Murmur heart causes an urgent mitral valve improvement in the snowboarder

Ted Bendixson has spent years as an active athlete. “Actually, I will ride a mountain, go climb, I will go to the climbing gym,” he recalls. But he has special love for snowboarding. “Growing up in Colorado, went to school there, and then became a skate board,” he said.

Believe he is very healthy because of his lifestyle, he was surprised when a regular health examination revealed the problem with his heart: heart murmur. “At that moment, I didn’t think about it.”

Finding murmurs causes further testing (echocardiogram). That’s when he began to realize something more serious about being happening. “Where I feel there is something that might be a little inactive is when I get an echocardiogram, they are like, ‘We might need to make you remain.'” But they did not make it at that time.

Shock: Get a diagnosis of mitral valve

During the follow up to review his echocardiogram, he was told that he underwent a mitral valve regurgitation. This happens when the mitral valve in the heart is not completely close, allowing blood to flow back. Ted said that at the visit, he was told that he would need surgery at several points to stay healthy.

The news was surprising. “That’s a little suddenly. I’m not really ready for that,” Ted said. He remembers told, “Finally you will really emphasize your heart so that it will give up.”

That’s when he was serious and began to learn more about his condition. “I went to the internet, I read it, and I tried to understand what my true risk was, how this could affect my daily life,” he recalled.

Choosing the Right Treatment Team

Ted was placed in the plan to watch and wait at first. But follow -up visits accelerate the time line. Ted was referred to UVA Health to improve the urgent mitral valve.

At Uva Health, Ted found a team that could repair his mitral valve without open heart surgery. “I was really surprised to know that the procedure itself was minimally invasive. So it was really really a little comfortable. It made me feel like, ‘Okay, I will definitely experience something, but it won’t be as serious as I might think.'”

Before the procedure, the UVA health team carefully examined him to make the best operating and recovery plan for him. He remembered, “They do CT scans and echocardiograms transevesophagus, only to ensure that everything looks good and that the valve can be fixed.”

Facing Surgery & Recovery of Mitral Valve Repair

Surgery day brings challenges, but also relief. “First woke up from the operation, I was still intubated. I thought my eyes were closed. The doctor came in, saying that it was improved. It’s good to hear.”

Recovery moves quickly from there. “The next morning, they told me and walked. I made a round around the unit. It was fun to walk.” He was stopped only 5 days later. Ted knows that being active again will be a path to a strong recovery. “In that first week, I had climbed the stairs. I was hiking a little, not too far. I would try to speed up myself.”

After surgery, return to the slope

Only 3 months after the operation, Ted said the repair of the mitral valve and the recovery no longer held it. “I really don’t feel like a heart valve is an at all obstacle.”

He immediately was on the slope again, working to return to the impressive tricks that he mastered in the past. “Actually, in a few running, I just hit the jump, and I did some old tricks that I used to do. It’s only a little real that I can do that.”

Now, he is fully active again. “I immediately returned to the mountain cycling, returning to my head’s lifestyle. So everything was fine,” he laughed.

What do you want to know about heart health

Today, Ted spends his time to get air on the slope, making sure to oversee his heart health. If you are someone with a heart condition or just think you might have it, he has some suggestions to share:

• Don’t ignore the murmur of the heart. “That is something that must be taken seriously and not just dismiss it.” That may be caused by serious conditions.
• Get the test you need. Symptoms are not always clear; Testing is the key to finding problems earlier. “You might feel good, as I do, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to consider.”
• Ask questions until you feel you get information. “Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to find out exactly what they will do and why.”
• Stay active before surgery to make recovery smoother. “If you are active, stay active. If not, start doing what you can. You will recover better if your body is in good condition before you enter.”
• Follow your treatment plan. Healing is about pacing -mandir, does not prove how difficult you are. “Don’t try to be a hero. Do what they say to you, even if you feel you can do more. This is not about proving that you can push harder. This is about letting your heart heal. If you do your part, then there is a most likely that everything will go well, and you will be able to return to your life most like that.”
• Follow the annual heart examination. “Don’t assume your health. That way, you can prevent something bad from happening later.”

Watch Ted tells the story of mitral valve regurgitation, procedures at UVA Health, and Recovery: