Donna's Profile

I was diagnosed with mitral regurgitation in my early 20’s and honestly, it didn’t slow me down much. I just lived with it. But I always had yearly physicals and an echocardiogram every other year. By the time I was 35, my regurgitation was moderate/severe….but I had no symptoms. I continued getting my annual physical and dr said to wait until I was symptomatic. In my very early 40’s, I started seeing a cardiologist every 6 months with echo while still asymptotic. I also learned my valvular disease was inherited from my dad, who ended up with both mitral and aortic replacements in his mid-60’s and late 70’s. Like clockwork, in my mid 60’s I became symptomatic. I was in the middle of a cross country move and decided to continue with the move and seek guidance in San Diego. I was referred to an excellent Cardiologist who, seeing that I was physically fit, recommended that I contact a surgeon who had extensive experience in robotic surgery. I was terrified of having open heart surgery and this appealed to me. After a battery of tests, the surgeon agreed that I was an ideal candidate for this procedure using the Da Vinci robot. Repair of my mitral valve was a success and I had no problems afterwards. Fast forward 4 years and I’m now swimming a mile 5-7 days a week. Hands down, this procedure was 100% successful and I’m now on the 5 year program for echocardiogram follow ups.