So glad it wasnt shingles or even singles lol.
For the long haul
Linda H

Hi Nancy, Been thinking about you. How is the rash doing. Hope its ok.
LInda H

Hi Nancy, That was funny. I have never had singles before could be interesting though. When I had shingles it was in my neck area started at the base of hair line in back. Went to doctor and that is what he told me. Gave me some kind of pills that made me sleep. They got up to my ear and before it was over it was like an ice pick stabbing me there. Lasted a couple of weeks. On top of that I was trying to get a job in SC and in Aug wore a suit with a scarf around my neck to hide it. It worked but boy was I hot. Good luck to you.
For the long haul
LInda H

Hi Nancy,

I've had shingles myself and agree with Linda H that your symptoms are eerily similar. Severe itching along my stomach and chest (where the nerve endings that carry the chickenpox virus exist) were my only evidence of it. I remember the rash was unlike any other rash I'd ever felt. Rashes on the head around the ears I believe is also a common side effect.

Good luck with finding out the cause of your rash and hope you feel better. Three weeks to go before your big day!

-Thomas Hunt

Hi Nancy, Check to see from your doctor for shingles. If you have been around chickenpox any place and stress can cause that also. I have had them and it is horrible. Hope I am wrong. Good luck
For the long haul
Linda H

Hi Nancy, since your cath was over a week ago, I would be surprised if it was the dye, it should all be out of your system by now! Are you taking anything for the itchiness like Benadryl? Sorry you have to deal with this too, but sometimes rashes just break out for no reason, then go away again, it would be nice if you had an explanation, but you might not get one! Hang in there! I know that's easier said than done!
Holly P

Nancy. It could be simply stress. Your body is going through some stuff it is not used to. Your brain is going a mile a minute about this whole surgery thing. I know a person that would get hives at work right before staff meetings. Just stress. Take a nice long nap and dream of something nice. Relax will ya!
Paul G.

I was walking funny too! I was even freaked out that I was having an allergic reaction to the seal or something, but all it took was time and it was fine.

Nancy,
I had the angioseal also, and I was pretty sore for about 10 days. With my surgery they went in my other leg, and it was actually less painful than the cath even though I have a big long incision scar. I had to take it really easy after my cath...I honestly felt better more quickly after my surgery. It's all a process I guess :)
Kerry

Hi, Nancy --
I didn't have any plug or stitch on my cath site. Just a bruiser of a nurse who "applied pressure" (that meant he pushed as hard as he could with a football player's hand) for about nine years. Well, it felt like nine years, it was probably all of 30 seconds. Never had any bleeding, just a little pea-sized lump which went away after about a week. The best part of it was hearing about those nice clean arteries!
Selma

Hi Nancy, I had the angio seal and then had my surgery within 60 days, it wasn't a problem as far as the groin incision. I didn't have any pain like you are describing after my heart cath. There is a nerve that is very close to the site that could have been damaged or is inflamed, that can cause the pain you are describing. Ibuprofen can help, but you probably should report it to your doctor, just in case it's a blood clot or something! Hang in there.
Holly P

Glad to hear you got your cath done and out of the way, it's not so bad. I did not have the plug but I did develop a hematopin (spelling), I had to have it checked out to make sure it was not a blood clot, thankfully it was not but I was bruised and sore for almost 3 weeks, so keep an eye for that.

You have a long wait still ahead of you, try to hang in there during the wait process.

Cindy Pastrano

Glad to hear the Cath went well. Yes I had that plug as well. It does take a while to go away. Yes I say take it easy. Here is a story for yo women....My mother had a heart attack when i was 16 yo. She came back from the hospital after a week and of course our house was not as clean as she liked it. So she set about cleaning the house while I was at school and my father was at work. She died of another heart attack while vacuuming. So....Do NOT freak out about cleaning. Take it easy when you get home. Have THEM clean the house. PLEASE!
Paul

Hi Nancy - so glad to hear how well your heart cath went - hope I do as well on May 24th. I don't forsee any artery problems since I always have excellent cholesterol test results, exercise, and keep my weight where it needs to be. I hope you have a great weekend now that you have the heart cath checked off your list! Denise K

Hi Nancy B!
Thanks so much for your kind thoughts . I am new at this.. I apologize if my entries are short and sweet.. Tring to type on a tablet... not too good at it! Best of luck to you in CT. Kate R.

