[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/mitral-valve-prolapse-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/mitral-valve-prolapse-story\/","headline":"Listening to Her Heart: A Mitral Valve Prolapse Patient Story","name":"Listening to Her Heart: A Mitral Valve Prolapse Patient Story","description":"An active member of her church and grandmother of four, Birdie Dally is a busy lady. One day, Birdie was having problems breathing while singing at church. When the problems persisted, she decided to see her doctor. Birdie\u2019s primary care physician noticed a problem with her heart during routine testing and suggested she see a […]","datePublished":"2014-02-19","dateModified":"2018-08-29","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","name":"Heart and Vascular Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/heart-and-vascular-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/birdie-dally.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/birdie-dally.png","height":527,"width":791},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/mitral-valve-prolapse-story\/","about":["Heart and Vascular Health"],"wordCount":273,"keywords":["Birdie Dally","heart failure","heart surgery","minimally invasive robotic surgery","mitral valve prolapse","patient story","primary care physician","Robin Girdhar MD","Vinay Badhwar MD"],"articleBody":"An active member of her church and grandmother of four, Birdie Dally is a busy lady. One day, Birdie was having problems breathing while singing at church. When the problems persisted, she decided to see her doctor.Birdie\u2019s primary care physician noticed a problem with her heart during routine testing and suggested she see a specialist.In the fall of 2012, she was referred to Robin Girdhar, MD, at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute.Testing revealed a\u00a0mitral valve prolapse. When the mitral valve prolapses and leaks, blood flows backwards into the heart and weakens it. Over time, this can lead to heart failure.\u201cWhen I was first diagnosed, I had no idea what it meant, but I knew that something needed to be done and I better not put it off,\u201d she says.In August 2013, Birdie underwent minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery for valve repair. \u201cI didn\u2019t go through a lot of anxiety or concern. The doctors were so caring and compassionate; I knew I was receiving top-notch care.\u201dBirdie returned home within a week of her surgery and was back to most normal activities within six weeks. She encourages others who might have mitral valve prolapse to not ignore their symptoms and see their doctor.\u201cSince my surgery, my life is pretty much back to normal. I\u2019m able to sing better at church, take care of my house, and play basketball with my grandchildren.\u201dRead an extended version of Birdie’s story, as well as other patient stories on the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute website.Birdie\u2019s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2014","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Listening to Her Heart: A Mitral Valve Prolapse Patient Story","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/mitral-valve-prolapse-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]