About Me (In My Own Words)
I just today discovered this website. Looking forward to exploring it a bit further.
It's been just over one year since my aortic heart valve replacement and aneurysm repair. Unaware of my condition, I had been in heart failure for some time; I knew I had a bicuspid aortic valve, but had no symptoms until around age 60. My major symptoms then were fatigue and difficulty breathing under exertion. I was working full time, cycling, walking, maintaining a very healthy lifestyle. I noticed I was getting a bit weaker with cycling. (my cycling friends commented I was "very" weak). I had surgery age age 61. I was, and am, very fit-cycling the mountains of Colorado on a regular basis. I actually cycled two days before my surgery. It was a tough ride, I must say. I'm not one to go to MDs often; when I did, my primary care doc (and good friend) said "I think we'll get an urgent echocadiogram." Had it two days later. The next day, a Friday, I got a call from a cardiac surgeon who said in a very calm voice: "Hello, Borden. Your echo showed critical stenosis. We're normally five weeks out, but I have you scheduled this coming Monday at 8 AM." I didn't have time to worry, but made plans to go in on Monday. Turns out my ejection fraction was 10% and I was in pretty bad shape. My surgeon was beyond excellent. I was back to work in 8 weeks (couldn't stand staying still at home after 6 weeks-I know now I'm not at all interested in retirement anytime soon). Overall, I'm extremely blessed and am recovering well, noticing improvements still after a year. My biggest problem that I'd like to hear from some about, is my memory. Short term memory covering the past three years is poor. I call these lost memories "blank spots." I had at one time an excellent sense of direction; this, too, is missing. I have a tough time remembering some of my cycling routes that I've done for years. I'm hoping this will change with time, but I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions or experience with this. Thanks.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Evergreen, Colorado
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My surgery date is:
April 17, 2018
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My hospital is:
St Joseph Hospital, Denver, CO
