About Me (In My Own Words)
Had my aortic heart valve replaced in Jan 1988 at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore with a mechanical St. Jude Valve at the age of 26. I have been on Warfarin for 35+ years. I am currently 61 years old and living a happy healthy life with no issues or concerns. I have competed in triathlons, century rides and running races over the 35 years with no problem. I recently competed in a 5k race with my son and felt great. Although at a slower pace than in years past I did complete the race. I now get most of my exercise with the Peloton bike and tread which has been very convenient so that I do not miss my exercise with our busy lives. I routinely see my cardiologist once a year with an echo every two or three years.
In 2017 I went in for a routine dental visit. My dentist takes every patient’s blood pressure before starting a dental cleaning. She noticed my blood pressure was unusually high. I kind of blew it off when I told my wife, but she continued to stay after me to go see my cardiologist. I finally did see him, and they unfortunately found an Aortic Aneurysms. I was obviously stunned to find this out knowing and that I would have to endure another major surgery. My wife and I put our trust back into Hopkins and in May 2017 I had surgery to replace my aneurysm with a Dacron graft. During surgery they found scar tissue around the St. Jude valve that was removed to ensure the valve would continue to operate effectively. Everything else was successful with only one complication post-surgery. I went into Afib three days after surgery, but the attentive nursing staff was able to get it under control quickly.
Every day is a blessing to me, and I am so thankful for all the support from my family.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
-
I am from:
ELLICOTT CITY
-
My surgery date is:
January 5, 1988
-
I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
-
My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
-
My surgeon is:
Dr. William Baumgartner
-
My hospital is:
Johns Hopkins Hospital
