This is a follow-up to my last blog post about my pulmonary valve surgery on June 16, 2026. Since that post was about the surgery itself, I wanted to write this one to keep track of what happened afterward and what my doctors found during my follow-up.
They found a leak in my new pulmonary valve, so the cardiologist here at OSF did an echo, X-ray, and some blood tests. Three of their congenital cardiologists think the other doctors who looked at the images probably got a little confused. However, they did request the imaging that all the other doctors saw to see exactly what they were looking at or what they saw. Then they are going to review it themselves.
I have an artery above my pulmonary valve that is enlarged, and when the blood flows through it, it swirls around before going where it needs to go. Apparently, that can make it look like a larger leak than what it is. Another thing is that my blood pressure has been higher than normal. When that happens, it puts extra pressure on the heart, almost like it’s squeezing it, and it may have been pushing a little more blood out of the valve at that time as well. I also had fluid on my lungs, which added even more pressure.
I saw my Peptide (BNP) number, which is something I’ve been keeping track of myself. That number helps indicate fluid buildup. When I went into St. John’s the other night, it had gone up to a little over 1,700. Even before that, it was around 1,200. Today, I noticed it was 400 when they checked it, which is the lowest I’ve seen it, so I was really happy about that.
They also told me that while 1,700 is an increase for me, they’re used to seeing numbers of 10,000 or even 15,000, so they put it into perspective for me by telling me how high the peptide numbers they’ve seen can get.
The doctor also said my heart function is wonderful, which they told me at St. John’s too. He said they’ll keep an eye on this mild-to-moderate leak, and if they need to, they can repair it through a catheter instead of open-heart surgery. They would not be opening me up again, at least not for a very long time.
As far as the fluid goes, it’s really about finding the right amount of medication to keep it off, and that’s what they’re working on now. He doesn’t think the fluid will last much longer, but if it does, I can call them. They can either see me in the clinic or prescribe an extra water pill if needed. Of course, if I’m ever gasping for air, I should go straight to the ER.
