Knowledge is power, and understanding your treatment options can alleviate a lot of stress. In my article on Healthgrades.com, I give you the straight story on details about treatment, and answer many questions you're bound to have after a diagnosis of aortic valve disease.
When I first learned I had severe aortic stenosis and needed heart valve replacement, I knew absolutely nothing about it. My doctor told me aortic stenosis is a condition in which the aortic valve doesn’t open properly, preventing the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. He said I’d need my aortic valve replaced, either through open-heart surgery or minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), but that just brought on more questions.
Because of my history of high dose chest radiation to treat Hodgkin lymphoma when I was 17, the main thing I knew was open-heart surgery held greater risk for me than the average patient. TAVR seemed like the best option for me, but I was still nervous about it. I discussed the procedure extensively with my doctor and even spoke to someone who’d gone through the TAVR process already. With their help, I learned a lot about this method of aortic valve replacement and felt confident that TAVR would help me get back to living a life I loved–and fortunately, that’s exactly what happened!
At first, I was overwhelmed by what the doctor was telling me; I felt a lot of anxiety as I learned new medical terminology and tried to understand the nuances of my condition. But knowledge is power, and educating myself helped alleviate a lot of stress. If you’re considering a TAVR procedure, here’s what you need to know from someone who has been there... Click on the photo below to read the full article:
