Welcome to the forum Monica.
I’m very sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Having said that, there is some really good news. 1) Your medical team now knows about your condition and can monitor it 2) There is a solution with a very high success rate – aortic valve replacement.
From my own experience, getting my diagnosis at age 52, I felt like my world had just been turned upside down. Like you, my diagnosis was moderate aortic stenosis with moderate aortic valve calcification. As if the valve condition was not enough, mine carried a couple of other diagnosis and it was a lot to take in. But, within a few weeks I had learned a lot about my condition and had accepted that I could not control the hand that I was dealt, only control how I reacted to it.
After monitoring my condition for about 20 months, my time came for surgery. That was about 16 months ago. I’ve now had my aortic valve replaced as well as part of my aorta. It was not a cake walk, but it was also not all that bad from my perspective. Because of my young age of 53, I went with a mechanical valve. Now, 16 months past surgery, life is very normal for me. Just as I was before surgery, I am very physically active. It is easy to forget that I had open heart valve surgery because life feels so normal once again.
Your feelings of being nervous about your condition are normal. Most all of us experienced that to one degree or another. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. For me, I tried to be grateful for the fact that it was discovered and that I live in an age where modern medicine has an excellent solution for my condition.
I think it was a good step for you to join the forum, so that you can communicate with others who have faced what you are facing. My suggestion would be to educate yourself as best you can about your condition and the choices which you will face down the road. Also, there may come a time where you team tells you that you can get surgery now or wait a little longer. When I was given that choice, I chose to get on with it and get the surgery. I would suggest you do the same if given the choice. One mistake that people sometimes make is waiting too long for fear of the surgery. Waiting too long can lead to irreversible damage. Yours was discovered relatively early, so no need to wait until damage has occurred. Also, take a deep breath and try to relax. Know that your medical team is on top of your condition and that you will get your surgery when it’s time. The vast majority of valve patients return to life as normal and live normal lifespans. Knowing about your condition now and getting surgery when it’s time will stack the deck even further in your favor that you will be among that group.
It is hard to imagine now, but there will be a time when you look back at this current moment and wonder what you were so worried about.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions that you have. There are hundreds of people here who have faced your situation and whatever you are experiencing or feeling, likely someone else here has as well.