Hi Nancy, your story sounds familiar to mine. I started with an echo showing my mitral regurg and progressed to severe, but no other symptoms. Over the next year I did start developing symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath with activity, and my cardiologist was very blunt..."you won't live to see 70 unless you get that valve repaired". Brass Tacks. It woke me up and my journey began. Now I am 5 days post op Mitral Valve Repair with the Robotic minimally invasive procedure. I sleep with several pillows propped behind me, but am able to sleep in the bed. We also have an electric recliner which has helped get in and out of easier! Don't worry about the TEE and heart cath, it will be a cinch! I can say that now, looking back!! It just helps prepare you for what's ahead. I also work at our local hospital and will soon join the "old coots" lining up for cardiac rehab, and most likely will know everyone there. Teaching me to be humble I guess! I'll be following your journey! Prayers and thoughts your way.
Holly P.

I had a ministernotomy and slept on my back in the hospital. The nurse told me it wasn't necessary, that I could sleep on my side but it hurt. At about 4 weeks out I started sleeping on my side but with a pillow to hold up my arm. Looking back, I think the pain was because of the scar tissue pulling- it felt like thorns under my skin. If you have pain that seems to be due to scar tissue AND the incision is fully healed, a little gentle massage after a warm shower to help loosen it will alleviate the pain and also can make it easier to move. Hope the thoracic route works out for you- I was hoping for it but ended up with a sternotomy anyway.
Vicki Pierson, mitral valve repair June 2011

Nancy, I am almost 6 weeks out and still sleeping in my recliner, it's just more comfortable than my bed. I don't know about the wedge pillow, but I STRONGLY recommend that you get one of the donut shaped travel pillows. I still use that as well. It was a lifesaver in the the hospital and traveling, as it keeps you from having to strain to keep your head up. I had a mini-sternotomy, don't know about the thoracotomy.

Linda Dixon

Yeah I mentioned in m journal that if people can do it to get/rent/steal, one of those adjustable beds. But a wedge is good as well. I have one and it helps at home. Sleep is going to be an issue for a few days as most positions just are not going to be very comfortable. I also got a nice comfy mattress topper. Along with all the pillow stuff you will want to have someone keep your calf muscles massaged and to keep them moving. In the hospital they gave me a set of compression stockings. They don't like blood clots at all.

Hi Nancy,
YES!!! That is the short answer...the longer answer is that I did not lay in my bed flat until last night (11 days after surgery.) In the hospital I slept in the recliner chair, and when I got home I slept in a big comfy chair we have with an ottoman. 8 days after surgery I slept in the bed, but with pillows propped up. I don't have a wedge, I just used a large pillow with my regular pillow in front of it and then a small throw pillow on top for extra support for my head. I'm not sure if you can picture that, but my point is I didn't buy anything extra, I just created what was comfortable. Even though my scar is on the side, it hurt a great deal to try and lay flat. Hope that helps!!
Kerry

Hi Nancy! Glad things are moving forward. Keep the ball moving up the field, I say.

Angiogram/CT... The usual reason for these is to screen for blockage in the arteries and to map out the heart's structure for surgery planning. The angiogram is a bigger deal to experience but gives better diagnostics for blockage. The guidelines say to do it for patients at all at risk for heart disease, which means pretty much everyone over 40. If any of the arteries have serious blockage/stenosis then it's taken care of with graft bypasses at the same time as the valve surgery. Many surgeon's insist on an angiogram as a matter of course, like mine did, following the guidelines.

-- DVB

Hi Nancy -

Wow, so many good things happening....surgery schedule, mini thoracotmoy, repair. All sounds very promising. Glad all is progressing nicely for you. Jeff Shebovsky had the scan instead of cath. Check out his journal as he posted a fair amount on it or contact him. He is very knowledgeable.

Remember, the waiting is the hardest part. Try not to make yourself too nuts. Did you try Pepe's Pizza yet in New Haven????

-Mitch Friedman

Hi Nancy,

Glad you have your date set that is half the battle, at least for me it was. I think I am getting a CT scan, he told us so much I knew I should have recorded him, but did not say anything about giving blood, but i suppose that's a good thing, right?? :))

Well I'm right here with ya and we are going to do great, get this over with and get on with feeling good and enjoying our lives!!

Take care,
Cindy P.

