Thomas's Posts

Today is my 7-year "valversary." My mitral valve repair is still all good. I still like getting an annual echo for peace of mind, but it isn't really necessary. My cardiologists tell me my valve is all good, but they're happy enough to see me if I want. My other doctors say they can't tell from the stethoscope that I ever had a valve defect, but they believe me when I show them the scar (although it's pretty faint -- I was kind of fond of it as a souvenir). I moved from Chicago to Seattle a few years ago (and found a new cardiologist here by referral from my Northwestern cardio guy). The hiking and skiing opportunities are far better in Seattle than Chicago! Good luck to all those with upcoming surgeries: heart valve repair is such an empowering inflection point in your health. It was so satisfying in its success and finality for me. I've since found a sneakier and more vague health problem. I'm not fundamentally optimistic about fighting a vague, progressive problem (with therapy with a success rate way worse than mitral valve repair); but I remind people how chipper and empowered I was by the success of my valve surgery and my healing course in the following months. So the odd flipside of fixing these fixable valve problems is that we live to see other unrelated health problems! I'll take it.