About Me (In My Own Words)
As some of you know, I’ve had a heart murmur my whole life; it was readily detectable in my youth but sometime in my 20s the doctors stopped hearing it, and told me I’d likely outgrown it. Unfortunately, it resurfaced a few years ago (my early 40s) when I suddenly developed random bouts of extreme (e.g. stroke-level) high blood pressure. Although I saw a blood pressure specialist (aka nephrologist), they never found any cause, and said it was “probably nothing to worry about.”
This last June, I experienced dramatic swelling in my feet, which suddenly looked like water balloons. When I tried to lay flat in bed, I felt like I was trying to breathe through water; I could only rest somewhat if I raised my head and shoulders up, and I spent a lot of nights in my recliner. I could barely walk up a flight of stairs and when I did I’d wheeze like a steam engine for quite a while afterwards. I was checked for a heart attack, a pulmonary clot, and congestive heart failure, but a CT scan showed no clot, I had none of the enzymes or other indicators of a heart attack, and all the EKG/ECGs were normal except one that suggested there might be an enlarged atrium.
Then they did a standard echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart, which I got to watch. I saw blood flowing in many directions at once, which is NOT how it is supposed to work, and I knew something was seriously not right. Because I have an electronic medical record, I got to read the test results, which reported two problems: mitral valve regurgitation (leakage) and mild aortic valve leakage issues (though they couldn’t see the aortic valve well enough to tell what the exact problem was). The leakage caused fluid to collect in my lungs, causing the symptoms of congestive heart failure.
I met with my cardiologist, Dr. Tam, on August 19th. The two month wait after the echocardiogram seemed like forever. She ordered a different echocardiogram, this time from inside the esophagus (called a transesophageal echocardiogram, or TEE), which is performed under sedation, so I couldn’t watch. It was on August 31st. It reported that the regurgitation was from both valves, the mitral valve regurgitation was more severe than they thought, and the aortic valve leakage wasn’t mild but moderate. After my cardiologist got that report, she promptly referred me to the cardiac surgeon.
Larry and I met Dr. Swanson on September 14th, who guided us through the options with great knowledge and compassion. Because of my anatomy, he doesn’t believe a repair on my mitral valve would be successful. Repairs to the atrial valve are notoriously unsuccessful, so that valve is always replaced. So we’ll be replacing both of my defective valves--procedures Dr. Swanson has successfully performed hundreds of times in his career--on October 23, 2015.
The good news: My heart has not enlarged so I should suffer no lasting symptoms once the valves are replaced. I have no blockages so won’t need any bypasses performed during my open-heart surgery. Murmurs are somewhat prone to signalling a potential for leakage in a valve, but usually the leakage doesn’t occur until much later in life; because mine occurred now, I have the chance to have a much more active life for many years to come.
I have a wonderful support system, so am literally surrounded by people who will help me through the days (4-5) in the hospital and the weeks (about 6 to return to work) and months (about 3 to near normalcy) of recovery. The purpose of this journal is to help keep you posted on my progress, and make it easier for me to communicate that progress with everyone who cares about me and is invested in my well-being. I am not currently looking for additional help. I’m not categorically refusing offers either--just be aware that right now I am being very focused and choosy about my specific needs. I love you all and deeply appreciate your support!
During some of the most demanding stages of this process, my husband Larry will likely be posting in this journal on my behalf, so that you get the most timely information while I am indisposed.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Vancouver, Washington
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My surgery date is:
October 23, 2015
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Mitral Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Mitral Valve Replacement
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