Surgery Update
December 10, 1997
To my "Internet Friends" who are interested,
I have (or had) a heart condition called Idopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis with mitral valve regurgitation. What this means is that the muscle in the middle of my heart developed a bulge that was interfering with my mitral valve and causing blood to back up in my heart. This condition can cause suddun death. I was diagnosed about 6 years ago and have been taking medication. The last few years I had been telling my cardiologist that I was feeling very bad. He being a man, and me being a young woman, said that I was just depressed and should see a psychiatrist.
In August my perscription for heart medication was going to run out. I called to get an appointment with my cardiologist. He had retired. I was refered to a new cardiologist. He did not have my old doctor's file on me. He listened to my heart and freaked. He immediatly ordered a bunch of tests. He sent me and my test results to a surgen. The surgen convinced me and my family that I needed immediate open heart surgery. So, the next morning, August 29, I was in surgery. The details of the surgery are too graphic to go into. I will just say that they shaved off part of the "bulge" and replaced my mitral valve with a mechanical one. I can hear it clicking with each heart beat. I must take a drug to thin my blood for the rest of my life.
I am recovering well. I have good days and bad days. Overall, I am feeling better. I have completed two months of Cardiac Rehabilitation. I will be walking on tread mills the rest of my life. The last 6 years I was not allowed to excercise at all. Now I have to ecercise every day. It has not been fun.
The healing has been very painful. I have been having extreme pain in my neck and shoulders. My doctor has refered me to "physio theropy". I hope it will help. The pain is keeping me from my computer and from my art. It is very frustrating. If the physio theorpy works I will be back online very soon. I miss my "net friends".
Lady Vegas