Written By: Adam Choose, Affected person Advocate, Writer & Web site Founder
Printed: November 13, 2024
I simply obtained a terrific affected person story from David Monasterski who’s a brand new member of our neighborhood. After connecting with David at our YouTube Channel, he shared a really insightful story with me about bacterial endocarditis, aortic valve leaflet holes, the significance of second opinions, his weight reduction journey and extra.
David Says…
Here’s what David wrote to me:
Hello Adam, I’m 64 years previous now. Two years put up aortic valve substitute through open coronary heart surgical procedure. I additionally had an AtriClip put in for atrial fibrillation. For years I suffered from further atrial beats. It was not an enormous deal, simply made me anxious when it will happen. Right here is the opposite facet of my story:
Again in the summertime of 2018, at 57 years of age, I used to be 321 kilos, had night time sweats and leg cramps each night time. I knew one thing was fallacious. I went to medical doctors and discovered I’ve Hemochromatosis – a genetic blood illness that shops extra iron in your organs. My Ferritin degree was 4580. Regular Ferritin ranges are 0-50. I had a liver biopsy and I had a extreme fatty liver together with iron being saved in my liver, and damaging it. I’m a non-drinker and non-smoker. So, I discovered it unusual that my liver was in such dangerous form. I used to be then positioned on weekly phlebotomy therapies by which they take out a pint per week. Inside 2 years I used to be right down to 170 kilos.
Quick ahead 2 years and I used to be experiencing blurry imaginative and prescient in a single eye, solely late at night time. On a hunch, I took my blood stress which was 90/40. I went to my common practitioner to confirm on their blood stress machine. Similar measurement. I then went to a heart specialist who dismissed my low blood stress as a result of I misplaced 150 kilos. I knew I needed to get a second opinion.
A Life-Saving Second Opinion!
Once I went to my second heart specialist… Guess what she discovered? Yep! A coronary heart murmur. After an echocardiogram and a cardiac catheterization, we discovered I had a regurgitating bicuspid aortic valve that had a 4 to five millimeter gap in it!!! I wanted open coronary heart surgical procedure to exchange my faulty bicuspid aortic valve.
In April 2022, I had my open coronary heart surgical procedure to exchange my valve. I additionally wanted a part of my left atrium clipped off to forestall atrial fibrillation. I’ve stayed on a low carb / Keto food plan all through the restoration. I instantly misplaced the 14 kilos that the guts lung machine places on you. Months later I’m strolling, driving, biking, and lifting 10 pound dumbbells. I really consider that had I not misplaced 150 kilos via the Keto/low carb food plan I may need not survived open coronary heart surgical procedure.
I credit score my second opinion heart specialist for attending to backside of my well being disaster. I used to be mainly in coronary heart failure. My B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) was elevated, however I used to be not in need of breath or retaining water.
After the surgical procedure, I requested my surgeon, “Was there something peculiar or excellent about my operation?”
He stated, “Oh sure – you had a 5 millimeter gap in one of many leaflets of your bicuspid aortic valve – attributable to endocarditis.”
I requested him: “How did I ever get endocarditis?”
He stated: “You may’ve had strep throat up to now.”
I assumed: “Hmmm. I had loads of sore throats and colds via the years, however nothing stood out.”
I’m wondering in the event you’ve heard of anybody else experiencing the identical points, as a result of it’s nonetheless an enormous thriller to me.
Thanks for all the pieces you’re doing!
Dave Monasterski
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