Steven's Profile

I was born with a Bicuspid aortic heart valve which has led to a thoracic aneurysm of my ascending aorta. 😊 I feel so smart typing this for the first time. 🙄 What that means is the valve that is supposed to close after my heart pumps is defective (I was born with this defect), it has been inefficient my entire life. This inefficiency allows blood to re-enter the heart after it pumps when it shouldn't, causing my heart to work harder than what's normal. This extra work has caused the vein (aorta) that transports the blood to my body from my heart to become bulged, thinning the walls to a point where it could burst if nothing is done to fix it. My condition has been diagnosed and monitored for years now. I've been having ultrasounds and CT scans every year for about eight years (maybe 10). Generally, I've been feeling just fine and have been in reasonably good health otherwise. However, my most recent ultrasound has shown that the dilation (bulging) of my aorta is severe enough that I am now at more risk of death by not having surgery than the risk of just having the surgery is. So, it's time. My chest will be opened, and the surgeon will replace my defective heart valve with a hybrid valve made of pig and/or cow tissue (their best stuff), a polymer stent (or ring), polyester, silicon, and stainless steel are sewed together to make this new super valve. My aorta will be reinforced to prevent it from rupturing as well. This new valve should last 15-20 years which then can be replaced again at that time to get another 15-20 years, which should just about do it for me. 😇