So not to bore everyone with the details, but I hope that you can listen to me sort this out.... I think I just need to get it out.
So, I've been pretty active most of my life, sometimes more, sometimes less. Spent all my younger years rock climbing all over the West Coast and up into Canada and hiking everywhere I could. I've never been able to run, I was always the one that couldn't quite get my breathing right. Swimming was about the same, strong but not able to get my breathing down. Never stopped me, but I was always the one in the best shape that got smoked on the uphills by my out of shape friends.
So about 2.5 years ago I had my ACL repaired after years of dealing with it and a torn meniscus. At that time, the anesthesiologist asked if I'd ever been told I had a heart murmur before (I hadn't). After surgery my activity went way down and I struggled to get it back. I assumed that I was getting older (a ripe 34) and maybe work was causing some of my fatigue. I asked my doctor about the heart murmur and I was asked if it bothered me (I said no) and they sent me on my way.
So in the next couple years I had a few episodes of feeling short of breath and coughing up fluids during activity but things were pretty minor and didn't think much of it. The last two times though were bad and the last time my wife made me head to the ER. Initially they thought I was having a heart attack, but quickly ruled it out. After a chest X-Ray came back showing my heart enlarged and an echo confirmed that my heart valve was shot (not before every test known to man was done on me - I'm sure you can all relate).
So the good news is that otherwise I'm pretty healthy, I've gained a little weight in the last 18 months but nothing that won't come off easily if I could just do some exercise without feeling like I'm underwater. I'm ready to feel better and get this out from over my head. I'm hopeful that this is the cause of my fatigue and major lack of energy that seems to have come out of nowhere in the last 18 months.
It has been quite the shock to find out that something so severe has been wrong with me for so long. I've since found out that my family has had a history of this and it has killed a number of relatives at an early age. I definitely don't have much of a choice. It sure would have been nice if my family would have communicated these sorts of things to be screened. I had never spent much time seeing doctors before so it doesn't surprise me that it had gone unnoticed all my life. Two different surgeons told me I have about 3-5 years if I don't do anything.
So 9/14 is the day. OHSU in Portland by Dr. Song. I'll be the proud new owner of a On-X aortic valve.
Some concerns that I have are making sure that I'm careful with my activity being on Warfarin. I talked to the surgeon about options, and it sounds like with the approval for lower doses and some moderate precautions the risk is fairly low - especially considering that I'm 37 and might be looking at multiple valves otherwise. Also, living in the Northwest, I really enjoy the local microbrews (sometimes probably more than I should). Does anyone have any experience with what to expect, or is it pretty individual? It certainly wouldn't be the end of the world to have to abstain, but it has certainly become a part of socializing in this area.
I work a job that is mostly at a desk. How long did you take before you felt comfortable working a full day? I'd especially like to hear from some people close to my age; What about resuming sports? Hiking, etc?
So, I've been pretty active most of my life, sometimes more, sometimes less. Spent all my younger years rock climbing all over the West Coast and up into Canada and hiking everywhere I could. I've never been able to run, I was always the one that couldn't quite get my breathing right. Swimming was about the same, strong but not able to get my breathing down. Never stopped me, but I was always the one in the best shape that got smoked on the uphills by my out of shape friends.
So about 2.5 years ago I had my ACL repaired after years of dealing with it and a torn meniscus. At that time, the anesthesiologist asked if I'd ever been told I had a heart murmur before (I hadn't). After surgery my activity went way down and I struggled to get it back. I assumed that I was getting older (a ripe 34) and maybe work was causing some of my fatigue. I asked my doctor about the heart murmur and I was asked if it bothered me (I said no) and they sent me on my way.
So in the next couple years I had a few episodes of feeling short of breath and coughing up fluids during activity but things were pretty minor and didn't think much of it. The last two times though were bad and the last time my wife made me head to the ER. Initially they thought I was having a heart attack, but quickly ruled it out. After a chest X-Ray came back showing my heart enlarged and an echo confirmed that my heart valve was shot (not before every test known to man was done on me - I'm sure you can all relate).
So the good news is that otherwise I'm pretty healthy, I've gained a little weight in the last 18 months but nothing that won't come off easily if I could just do some exercise without feeling like I'm underwater. I'm ready to feel better and get this out from over my head. I'm hopeful that this is the cause of my fatigue and major lack of energy that seems to have come out of nowhere in the last 18 months.
It has been quite the shock to find out that something so severe has been wrong with me for so long. I've since found out that my family has had a history of this and it has killed a number of relatives at an early age. I definitely don't have much of a choice. It sure would have been nice if my family would have communicated these sorts of things to be screened. I had never spent much time seeing doctors before so it doesn't surprise me that it had gone unnoticed all my life. Two different surgeons told me I have about 3-5 years if I don't do anything.
So 9/14 is the day. OHSU in Portland by Dr. Song. I'll be the proud new owner of a On-X aortic valve.
Some concerns that I have are making sure that I'm careful with my activity being on Warfarin. I talked to the surgeon about options, and it sounds like with the approval for lower doses and some moderate precautions the risk is fairly low - especially considering that I'm 37 and might be looking at multiple valves otherwise. Also, living in the Northwest, I really enjoy the local microbrews (sometimes probably more than I should). Does anyone have any experience with what to expect, or is it pretty individual? It certainly wouldn't be the end of the world to have to abstain, but it has certainly become a part of socializing in this area.
I work a job that is mostly at a desk. How long did you take before you felt comfortable working a full day? I'd especially like to hear from some people close to my age; What about resuming sports? Hiking, etc?
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