About Me (In My Own Words)
I have spent my whole life taking care of other people. I am grateful that I have always felt that, I was very healthy. About 20 years ago I went to a cardiologist because I was experiencing shortness of breath and my heart racing more than I thought it should with exercise. The cardiologist did a stress test and said my sympathetic system was kicking in to soon. He gave me a beta blocker to slow my heart down. A few months ago I started working out with a trainer again and was experiencing the same problems. I went to a cardiologist again mostly because I was embarrassed that I couldn’t do more. The cardiologist did an EKG which was normal and sent me for an echocardiogram just to be sure. After the test he called me right away to say that he would like to do a different kind of echo.I was told that I had a severely leaking tricuspid valve and an enlarged atria and right ventricle. I was then sent to a surgeon who thought I should have surgery right away. I then went to a doctor at Duke for a second opinion. He thought that it would be better if I could collect some history about my issue. He agreed that I could wait a few months and repeat the echo. I went to Florida over the winter and read a lot about my problem. There seems to be a fine line about when to get this surgery before bigger problems set in. I am now starting the process of scheduling the surgery. I had another echo today and have not heard results yet.
It is scary to have a major surgery when I have always thought, I was so healthy . In hindsight, I have been very tired much of the time. That felt normal to me. I do most anything that I want to do. My husband can confirm that l rearrange the furniture very often! Maybe,I will be a new me after surgery.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Raleigh N.C.
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I was diagnosed with:
Tricuspid Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Tricuspid Valve Repair