Hi Nancy,
Great to hear that you've nailed down the surgery date. For me, it was reassuring when we fixed the date right after my consultation with Dr Adams at Mt Sinai. It gave me something to focus on, with the knowledge that I knew where, when, why, and with whom.
I had a CT scan and not an angiogram before my valve repair, but each case is different.
Take care
- Jim Smith

Hi Nancy,

Yale was not a strong contender for me and my choice was between Dr. Adams and Dr. Cohn. Both have stellar records and are considered among the best in the country. The only reason I went for Dr.Cohn was that I have family in Boston and when my son who is in college came for Thanks giving he could stay there along with his sister and visit me whenever he wanted to,and to top it Shapiro Cardiac center is like a five star hotel. Every patient gets their own private room and one family member can stay with you all the time even in the ICU. All these wouldn't have mattered if the surgeons were not comparable. I somehow felt that Dr.Cohn was the right one to cut open my heart and went with my gut feeling. I live in Glastonbury CT, and I agree with Mitch Friedman that Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven are by far the best Pizzas I have eaten. Hope you meet the surgeons soon and get a date so that you can get it over with and move on with your life. Good Luck !!!

Sara

Nancy, It sounds like you're on the path to get this taken care of quickly. That's good. I'm two weeks post mitral valve repair surgery. Waiting is by far the hardest part. Best wishes
- Jim Smith

Oh sorry, I thought you had been to New Haven. Yes, Pepe's Pizza. Absolutely amazing brick oven pizza. You really must check it out. I highly recommend the white clam pizza. It is so good, it might make you happy you are getting valve surgery....ok, probably not that good....

Take care,
-Mitch Friedman

Nancy,
The surgeon gave me his schedule and I was able to decide the date. However, it stressed me out because he said I could have a problem any day. And, if I had emergency surgery rather than planned, the chances of complications were greater. So, I walked around thinking I could fall over dead at any minute which is a terrible feeling.

Once I had surgery, he said I had one flap left that was barely opening. I feel great now to be 4 weeks post op.

I had no pain for first 9 days, bad pain for about 5 days at which time I took pain meds. Now I am back with little pain and taking ibuprofen. The pain was only in neck, back and left arm. The sternum hasn't hurt at all.

I really think walking immediately is key to pain control.

Good luck.

Hi Nancy, you are right, this is really happening. But, you have already come so far!! You are getting all the tests done, asking all the right questions and getting smarter for the appointment with your surgeon. Way to go!!! Yale is a great facility. You should think about getting a second opinion, maybe come to NYC and bring me some Pepe's!!!!

Good luck and keep leaning on your fellow "valvers" we are here for you. At almost 8 weeks, I am doing well. Before you know, you will be in my shoes.
-Mitch Friedman

My biggest regret is scheduling my surgery too far out. I was scheduled for jan 2, had a boot clot and had to postpone for a month. I postponed two months. By the time I had surgery, I was stressed to the max so I would recommend scheduling ASAP. The procedure is not nearly as bad as the wait.

Good luck.

Jan Beale

Hi Nancy, Glad to hear that you are getting the results you want and going to get this all over with. Search out several doctors and ask a lot of questions, then you will know the one for you. Im glad that you can get the answers that you want. I have complained of chest pain for years and I know that is where all of my problems are as he described the area, but wont say if the pains are related to it or not. So I am going to be getting a second opinion and going from there. Like you I want this over with and get on with my life. Good luck to you.I wish you the best.
For the long haul
Linda H

Hi Nancy,
I also had severe Mitral regurg and didn't know of it until two months before surgery. There was never any murmur mentioned in the countless Dr visits prior to my sugery and this came out of nowhere. It took me some time to accept my condition and then went all out to research the surgeons.I am also from CT and was advised by my Dr friends to look for somebody at Yale or Boston or NY. I went to all three places and picked Dr.Cohn from Boston.I am 15 months into surgery and can tell you that I am almost fully recovered. I still have some palpitations and PACs but my Dr says that I shouldn't concern myself with those and move on as they may be permanent. It is okay as i can live with them.Good luck on your search for a surgeon.You will know who is right for you.


Sara

I didn't have a CT scan; chest x-ray, blood work, TEE, regular echo, and cath.

As you said, the cardiac cath is to determine whether or not you have any blockages that might require attention while they're in there. If you don't have any, you may well be able to have "minimally invasive" surgery -- meaning, a much smaller incision and not being sliced open like a Cornish game hen! :-)
Selma

Hi Nancy,

Right there with you I am meeting the surgeon this Thursday, seems like we wait and wait and then all of a sudden things begin to move fast, but hey we can get through this, we're gonna do great!!

Good luck with all your tests!!!

Cindy Pastrano

Hi, Nancy --
Sounds like you are walking down the path I walked in February. TEE, cath and x-ray. Once the cath results come in, you'll probably be able to schedule your surgery. I have the same diagnosis and took care of my surgical consult back in February. Now...it's hurry up and wait until May. Can't wait to get this over with!
Selma Kaplan

Hi Nancy....I wanted to share that I was on the "every 4 month Echo" routine for the last year before my surgery on 1/4/12. Had a TEE and it is really a pretty easy procedure. I was kind of worried about it but it was slick and didn't cause me one bit of discomfort. I was blessed when I had my angiogram that all was clear so no by pass needed. I bordered moderate to severe regurgitation for a few months and then all of a sudden my cardiologist said....this is it...time to pull the trigger on this thing. Off I went to a surgeon and the rest is history!! Just wanted to let you know that our stories seem similar. I am doing well,,,my valve was able to be repaired. I am in rehab and getting better by the day. God's blessing on your upcoming tests and I will watch your journal to see how things go! Jamie Todor

Hi Nancy. Moderate/severe is not quite severe by itself, so not quite surgery territory. Ask your echo person to make a quantitative assessment of your numbers so you can place yourself squarely on the risk spectrum. For example, the effective regurgitant orifice area is highly diagnostic. These numbers are useful in timing surgery: not before you need it, but not after the regurgitation starts doing real damage. Finally, ask for a CD/DVD with the echo on it so you an use it when you go for a second opinion or are shopping for a surgeon. It is best to have your hands on all your records so you don't have to depend on the various doctors coordinating. It just gives you a lot more freedom. Some good advice below, especially from Janis about picking a surgeon and hospital. There's a factor of more than 3 difference in mortality risk between best and worst. So be sure you choose the best! -- DVB

Sounds like you're on your way to some answers. And I expect you'll find a great surgeon at Yale! In case you're anxious about the tests, I'm here to tell you: I'm a wuss, and sailed right through them. Piece o' cake.
Best,
Selma Kaplan

Nancy, don't get too frustrated, excited just yet. Most facilities don't allow the techs to discuss your echo, because they don't actually read them, a cardiologist does. They just mark the measurements, etc. I have found that when I ask the tech, they always say something like it looks okay, it looks the same, etc. then I hear differently from the cardiologist. Just be sure to let him know about your symptoms. Good luck with your visit, let me know how it turns out and again, keep the cold wind in CT please!!

Linda Dixon

Hi, Nancy -- I'm Selma, a few years older than you but another MVR person. I've had MVP pretty much forever and watched it progress from mild to moderate to severe. And even with all that foreknowledge, I never really expected I'd need surgery, since I had no symptoms. When the cardiologist announced that I'd better start thinking about surgery, I thought I'd misheard. I did the whole online research thing and found, as others have emphasized, medical best practices these days suggest surgery for those with severe MVR, symptoms or not. I narrowed my search down to Dr David Adams at Mt. Sinai in NYC; he literally wrote the book on mitral valve repair. I'm scheduled for May 11th.
There's a huge amount of information on Dr Adams' website http://www.mitralvalverepair.com Lots of videos, too. I've seen 'em all. :-) Feel free to be in touch if you want to talk about any of this stuff. And you live in a beautiful part of the world.
Best,
Selma Kaplan

Nancy, as you travel down this road, the most important thing is having an excellent hospital that does tons of these and an experienced surgeon who does these daily. The next step is picking your surgery. As I told you before I was offered mini invasive port access BUT chose old school, sternotomy. My reasons, surgeon has full viewing, less time on heart lung machine, leg is not involved. Its success rate is great. A sternotomy surprisingly heals quicker than you think. Of course no surgery is a cake walk but I'm doing very well. Read as much as you can. See more than one doctor, pick a top hospital and a doctor who do lots and lots of valve operations. I want someone who can do repairs and not just replacements. Don't worry, you will be fine. We are blessed because we can be repaired and lead a full long life. Janis Kielbasa

Nancy. I'm replying to your response to my posting from yesterday. My first operation, 6 years ago, was at Emory Univ. hospital, not far from our home in Athens. My operation next month will be at Mount Sinai in NY (see my journal for details). My first repair should have lasted much longer. The prediction at the time was MV repairs should last 15 years on the average, potentially much longer. Although a number of factors can cause a repaired valve to fail, including the progression of an underlying cardiac disease, many repaired valves fail due to inadequate surgical techniques. In my case, my first surgery ended severe regurgitation, but immediately after the surgery I still had mild regurgitation. That was thought to be acceptable, but today's standard, at least among the leading cardiac surgeons and cardiologists, is that the repair operation must result in zero or trivial regurgitation. If you'd like to talk further "offline" write to me at jim26385@aol.com
- Jim Smith

