libermana

Until my early 60's I always enjoyed great health and never experienced a hospitalization. I ran, cycled, did elliptical and weight training workouts, and practiced yoga. In 2013 while going through a department of transportation physical (a requirement for maintaining a commercial drivers license), I learned that I had a heart murmur. When inquiring about the ramifications, I was shocked to find out by the physician assistant who was examining me that I might need an aortic valve replacement (AVR) in the future. I immediately made an appointment with my physician who referred me to a cardiologist for evaluation and shortly thereafter, an echocardiogram was performed. While the numbers were concerning, I was told to come back in a year for a follow-up echo. Fast forward to 2014 and the results of that echo revealed that I needed an AVR within the next three months. The operation went very well, received a pig tissue valve, and was released from the hospital four days later. Because of my great health and fitness, my recovery went very smoothly. Several months later in 2015, I had laser cataract surgery for both of my eyes. In 2016, I lost vision in my right eye for about 60 seconds. Thinking it was related to my cataract surgery, I rushed myself to the eye center where I was told that I needed to immediately go to the emergency room as I might have experienced a stroke. I was admitted to the hospital and went through an exhaustive battery of tests where nothing was found related to my vision loss. The incident was labeled a TIA and I was instructed to be aware of all the warning signs of a stroke. From that point forward, I was hyper-sensitive to anything I experienced that might be the beginning stages of a stroke. Needless to say, living in that state of mind caused me much stress and anxiety. Several months later in 2017, I started experiencing great fatigue and visited my physician on a few occasions to find the cause. Routine bloodwork came back normal and was told that my fatigue was due to stress and anxiety. I kept feeling worse over the next few weeks and eventually experienced a very high fever and chills. He finally ordered a blood culture and the results indicated that I needed to be admitted to the hospital where I was diagnosed with endocarditis. I spent six days in the hospital and was treated with Rocephin. The day I was discharged, a pic-line was placed in my arm and I spent the next six months self-infusing with Rocephin. Fortunately, results of a transesophageal echocardiogram showed that the vegetation that grew on my valve had receded and wouldn't need a new aortic valve. Thanks to that medication and the support/treatment of my medical team, the infection cleared and life went on! To this day, I have no idea of the reason I got endocarditis as I always took antibiotic medication before any dental procedure. Regarding the vision loss I experienced / TIA, my infectious disease physician speculates that a tiny fragment of vegetation detached from my heart valve and was temporarily lodged in a blood vessel of my eye. Experiencing endocarditis was one of the most stressful experiences of my life as that was the first time I ever thought about my mortality. Over the next few years through the present, I've enjoyed relatively good health thanks in part to keeping fit through exercise and eating a healthy diet on most occasions. My cardiologist has been tracking my health and have echocardiograms done annually. Most recently in May, 2022, the results of the last echo revealed that the value of the gradient was now something to monitor more closely and have another echo scheduled for November. While I really don't understand the technical aspects of the gradient value, I interpret this as the sign the valve is failing. While my cardiologist tried to ally my concerns saying that there's no way of knowing at this time how soon I will need an AVR, the thought of having to undergo another procedure adds to my stress and anxiety. In conclusion, I joined this support group as I'm sure over the next few months and years, I will have several questions about options such as TAVR (which I much prefer) vs mini-aortic surgery, ramifications for yet another TAVR 10 years from now, latest research on prosthetic valves, etc. Thanks for taking the time to read my profile and best of luck to everyone!