About Me (In My Own Words)
23 years ago I had a heart attack when I was 25 years old. MY RCA was totally blocked and stents was needed to open the artery. The first go around was 4 stents and the second time was 2 for a total of 6. This lead to my mitral valve prolapse where my heart doctor was monitoring closely along with everything else. I have had echo cardiograms done every year for the past 23 years and little by little it was slowly getting worse. Fast forward to June of 2020 when I did a stress echo and my heart doctor told me I needed surgery because I was in the severe category. He referred me up to the University of Chicago where Dr Balkhy was able to perform the robotic surgery. My experience with Dr Balkhy's team and stay was awesome.
For my follow up appointment on 8/25/2020 he was happy with my progress. The day after my surgery I asked him if I needed to go to cardiac rehab and he said it was up to me. He told me that I was not going to break anything that he did in surgery. So fast forward to a week after surgery I was on the treadmill walking 1.5 miles in 35-40 minutes. Two weeks after surgery I was walking 2 miles in 40 minutes. Three weeks after I was up to 3.6 mph and 45 minutes.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Valparaiso, IN
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My surgery date is:
July 15, 2020
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I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Regurgitation
Coronary Artery Disease
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My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Repair
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My hospital is:
University of Chicago
