Winston's Journal

Two weeks ago I was sitting with my family in the LR and we were watching something of TV. I felt my heart race and felt crazy anxiety. I am a RN and have a BP cuff, so placed on arm and BP was 167/95. I called my doctor the next morning and went in, he prescribed my first BP medication and said at that time I could have a leak. WHAT IS A LEAK? I thought. After reviewing with him again my family history of have my father die at 52 of a heart attack and that is my age now. I asked for a referral to the cardiologist. First came in and I was the youngest person in the place by twenty years easy and they brought me back. He listened to my heart and heart not one but two murmurs. He said that I had Aortic Insufficiency and a Mitral Valve regurgitation. What the heck? Really, I was thinking just lay off the potato chick and here is some meds., but no I immediately got an EKG, then an ECHO and he scheduled me for a TEE the next morning. The shock of it all was crazy that was May 11, 2017 and I am still reeling. I decided to get another opinion and go to Vidant Hospital in Greenville to see someone else to confirm or deny this crazy notion that I had two bad valves. Bicuspid Aorta (should be three) and a prolapse Mitral valve. Two valves with problems and they are telling me that I will eventually have to undergo open heart surgery. WHAT? This is crazy, I know I was a bit out of shape when hiking the App. Trail but did not know I could have died there. Feeling a bit overwhelmed right now and after my second opinion we are following a protocol of another TEE and a Cardiac Catheterization on May 31, 2017.