Page 7 - Martin Downs Bulletin - May '24

Martin Downs, Page 7

Cleveland CliniC Martin HealtH neWs

Convenient, Specialized Care At first, there may be no symptoms, but as the disease • Mitral valve stenosis

For A Common Heart Valve progresses, symptoms that may begin to appear are: – the narrowing of a valve
opening
• Shortness of breath
Condition • Fatigue • Mitral valve prolapse
• Swelling – the valve flaps are too
The valves in your heart keep the blood flowing in • Vague chest discomfort floppy or stretchy
only one direction. When a heart valve isn’t working, the • Decreased energy Most patients are able
blood flows in the wrong direction, making your heart If you have severe mitral leakage even without symptoms, to resume their previous
work harder and reducing blood flow to your body. it’s important to see a physician who can diagnose the problem activities within a month
Mitral and aortic valve disorders are the most and help determine if the valve should be watched or repaired. after surgery with few
common valve diseases in the United States. Some can Medications are often enough to protect your heart in the early complications. Most of
be congenital, such as bicuspid aortic valve and mitral stages of valve disease. However, many patients eventually these procedures can be
valve prolapse, while others are degenerative and develop need to have the leaky valve repaired or replaced. done using a minimally
with age. Other causes include aortic aneurysms, bacterial Diagnosis and treatment are based on conversations with invasive approach, with Michael Howard, M.D.
infection, rheumatic fever, chronic inflammatory diseases the patient, a physical examination and an echocardiogram. smaller incisions and less
such as lupus and connective tissue diseases like Marfan Mitral valve repair treats: blood loss allowing patients to get back to their routines
syndrome. Some cancer treatments (radiation) can also • Mitral valve regurgitation – commonly known as a even more quickly.
damage the aortic and mitral valves, as well. “leaky valve” To schedule an appointment with Michael Howard,
M.D., or another cardiovascular specialist at Cleveland
Clinic in Florida, call (877) 463-2010 or visit
ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Heart to learn more.

Book Review from page 6

help to cure his and Rory’s father and make himself
a billionaire; Nate, the man Rory loves who has just
broken up with her; Caroline, her best friend since
childhood, who works for Max and has had a crush on
him almost her entire life; and Gabriele, a handsome
Italian to whom Rory was once attracted.
As if that weren’t enough, Ginevre Ex has arranged
to have distributed to all of them advance copies of
the novelized mystery she has just written based on
Rory’s life, a tale that includes a secret one of the
group is hiding—and a murder in their future! But
before any can read the book, one of them has stolen
all of the copies.
The story of The Main Character is told through
the eyes of these different people in alternating
chapters—a chapter from Rory, then one from Max,
one from Caroline, back to Rory, then to Ginevre Ex,
and so on. It is an adventure fascinating to view from
each one’s perspective. But you are advised to keep
in mind my—despised but necessary—caution that
nothing on this ride is as it seems.
If you enjoy murder mystery novels, The Main
Character, published this month, is a must. Even I am
anxiously awaiting the next stop on Jaclyn Goldis’s
literary journey.

See answer in this paper.