Meet Jim Abraham - AHA Heart Valve Ambassador

Second valve surgery was ‘wake-up call’ for man to commit to his health

When a routine sports physical uncovered a 心杂音 when Jim Abraham was in seventh grade, the doctor told him not to worry.

所以他没有.

在接下来的四十年里, 明尼阿波利斯, 明尼苏达州居民保持活跃, 在加拿大荒野探险.

But when he had an irregular heartbeat after kidney surgery in 2016, Abraham’s doctor suggested he get a closer look at his heart. An echocardiogram at 明尼阿波利斯 Heart Institute revealed he needed a repair to his mitral valve. A second opinion from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was the same.

Doctors said Abraham’s mitral valve had moderate-to-severe 返流. 而不是完全关闭, the valve was allowing blood to leak back into the chamber, leaving less blood for the heart to pump .  

Abraham, then 57, hadn’t even noticed any 症状, and he’s not alone. 

Heart valve disease is relatively common — affecting an estimated 5 million U.S. adults — but often goes undiagnosed because many people don’t have 症状.

最常见的 症状 include shortness of breath or feeling easily fatigued, which can be mistaken for other conditions, 衰老或身体健康. Some don’t seek treatment until the condition has become severe.

Abraham underwent open-heart surgery in March 2017 and had the valve repaired. 

“I was in and out of the hospital in five days,他说. 

Abraham had a smooth recovery and underwent 心脏康复中心很高兴能避免重大并发症. 在接下来的两年里，他感觉很好. But he began to slow down again and worried it could be his heart. 

During intense conversations in his demanding job, he said he would “start to feel slight pain in my left arm, 有时. Then, when I relaxed, the pain would go away.”
 
体育锻炼也变得更加困难. 

“It got to the point where I was having serious issues even climbing two flights of stairs,亚伯拉罕说. 

2020年2月, testing revealed Abraham’s mitral valve was again leaking — this time severely causing his heart to struggle. 他需要做第二次心脏直视手术, but was delayed for several months due to restrictions on non-urgent surgeries as hospitals grappled with COVID-19.

The second diagnosis caught Abraham by surprise. 

他说:“我以为我已经完蛋了。. “The second surgery was really a wake-up call.”

As he waited, Abraham got more serious about his health. He overhauled his diet, losing 25 pounds over the next six months. 

He again learned all he could about heart valve disease, then connected with other patients through the 美国心脏协会’s Support Network. 

“While every individual is unique and every situation is unique, the commonalities are meaningful and significant and really help,亚伯拉罕说. “You learn you are not the only one out there with curve balls.” 

当他接受手术时, knowing more about his condition and having faith in his medical team helped ease his fears. He also had strong support from family and friends. 

Even during the years he felt well, Abraham had scaled back his physical activities. Instead of walking the entire round of golf, he’d ride in a cart for half, or even all of it. 

“这一切发生得极其缓慢，”他说. “Hardly noticeable from week to week, even month to month. I felt it was my own fault for not getting the aerobic exercises I should have.”

Looking back, Abraham said he didn’t pay close enough attention to his health.

“It’s easy to make excuses and just say you’re tired, but you really need to notice changes in your body; before it’s too late,他说.