Blog Archives - Heart Valve Voice US https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/category/resource-library/blog/ Giving a voice to people with heart valve disease Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:35:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cropped-Favicon-32x32.png Blog Archives - Heart Valve Voice US https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/category/resource-library/blog/ 32 32 7 Top TAVR Questions Answered By Someone Who’s Been Through It https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/7-top-tavr-questions-answered-by-someone-whos-been-through-it/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:35:05 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=10998 One thing was certain immediately after my diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis (AS): I had questions! What exactly is aortic stenosis? What are the treatments? How long is recovery? More questions surfaced in the hours and days after diagnosis. Still others occupied my thoughts at 2 AM while I was anxiously awaiting my valve replacement. […]

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]]> 7 Ways to Make Life a Little Easier Before and After TAVR https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/7-ways-to-make-life-a-little-easier-before-and-after-tavr/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:32:59 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=10997 When I first learned I had severe aortic stenosis and the only treatment was a heart valve replacement, I was scared and overwhelmed. As a patient who has felt the jumble of feelings and questions myself, I hope sharing a few practical tips from my own experience will help you feel more confident and reassured […]

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]]> I Was Told I Was Too Young for TAVR. Here’s Why I’m Glad I Pushed Back. https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/i-was-told-i-was-too-young-for-tavr-heres-why-im-glad-i-pushed-back/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:29:58 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=10996 I was only 49 when I was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a condition where the aortic valve doesn’t open fully, restricting blood flow from the heart. Most people with that diagnosis are older than 65, but high dose radiation to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma in my teens accelerated the development of the condition. I was […]

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]]> Life After TAVR: Managing Uncertainty About My Valve’s Future https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/life-after-tavr-managing-uncertainty-about-my-valves-future/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:21:46 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=10995 As a younger person living with valvular heart disease, I’ve learned to think of my aortic stenosis (AS) as a chronic condition to manage for the long term, rather than an issue to be fixed and forgotten. Yes, my diseased aortic valve was replaced with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), during which my doctor implanted […]

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]]> The Many Meanings of Awareness https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/the-many-meanings-of-awareness/ Tue, 18 Feb 2020 20:51:50 +0000 https://hvvprod.wpengine.com/?p=10352 The focus of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day 2020 is to call attention to an under-diagnosed, deadly but treatable disease affecting as many as one in 10 older Americans. But what do we mean by “awareness”? As Executive Director of Heart Valve Voice US, I view awareness on multiple levels and am charged with ensuring […]

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