Jody's Journal

I have for many years had mitral valve regurgitation but it had been manageable and I saw my cardiologist regularly. However, after a visit to my dentist in June 2019 for a crown, I contracted Sub Acute Infectious Bacterial Endocarditis. I had not taken prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental visits for years because the American Dental Association had long since stopped recommending this for patients with mitral valve disease and instead recommended antibiotics only if, for example, a patient had a history of endocarditis. I did not. After eight months of sickness, 25 pounds of weight loss, profuse night sweating, extreme fatigue, vision disturbances, stroke like symptoms, and over three weeks in three Massachusetts hospitals during the course of eight months, I was finally diagnosed and treated. By then my mitral valve regurgitation was severe and now I must have mitral valve repair (fingers crossed) or replacement. Brigham and Women’s on December 8, 2021.