Today is my one-year anniversary of having aortic valve replacement surgery. I now have an artificial valve containing bovine tissue. Fortunately, I’ve had no problems from the surgery.

Before the surgery, I had no real symptoms other than slight shortness of breath that I attributed to lack of exercise during Covid. During a routine cardiology checkup, my doctor suspected a problem and an echocardiogram revealed severe stenosis in my valve. She recommended surgery. I asked what would happen if I didn’t have the surgery and she said most people with my problem die within two years. Easy decision.

I recommend that everyone “of a certain age” visit a cardiologist for an exam. You might never know what’s going on inside your heart until a doctor runs some tests.

This video shows a good animation of what’s involved in a transaortic valve replacement, or TAVR.