Yes, no news is good news

So it's been 3 years since I last blogged about my heart health, and I thought it's about time I catch you up. The short story is that, earlier this year, my cardiologist at Hopkins again confirmed all is stable, and, earlier this week, I hiked to the top of Old Rag Mountain you see in this photo.  So yeah, I'm doing well.

I've had a checkup at Hopkins least once per year.  Each time I learn something new, whether it's the finer points of selecting the right cuff to check someone's blood pressure, or the ever-improving CT scanning equipment which now times imaging with heartbeat to measure the aortic root with less margin for error.  As always I've felt fortunate to have access to great doctors who never stop learning.

Each appointment has followed pretty much the same pattern:

1. Carefully measure my aortic root, and other key aspects of the heart, with an echocardiogram and sometimes a CT of the chest
2. Provide current and previous test results to a team of experts, including my cardiologist and others, asking everyone to user their expertise and wisdom to identify possible changes in the heart
3. Recall that the test results can vary for factors unrelated to my condition, that we're looking for changes measured in one to just a few millimeters, and that a handful of millimeters can make the difference between health and heart surgery
4. Discuss how I've been feeling, my general health, the test results, and their conclusions
5. Leave with about 75% relief that things seem stable and optimism that they'll remain so, and 25% sobriety that it doesn't always go that way

This year's appointment was bittersweet.  I had known that my Hopkins cardiologist, Dr. Ringel, would be retiring, and this year's appointment indeed turned out to be my last with him.  He has for sure earned his retirement, so I'm excited for him to reached this point.  

But looking back at his 11 years with me as a patient, along with input from other experts, Dr. Ringel and team also had an epiphany of sorts.  It turns out that the aortic root sutures from my 2008 Ross procedure, and to some degree the scarring, are precisely where the risky areas would normally be.  If there were a dissection, it would keep the blood from getting between the layers of the aorta walls, which can develop into something quite serious in other patients. 

This epiphany, along with positive results and conclusions for my valves and ventricles, left me with improved optimism for the new year.  I'll keep doing my best to remain in shape, reducing my chances of introducing a complicating condition, or improving my ability to recover from whatever procedures remain in my future.

Thanks as always for listening!