Tom's Profile

19 years ago I worked for an ultrasound company and discovered by chance that I had a tiny aortic regurgitant jet. I had an expert at the Cleveland Clinic review it and he said that my Aortic Valve jet was at most 1+ out of 4 and I did not need to do anything except perhaps get a followup echo in a few years. Nine years ago (2006) I got another echo and it seemed the same, but looking back I see that it was graded at 1-2+/4 or slightly higher. I forgot all about the AI and never was told that it might become a problem. In 2010 I struggled with fatigue (I am a Product Development Director at a medical products company and have 45 minute commute and travel about 30% of the time). I discovered that red wine, of all things does make me very fatigued --I think that it is the tannins in the oak. So I thought I had the fatigue problem understood. Increasingly over the past year or more I have struggled and told my wife, "I don't know how much longer I can do this (job)". This winter I found myself starting to leave the office 2-3 hours earlier than before and go home to sleep for 1-2 hours. My wife said: not normal; go to the doctor. In March my GP found nothing wrong except for my Aortic Insufficiency, which he could hear very plainly. I got an echo and the technician said, "do you have any shortness of breath?". My AI was graded at moderate to severe and eccentric. The eccentricity makes it hard to grade jet accurately. When I met Dr. Castro and when he looked at the data he said that my AI was severe and that "If you were my brother I would tell you to get this fixed this year." Going home I thought that this summer would be a logical time. Then I crashed with a nap and waking up, thought to myself, "I am not waiting." I am tired of being tired. So I went from zero awareness to valve surgery in five weeks. Today, day 12 after surgery I am not yet equal in strength to before surgery but I know that I will eventually be stronger than I have been since I was in my forties and can get back to surfing and my work. Tom Fitzmorris