About Me (In My Own Words)
I was diagnosed with MVP sometime late elementary age and I'm 43 now. I would get an echo every three years, but I went for approx. 8 years without getting it checked until last summer. In September 2016, a cardiologist recommended open heart surgery as soon as possible. I needed a second opinion and after asking around, consulted with a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, December 2016. He recommended surgery as well, but not as urgently, and mentioned the possibility of a less invasive approach. After consulting with the surgeon, we agreed that he would do the procedure that worked best for my situation...the CT scan showed that my femoral veins might not work with the heart/lung machine, so I assumed that I would end up with open heart, but they were able to do a right mini-thoracotomy using the robot to repair my leaky mitral valve. Thankfully, I did not experience any major complications (anemia, low blood pressure, small pneumothorax). Two and a half months out...I still have some mild paresthesia in areas of my right thorax and right leg. My bpm prior to surgery was usually in the 70s/80s, now it's 90s-105. I still have low blood pressure. I do hope that my bpm decreases over time. I'm in my second week of cardiac rehab.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
-
I am from:
Chicago, Illinois
-
My surgery date is:
May 3, 2017
-
I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
-
My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Repair
-
-
My hospital is:
Cleveland Clinic
