D
dwfreck
Hello,
I would have submitted this to the "waiting for surgery" section of the "personal stories" site, but it's going to change to a "had surgery" situation in the next few months, so I'll put it here.
Besides, I'd like to get all of your help polishing the story...
I'm 39, male, caucasian, married, two kids (no dog, yet).
I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. My parents were quite surprised when they took me to the peditrician for a cold when I was one year old, and he kept listening to my chest, and eventually asked, "Does he ever turn blue?" I was an "active" child, and the answer was an emphatic "No."
For most of my life, I've been told that my valve had stenosis, and that it needed to be checked regularly, but that it didn't limit my physical activities. At some point, my valve developed insufficiency as well as stenosis, but, again, it was not a limiting problem. Then around 1994 I was told to avoid high-exertion activities like tennis and racquetball. Then around 1999 I was told I would need most likely need surgery in three to five years. Over that time, various medical professionals have marveled at the sound of my valve through the stethoscope (apparently, it whistles Dixie!).
I've just recently started to have mild chest pain and shortness of breath during "normal" daily activies that require a moderate amount of exertion, like mowing the lawn, or running across a baseball field with my six-year-old. That worried my cardiologist and I. Several echocardiograms, one stress test, and one angiogram later, my cardiologist told me that I would definitely need surgery, preferably within the next two or three months. The angoigram indicated that the insufficiency is more serious than we had thought from previous measurements. That was last month, so I'm looking at surgery in January or February.
I've got a meeting with a surgeon tomorrow, December 2, 2003. I'll post more details as I get them.
I would have submitted this to the "waiting for surgery" section of the "personal stories" site, but it's going to change to a "had surgery" situation in the next few months, so I'll put it here.
Besides, I'd like to get all of your help polishing the story...
I'm 39, male, caucasian, married, two kids (no dog, yet).
I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. My parents were quite surprised when they took me to the peditrician for a cold when I was one year old, and he kept listening to my chest, and eventually asked, "Does he ever turn blue?" I was an "active" child, and the answer was an emphatic "No."
For most of my life, I've been told that my valve had stenosis, and that it needed to be checked regularly, but that it didn't limit my physical activities. At some point, my valve developed insufficiency as well as stenosis, but, again, it was not a limiting problem. Then around 1994 I was told to avoid high-exertion activities like tennis and racquetball. Then around 1999 I was told I would need most likely need surgery in three to five years. Over that time, various medical professionals have marveled at the sound of my valve through the stethoscope (apparently, it whistles Dixie!).
I've just recently started to have mild chest pain and shortness of breath during "normal" daily activies that require a moderate amount of exertion, like mowing the lawn, or running across a baseball field with my six-year-old. That worried my cardiologist and I. Several echocardiograms, one stress test, and one angiogram later, my cardiologist told me that I would definitely need surgery, preferably within the next two or three months. The angoigram indicated that the insufficiency is more serious than we had thought from previous measurements. That was last month, so I'm looking at surgery in January or February.
I've got a meeting with a surgeon tomorrow, December 2, 2003. I'll post more details as I get them.
