Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Blog Topic: Leaky Heart Valve Symtoms; Problems With Valve Regurgitation; Enlarged Hearts And Cardiac Muscle Dilation

I’ll never forget when my first cardiologist, Dr. Bad Bedside Manner, told me I needed aortic valve replacement surgery.

With no emotion, no caring, no compassion, the stern man with the red nose looked at me and said, “Your heart valve is in really bad shape. You should have been here over two years ago. Your bicuspid aortic valve has both stenosis and regurgitation. You need a new heart valve. Oh yeah, your heart is also dilated. Do you have any leaky heart valve symptoms?“

I must admit. I was numb in that moment. I still remember it perfectly. Needless to say, I moved on from Dr. Bad Bedside Manner in a hurry. (Luckily, I found a great second-opinion cardiologist the next day.)

Anyways, the question he raised does come up frequently. That said, I thought I would provide some thoughts on the question, “What are leaky heart valve symptoms?”

During the research for my book, I came across a number of common problems with leaking heart valves that manifest as patient symptoms. You should know these leaky heart valve symptoms can impact the mitral valve, the aortic valve, the tricuspid valve and the pumonary valve.

Here are the common leaky heart valve symptoms:

• Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or when you lie down
• Fatigue, especially during times of increased activity
• Cough, especially at night or when lying down
• Heart palpitations — sensations of a rapid, fluttering heartbeat
• Swollen feet or ankles
• Heart murmur
• Excessive urination
• Chest pain (angina) or tightness
• Feeling faint or fainting with exertion
• Dizziness

However, you should note that this list is not exhaustive. And, you should also know that many patients are asymptomatic.

As for me, I only had one of the above referenced, leaky heart valve symptoms.

I hope that helps!

Keep on tickin,

Adam

Adam Pick is the author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient. This special book was designed to minimize stress and enhance the patient’s recovery. To learn more about Adam’s heart valve surgery book, click here.

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 27th, 2007 at 10:10 am and is filed under Diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This Post | EMail This Post.