Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

The older I get… The more I realize there are no short-cuts in the game of life. Whether it deals with money or weight loss, the “sure thing” is seldom a sure thing.

An unfortunate example… A new study published by BMC Medical just revealed some disastrous findings about the use of Fen-Phen for weight loss and its long-term side effect… Heart valve damage known as mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation.

To learn more, read this interesting article by WebMD Health News by clicking “Fen-Phen Damages Heart Valves… Several Years Later”.

Keep on tickin!

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About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and 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 78 former valve surgery patients. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

It’s never easy talking to parents about their children with heart murmurs.

The discussion is even more challenging when I have a life-long relationship with the parents. (As I previously shared, my nephew (Buddy) was diagnosed with a small heart murmur earlier this summer.)

Recently, my best best friend, Rob, discovered that his six-month old son, Sammy, had a murmur as well. As you would imagine, this was a very challenging time for Rob and Stephanie (his wife).

Well… Today, there is great news to share about Lil’ Sammy. Last week, Sammy had an echocardiogram. After the echocardiogram, the cardiologist realized that Sammy’s murmur was functional in nature. That means there were no structural issues with his heart valves and there was no evidence of a congenital condition (e.g. bicuspid aortic valve).

Like many newborns with heart murmurs, the cardiologist told Rob and Steph that Sammy’s murmur would most likely “go-away” as Sammy (and his heart) continues to grow and develop.

Keep on tickin’ Sammy!

Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and 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. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

One of the most popular forms of heart valve disease is mitral valve regurgitation. In fact, reports suggest that the mitral valve is the most commonly operated on heart valve.

As a result, I receive a lot of questions about mitral valve replacement and mitral valve repair. Earlier today, I received a question from Kim that reads, “Is there any way to naturally reduce mitral valve regurgitation?”

If you’ve been to this blog before, you know that I am an optimist. I believe that anything is possible. So it would be unlike me to answer that question with a definitive “no”. Interestingly enough, I have heard of some miracle stories from patients in which valve disease issues have mysteriously vanished over time.

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I was just reading the Top 10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart at LiveScience.com.

The #2 Amazing Fact was about the impact of relationship “break-ups” on the heart. I found this interesting:

“Alas, a broken heart can cause one to swoon. A breakup with a loved one or news of a family death literally can lead to broken hearts in the form of heightened risk for heart attack, studies have shown. Such trauma can also trigger the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream that temporarily “stun” the heart. The resulting symptoms mimic those of a heart attack - chest pain and shortness of breath - but this type of achy heart can bounce back in days with some tender loving care and rest.”

To read the other amazing facts, click here.

Keep on tickin!

Adam

Blog Topics: Heart Palpitations; Causes; Scar Tissue After Heart Surgery; Help

Most of us are blissfully unaware of the heart’s steady thump as it contracts and relaxes nearly 100,000 times a day. Sometimes, though, you may notice that your heart has unexpectedly started to race or pound, or feels like it has skipped a beat. These sensations are called heart palpitations. For most people, palpitations are a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. Others have dozens a day, some so strong that they feel like a heart attack.

Most palpitations are caused by a harmless hiccup in the heart’s rhythm. A few reflect a problem in the heart or elsewhere in the body. Sorting out worrisome palpitations from the harmless ones isn’t always easy. Doctors can be quick to attribute them to anxiety, depression or some other emotional or psychological problem. Although sometimes that’s exactly right, it’s important to first rule out harmful heart rhythms and other physical causes.
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