You will love Dr. Dearani! He was in on my surgery.
You will be in the best place in the world for this surgery. I could feel it. I knew it. And knowing I was in the best place in the world really helped calm my nerves.

You are the same age as I was when I went through this. I too lost the ability to do most of the things I loved. Hiking. Walking. Ballroom/Swing dance. Riding my Harley. Yoga.
It took almost five years to get the correct diagnosis, and by the time I made it to the Mayo Clinic for my third opinion, my heart was failing and enlarged and I had no life.
I was told that I was also going to have a valve replacement, which surprised me.
But after surgery the doctors told me my HOCM was so severe it made my mitral valve look like it needed to be replaced, but after the obstruction was corrected, my little mitral valve was A-OK. That's just my story, however, and I only shared for FYI reasons 🙂

I am excited for you that in the not to distant future, your life will belong to you again and it will feel like a miracle. Your decision to have open heart surgery shows you are already braver and stronger than you know. It is a very difficult decision to make. And with your physical health being otherwise great...your recovery will be much easier.
I am so glad you found Mayo Connect!