So I have a cardiologist now...

4, actually. Another sign that you're getting old, you have a cardiologist (to go along with caring about your grass growing, driving a minivan, and having a luggage carrier on top of said minivan).

May was a weird month. Most days I felt really lightheaded and out of it, to the point that I wondered if I should be driving and some days if I would be able to keep doing what I do for living (study, teach, hang out with people, try to figure out how to structure a community that will bring people closer to God... that's pretty much what I do for living... go ahead and be jealous). Anyways, I finally went to the doctor after waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep because I was short of breath.

One MD, two cardiologists, and two cardiac surgeons later, I figured out I have a bicuspid aortic valve that is leaking severely and needs to be replaced... soon... and I have to choose between the Ross Procedure, where they replace your aortic valve with your pulmonary valve and replace your pulmonary valve with a 'pig' valve (like I won't hear about that for the rest of my life), and simply replacing my aortic valve with a mechanical valve.

The upside of the Ross is that you don't need to take medication on an ongoing basis after surgery. The downside is that it's full blown open heart surgery and takes longer to recover from, and there's a chance you have to get the pig valve re-operated on because they tend to calcify or develop scar tissue.

The upside of the mechanical valve is they can do minimally invasive surgery which is easier to recover from and you'll very likely never need surgery again. The downside is you have to take coumadin, a blood thinner, for the rest of your life. I haven't heard lots of good things about coumadin. At best you have to take it every day, get your blood tested once a month, deal with bruising and cuts that take long times to heal, and stay pretty consistent in your diet. At worst, people report developing anxiety and depression, getting cold very easily, having trouble sleeping at night, and having your blood tested weekly to maintain the right levels.

The guy I saw yesterday pretty much said there's not a big upside to waiting for this surgery and I should get it done in the next few months, and he discouraged me from the Ross Procedure, which I had pretty well decided I wanted, because he's sent too many people back to the operating room after they've had a Ross. Not necessarily scared about anything but the part where they stop your heart and then figure they can start it back up anytime they want to. Kind of freaks me out but I guess they do it all the time.

Sothat's what's going on. Thanks for your prayers. I hope to make a decision in the next week and get something scheduled. If you know anyone on coumadin, let me know. I'd really like to talk to some people who have to deal with it.