About Me (In My Own Words)
GP heard a murmur a few years back and sent me to a cardiologist - who was surprised the GP even heard the murmur.
Valve was mildly leaky at that time. Typical follow-up visits over the years, progressing to every 6 months as the regurgitation worsened.
November 2013 visit - crossed the threshold to a severely leaky mitral valve and it's been non-stop activity to determine what to do next since then.
Had the TEE in December. Then had shoulder surgery day after Christmas. Still recovering from that (removal of bone spur, repair of rotator cuff and repair of labral tear)...currently in my 7th week post-op/3rd or 4th week of physical therapy.
Had a catheterization on Feb 7 to make sure nothing else is going on....pipes are all clean and look good - so only the valve needs to be fixed.
Surgeon stopped in (that's the first time we met him) to talk about the surgery and suggested I wait until the shoulder is fully functional and healed before proceeding with the surgery. He said to call him when I'm ready.
Not sure if I should get a 2nd opinion or just go with this. My wife, Jill, wants me to get it done as soon as possible and is hoping for March. I just want a week or two of pain-free movement without having to struggle to get dressed or do something involving my arms.
Not sure that I'm entirely asymptomatic as I'm tired all the time and get winded easily - but I explain a lot of that away with I'm out of shape, about 50 lbs overweight, and simply don't sleep well.
Overwhelmed by it all and trying to hold it together...
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Smyrna, Delaware
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My surgery date is:
May 22, 2014
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I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Repair
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Gary Szydlowski
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My hospital is:
Kent General Hospital/Bayhealth
