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My Cardiologist Recommends Surgery

Posted on Tue July 21, 2009 in Mitral Valve Repair
Tags: mitral valve repair heart murmur endocarditis
Views: 146

MARCH 12, 2009

It was not unexpected (but still jolting!) when my cardiologist, Dr. Peter Hui, told me that I should undergo elective surgery to repair or replace my mitral valve. Although I was asymptomatic, last month's echocardiogram showed that my heart's left atrium had enlarged to size that he was no longer comfortable with. I have a heart murmur, due to congenital posterior leaflet mitral valve prolapse, so during my bi-annual check-ups it was always part of the discussion that one day I might need to fix the severe regurgitation. I just didn't think that the day would actually arrive.

For the most part, I felt fine doing my daily activities and was enjoying my spinning class, swimming work-outs, and weekend hikes. I had also been scuba diving in Fiji five months prior, so lifting heavy gear wasn't an issue either. I would say that I was able to do everything I wanted to. Despite this, I did feel that my heart wasn't as strong as I remembered it to be prior to the endocarditis that I had two years earlier. I noticed palpitations that were concerning to me, even though I was not feeling lightheaded or out of breath due to them.

The decision to have surgery was straightforward for me. My doctor had always told me that if I wanted to have children, it would be best if I fixed my mitral valve prior to getting pregnant due to the severity of the regurgitation. With this hanging over my head, and with the fact that recovery would be faster with youth on my side (I was 31 at the time), I decided to go ahead and make an appointment with the cardiac surgeon.

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