David's Profile

One day in early May, I had a pain in my lower chest, that went out onto my left arm. It startled me at work and a co-worker asked what was up. That night I mentioned it to my wife who immediately got me in for an echo. My doctor had asked for an echo a few months earlier when he heard a murmur. I was in a supremely busy season at work [traveling every week]. I'd known about a murmur for about 15 years and it was something I'd repeatedly been told not to worry about. Not so true any more. Turns out the reason that got me in for an echo was probably indigestion, but it did pick up on me having a bicuspid valve, a fairly large dilated ascending aorta and aortic root. Really right on the edge of mandatory surgery numbers. I've been told that the way my valve is [not] closing, is causing a jet to form in one particular spot on my aorta, forming an asymmetrical Aneurysm, as well as part of the valve is flapping and hitting the mitral valve. No damage to mitral valve yet, but that is further reason to treat this sooner than later. Updating a month after surgery: Dr Roselli and his team were able to repair my Aortic Valve, Aortic root and replace the Aorta up to about the arch. I am amazed daily at the recovery process, and grateful for the work I received at the Cleveland Clinic. We live in a pretty amazing age for medicine. Slow and steady progress.