Hi Liza,
I'm a 70 year old male who had emergency quintuple CABG surgery 3 plus years ago after a "mild" heart attack and having been a symptom free athlete my entire life including right up to the time of my heart attack. Like you, I was "insanely healthy" having not had a cold for 10 years at the time of my heart attack despite daily commuting on NYC/Port Authority mass transit.
Although I have not received a formal afib diagnosis, my cardiologist did recently discover a missed or perhaps extra beat during a routine EKG, which necessitated further testing (nuclear stress test and echocardiogram) disclosing that all my grafts remain clear. I did tell my doctor that I first learned about occasional skipped heart beats decades earlier while a marathon runner, which I understood was not unusual for an athlete with"runner's heart" and did not require treatment at the time. I'm not sure what my cardiologist will prescribe now, given that periodic running induced sciatica has ended my running career (although, strangely, hasn't interfered with my life as a gym rat), but he seemed unconcerned once he verified that there were no new blockages. I'll be seeing him again in a few weeks to followup on possible medication adjustments.
Anyway, welcome to the group. The people on this board are the best people in the world, and I hope you grow to love them the same way that I have.
All the best,
Ira
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Ira Reid
Hoboken NJ
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-04-2021 13:29
From: Liza Levine
Subject: Valve repair / Open Heart Surgery during Covid
Hello!
I'm a 62 year old woman -- previously insanely healthy!!! - recovering from open-heart surgery to repair a valve rupture that may or may not have been caused by Covid. But in any case, open-heart surgery AND the pandemic has been crazy traumatic as I'm sure many of you know. I'm doing okay but still have some afib (slow and controlled) problems that my doctor says will resolve, but still makes me so nervous. Also, I hate being on Amiodarone!
Just wondering if there are others who have had similar experiences and want to chat.
Take care, everyone.
Liza
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Liza Levine
New York NY
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