Hello everyone,
First of all, thank you for this forum. I've been reading it for a while now and am grateful for everyone's dedication to the details. They've been tremendously reassuring.
Back on August 3rd, at the age of 30, I had my aortic valve replaced under bizarre circumstances. I'm thirty years old, have led an active lifestyle ever since I was young. At the age of 22, I was first diagnosed with BAV. The doctor, a grim reaper type, broke the news to me this way: "you've got some leaking." I've laughed about it ever since.
Besides semi-yearly check-ups and the occasional bout with light-headedness, I hadn't really faced any difficulties until the last few years. In 2019 or 2020, I was told that the insufficiency of my valve had progressed to the point that I would need to give up weight-lifting and that sort of thing.
Fast-forward to this spring. All the way back in April or May I had all the worrisome symptoms that would point to endocarditis but none of the knowledge to prevent potential disaster: fatigue, lightheadedness, sprouting fevers left and right. I was in and out of urgent cares, struggling to think straight, popping ibuprofen like they were candy, and generally worrying my loved ones. I told doctors about my BAV, but no one put it together: people speculated I had COVID, an ear infection, and I even had my appendix taken out in June, only to have the fevers return a week and half later. My girlfriend had strep in February or March, and I now wonder if that's what started the trouble.
It wasn't until late July that a PCP had the wherewithal to order a blood culture, at which point they found Strep veridans in my bloodstream. Not long after that, I was diagnosed with endocarditis and a potential aneurysm. I spent 18 days in the hospital: 11 before the surgery, and seven after. As for the valve replacement: I remember the surgeon putting his hand on my shoulder on the operating table and saying "I'm going to take care of you." When I woke up, I was informed they'd almost had to get me a transfusion, and that I'd also evaded the aneurysm, and that I'd been given the largest mechanical valve they had: 25mm. Who knows if that's true, or they were just trying to flatter me. At my follow-up, they told me my heart function was outstanding. Otherwise, I'm waiting for my insurance company to approve my at-home testing kit, and have generally been solidly in my INR goal: 1.5-2.
The source of the infection remains something of a mystery. A favorite question I get from doctors is "have you been in contact with any farm animals," to which I've wanted to quip "I consider several of them friends." I've been encouraged by my surgeon and others "not to worry," as I'm otherwise healthy... nonetheless, I continue to worry, as I was told the very same thing back in the spring. I would describe my anxiety and depression post-surgery as tempered: I'm laying on the gratitude gravy pretty thick, and understand that anxiety, as long as I don't let it get off the leash, can be useful.
I know to be exceedingly careful should any fevers pop up. Mostly I'm just tired: my ability to control for frustration and irritability seems to come and go, as does my focus. I'm a teacher, and went back to work too quickly (less than three weeks after the replacement), and the semester was a tremendous slog. I'm looking forward to the upcoming break, and I'm trying also to focus on cutting back on my consumption of a certain green illicit substance.
I've experienced some lightheadedness, left-sided chest pain, congestion and fatigue (no fever) in the last few days, and am wondering if I should cancel my holiday travel plans. I've got several dental caries that are going to be taken care of in a couple of weeks, and I'm planning on getting antibiotics beforehand, obviously, so that provides me some reassurance.
Otherwise, I just wanted to say hello and to thank you all.
First of all, thank you for this forum. I've been reading it for a while now and am grateful for everyone's dedication to the details. They've been tremendously reassuring.
Back on August 3rd, at the age of 30, I had my aortic valve replaced under bizarre circumstances. I'm thirty years old, have led an active lifestyle ever since I was young. At the age of 22, I was first diagnosed with BAV. The doctor, a grim reaper type, broke the news to me this way: "you've got some leaking." I've laughed about it ever since.
Besides semi-yearly check-ups and the occasional bout with light-headedness, I hadn't really faced any difficulties until the last few years. In 2019 or 2020, I was told that the insufficiency of my valve had progressed to the point that I would need to give up weight-lifting and that sort of thing.
Fast-forward to this spring. All the way back in April or May I had all the worrisome symptoms that would point to endocarditis but none of the knowledge to prevent potential disaster: fatigue, lightheadedness, sprouting fevers left and right. I was in and out of urgent cares, struggling to think straight, popping ibuprofen like they were candy, and generally worrying my loved ones. I told doctors about my BAV, but no one put it together: people speculated I had COVID, an ear infection, and I even had my appendix taken out in June, only to have the fevers return a week and half later. My girlfriend had strep in February or March, and I now wonder if that's what started the trouble.
It wasn't until late July that a PCP had the wherewithal to order a blood culture, at which point they found Strep veridans in my bloodstream. Not long after that, I was diagnosed with endocarditis and a potential aneurysm. I spent 18 days in the hospital: 11 before the surgery, and seven after. As for the valve replacement: I remember the surgeon putting his hand on my shoulder on the operating table and saying "I'm going to take care of you." When I woke up, I was informed they'd almost had to get me a transfusion, and that I'd also evaded the aneurysm, and that I'd been given the largest mechanical valve they had: 25mm. Who knows if that's true, or they were just trying to flatter me. At my follow-up, they told me my heart function was outstanding. Otherwise, I'm waiting for my insurance company to approve my at-home testing kit, and have generally been solidly in my INR goal: 1.5-2.
The source of the infection remains something of a mystery. A favorite question I get from doctors is "have you been in contact with any farm animals," to which I've wanted to quip "I consider several of them friends." I've been encouraged by my surgeon and others "not to worry," as I'm otherwise healthy... nonetheless, I continue to worry, as I was told the very same thing back in the spring. I would describe my anxiety and depression post-surgery as tempered: I'm laying on the gratitude gravy pretty thick, and understand that anxiety, as long as I don't let it get off the leash, can be useful.
I know to be exceedingly careful should any fevers pop up. Mostly I'm just tired: my ability to control for frustration and irritability seems to come and go, as does my focus. I'm a teacher, and went back to work too quickly (less than three weeks after the replacement), and the semester was a tremendous slog. I'm looking forward to the upcoming break, and I'm trying also to focus on cutting back on my consumption of a certain green illicit substance.
I've experienced some lightheadedness, left-sided chest pain, congestion and fatigue (no fever) in the last few days, and am wondering if I should cancel my holiday travel plans. I've got several dental caries that are going to be taken care of in a couple of weeks, and I'm planning on getting antibiotics beforehand, obviously, so that provides me some reassurance.
Otherwise, I just wanted to say hello and to thank you all.
