Jean Sisco

Name:  Jean Sisco

Current Age:  57

Occupation:  High School Teacher/Farmer

Your Family:  Husband, Bill, and 30 year old daughter Jennifer.

When you found out about your condition:  Age 36...heart murmur detected in
regular check up...had an echo and found bi-cuspid aortic valve.  Just told
to let them know if I started having symptoms...shortness of breath etc.  I
laughingly told them that I was always short of breath which I had always
written off to my childhood asthma.

        I carried on as usual. I had always been very active:  running,
hiking, cycling, farming etc.

        Finally in 1999 at 55, I had what I thought was a very hard flu...it
never really went away.  In July after a very hot and humid weekend, I woke
up Monday morning feeling like I was breathing through a wet sponge...I felt
like I would drown.  Called my family doctor in the morning and he
prescribed an inhaler.  It helped a little, but not much.  He prescribed
another type of inhaler which made it worse.  Finally, I wised up and
insisted I  should see a cardiologist for my heart valve.  He didn't think
that was the problem, but gave me an appointment for two weeks later.  I
struggled on til then.

        I had an echo three days before I was to see the cardio...he
personally called me the next morning and got me in that afternoon.  He told
me that due to deterioration of the valve, my mitral valve was in trouble
too and I was in advance congestive heart failure.  He put me on a diuretic
and a heart medicine which I do not remember the name of now.  I responded
miraculously.  I saw him the next afternoon...he told me that he had thought
he would be putting me in the hospital...he didn't think I had long in the
condition I was in.

        Then we started talking about valve surgery.  I was panic stricken,
but for me knowledge is the fix. I read and hit the web for  everything I
could find.  Finally after much agonizing I chose to have a homograft at the
Cleveland Clinic.  Once I made that decision I never looked back.  I am
happy with my homograft.  Due to my lifestyles, I just did not think I would
be a good mechanical candidate.  I'll take my risks with a second surgery if
needed in 15 to 20 years.  With the techniques they will have by then it
should be even easier...and I will not wait until I am practically dead.

        Due to the fact that my cardiologist's family was involved in that
Air Egypt crash in the east, my surgery was postponed until 1-21-00.  Prior
to that I did pretty well, but was very short of breath and when cold
weather hit, I would get a tightening in the chest when I tried to breathe
out of doors.  I really had to take it easy.  I didn't go back to school
after Christmas vacation because the flu was heating up and my drs  didn't
want me to get sick.

        After surgery I woke up and was so happy to be alive.  Three days
later I was walking the halls with Bill and it hit me when he asked me if I
was ok, were we going to fast.  I felt great even that early after surgery.
I have improved every day after that.  I had no real problems.  I only had
pain meds the first three days...was released with only Tylenol or Advil.  I
was on Lopressor  for a year and now they are weaning me off of it.  Even
now, I am doing something and think "Wow, I'm doing this and it's not even
bothering me."

        I am back fast walking and jogging...experimenting with pushing a
little harder.  I get to breathing a little hard and stop and can feel
everything start to settle down right away...I don't think I ever felt that
before.  I would be bushed and gasping after a 3 mile jog and wouldn't
recover for almost an hour.

        The only problems I have had was sneezing of course, and I had a
very tiny stroke that weakened my left hand and I have had to watch my blood
pressure.  My hand is totally back to normal now...I can even milk by hand
now if I have to!  I get small tremors in it if I hold little, bitty things
in it sometimes, but that is fading too.  My blood pressure seems to be
stuck in the 130s over 60-70s.  My family doctor said that was to be
expected at my age and was normal, but my cardio says he wants it in the
120s over 60s.

        Oh, I forgot.  Between my hand being pretty useless at first and my
incision, I had to have help buttoning my jeans and putting socks on for the
first few weeks.  I was out helping (carefully) with chores a few days after
I came hope on day 5 post surgery.

        I really believe in God and I just finally put myself in his hands
and let him worry me through it all.  I am so blessed.