About Me (In My Own Words)
Well, my valve story begins sever years back when my primary care doctor ( Dr. Martha Gerteisen at Pearland Methodist Primary Care, he where we live ). She noticed a heart
murmur and said I needed to go see a cardiologist. I didn’t, I didn’t like the idea of open heart surgery. Move ahead till earlier this year and I was there for my annual pyshical and see sounded more presisstant and gave me the name of a cardiologist in the Methodist medical system here. I saw him 2 years ago when it was thought to be a mild TIA, long story.
My cardiologist wanted me to have an ECHO to check on things. Sure enough he diagnosed me wth Aortic Stenosis, later to be more specific a Calcified Aortic Valve. Then this year my primary care doctor wanted me to see my cardiologist. Then I had All the tests one can have. He scheduled me for a heart cath. ( he went through my right wrist) and confirmed my Calcified Aortic Stenosis and I met the heart Surgeons associate Dr. Goel, he will be the assisting he’s a cardiologist too. Dr. Reardon the surgeon who will perform the procedure. Oh, during this time waiting in recent months I checked the internet to see what procedures there were and ran across Adam Picks webinar on the subject ( Thanks Adam!). They covered regular open hear surgery I think the short version is Sara or SAVR and one called TAVR ( transchathitor aortic valve replacement). I chose this one after many searches on the internet. It’s a procedure where they do it similarly to a heart cath.. run a catheter into your blood vessel in the upper leg and send the TAVR device up into the heart and when it gets to the Aorta, they place a new one right over the old Aortic valve. I understand that the procedure takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Of course you have to lay flat and not move so that the entry place in your leg can clot off. Then you get to go home.
My surgery date has not been decided yet as Dr. Reardon will meet with my wife and I this next Friday and the surgery maybe the following week. I’ve jumped around on this but I’m not to good writing up things.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Pearland , Texas
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
