About Me (In My Own Words)
My valve story starts in the summer of 2014. I’ve always enjoyed fitness and lifting . While working out at the gym I felt a bit weird on the treadmill. I decided to get off and walked to the locker room. That’s when I became disorientated and couldn’t speak. Some of the other gym members asked if I was okay and all I could do was shake
my head. I handed them my phone and they called my wife and then 921. At the hospital it was determined that I had a stroke. I regained my ability to speak but this was just the beginning. After a bunch of tests they found out I had a bicuspid heart valve. My cardiologist at the time informed me that I would most likely had something break off of my heart which caused a stroke and that I would probably need surgery in the future. The fall of 2023 I there was a decline in my workouts and I could just feel something was off. I made an appointment with my PCP and he sent a referral for an echo cardiogram. That’s when I found out I had AFib and my aorta was dilated. January 30th while waking my daughter for school I noticed my left arm twitching and then it went numb for an about a minute. I had my wife drive me to the ER . I was admitted and thought I would be going home the next day . To my surprise the doctor wasn’t so keen on releasing me. He said that I need to have OHS replace my heart valve. They said that I could go home and scheduled an appointment with the surgeon on February 5th. But before I could meet with the surgeon I came down with the worse case of Covid I have ever had. They rescheduled my appointment for March 11th and surgery for March 22nd. The delay has given me time to research valve options(I have chosen a mechanical valve), read others experiences, and prepare my home for when I discharge. I am so grateful that voice in my head said to go to the ER otherwise I may have just went on with my day and gone to work not knowing how urgent my need for surgery was.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Lacey, WA
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My surgery date is:
March 22, 2024
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Atrial Fibrillation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
Maze Procedure
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Richard Lee
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