Kim's Posts

Kim, I had rheumatic fever when I was 6 which damaged my bicuspid aortic valve. My parents found out when I was 7 so I knew for most of my life that I would someday need OHS. I had replacement surgery, ascending aorta repair and root and arch repair at age 59. Had some complications but am feeling great now. It's been 7 years since my surgery.

I was diagnosed with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis when I was in college. Do not remember having rheumatic fever as a child but apparently I did. No symptoms, but a nurse heard a murmur and sent me to see a doctor. The murmur was so faint the doctor wasn’t sure what it was, but they ordered an echocardiogram and got the diagnosis. Stenosis was mild for 30 years but my left atrium enlarged over time, I went into afib, developed a clot, had a stroke, and have been dealing with the aftermath of it for the last two years. I was reading your story, Kim, and you mention transcatheter repair in 2016. Did you get a valvuloplasty? Are you considering a replacement now? I had a valvuloplasty last year and it didn’t help much, so I got a tissue valve this year. Many complications along the way, but I feel so much better now. Let me know if I can help!

Yes I did and so did my sister. We both had surgery and did fine. My sister had her mitral valve repaired and I had to have my aortic replaced with a Bovine (cow) valve. I don’t have to take any blood thinners only a baby aspirin. My sister ended up on Coumadin because she went into Afib.