught it. But that is a whole other story. Anyway it was in such bad shape they would not release me , about a week later I was under the knife for open heart surgery and getting my valve replaced along with a double bypass surgery. My surgeon was extremely happy with the results and said the procedure went perfect, couldn't have gone any better. Great news. I was released 5 days later and on the way home. The first few weeks of recovery went great, other than this ticking in my head nobody prepared me for, however I've been having a hard time with swelling in my chest and abdomen. It seems like if I exercise one day then I can put on 1 - 5 lbs. (1-2 kg) in a 24 hour period. I mentioned this to my GP and she said this is somewhat normal. It now seems consistent, if I go for a 30 min walk, then I need to relax the whole next day to get my fluid back down and that hasn't even been completely working. Along with that I can also feel my heart when I take a deep breath or yawn and now my blood pressure is reading substantially higher than I would like. I have my first cardiologist appointment on Thursday but am looking for some guidance now as it is a little worrisome. I'm hoping someone may have experienced something of the same issues or can tell me what can be expected as I thought I would be well on the road to recovery by now.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Swan River, Canada
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My surgery date is:
June 11, 2021
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I was diagnosed with:
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Coronary Artery Disease
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
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My hospital is:
St. Boniface Hospital