Nancy....I forgot to put down my age...don't think about it that much. Sometimes, not often, when I am in my University classes I wonder what those 20 year olds think about me showing up in there classes and, as I call it, playing with the 20 year olds. ..btw...there is chronological age and there is physiological/metabolic age. Your fitness, the condion of your body sorta makes a difference. You look like a young woman in your photo...I see you put in parens...53...so you were barely in grammar school when I graduated. This is the wannabe athlete that posted on your guest book at HJV the other day. So at 69 in a few weeks, my tanita electronic scale tells me my metabolic age is even a decade younger than you...but it is only cuz at 62 I had just finished losing too much extra weight, about 65-70 lbs, and I started running which evolved into the other fitness activities. What I am saying is you need to do stuff to be fit...probably not too much before the surgery, but some might be recommended by your medical people, and control weight and be as fit as you can when you are on THE TABLE. And, after your surgery get on with being a fit as you can as soon as you can. Anyway...re age...as long as you take care of your body you will pretty much be taking care of your heart. Once again, I'm gonna try to emphasize doing your own research...making sure you research the varioius methods to do mitral valve repair. I will share this...I did my research before I went to the cardiac/thoracic surgeon I was referred to by my cardiologist...the cardiac surgeon that works for the same "medical group" (I have insurance that basically will let me go anywhere). Again, I had already done my research and was fairly knowledgeable of the options available. The surgeon gave me this talk to include about how good he is at making minimal scars at the sternum he splits (you know that's a bone he is splitting)...when he is finished with his talk/explanation about how he will be doing my surgery..he already knew he was doing it...at that time I ask him questions I had found to ask while doing research, specifically for my interest because of what I had learned, specifically about minimally invasive surgery technics...not going through the sternum. You would not believe the sale talk I got...had my wife, the retired RN, convinced no one could do it better than he could...he even said that...I heard the same words I had read in the book by Lance Armstong, Its Not About the Bike", words an oncologist told Mr. Armstrong when Lance spoke to him about getting another opinion for the type of treatment to use...the type of treatment that doc was proposing would have permanently damaged Armstrong's lungs. Armstrong went to the place that was known to be the model for treatment, most advanced scientifically for his kind of cancer and got his treatment. You probably know from the media the rest of that story. For me, I interviewed with three diffent centers that are really well known in the county and and somehow, got to go to the place I personally found to have the very top reputation in the county...my opinion...a guy that was in the middle of the cardiovascular unit of my university exercise physiology class when I got my diagnosis, the guy that just happened to have had to memorize that kind of stuff at that time and knew when a cardiology misquoted somethings about various average pressures (I wouldn't hold it against the person...too much to remember when you absolutely do not use it everyday)...Anyway...do your research...ask the questions...be your own advocate or get some real knowledgeable person to be your advocate. All docs are not the same...and all places are not the same where the surgeries are done. Get and real The Paients Guide to Heart Valve Surgery written by the fine man that established this site. I also recommend a book titled Live Life to the Full by Ellen Charnley. She details really well what a patient goes throught getting ready for, going through, and recovering/rehabing from open heart surgery. Ellen is definitely one of my heros....made this too long..got to get to homework....Barry on the mtn in NM

Hi Nancy, I'm sorry I don't know much about Mitral Regurg. My problem is my aortic valve, although after reading my echo report myself, apparently I do have some mild to mod mitral regurg. But... I think we are not messing with that right now. I will have aortic valve replacement on March 13th along with possible dilated aorta repair. I do know that Janis Kielbasa is about your age and had mitral valve surgery several weeks ago. She is a great girl, will give you lots of info. Can't remember if she knew about her problem all along or not. One thing I have noticed is many of us have not had symptoms yet although the "numbers" indicate it is now time for surgery. That makes it especially difficult to accept when we aren't feeling bad. Hope you get the answers you are looking for, I know you will find support and encouragement here. Good luck and if you have questions, throw it out there, someone will give you answers from the patient's point of view!

REALLY getting closer...Linda Dixon

Oof. That was me, a year ago. GP annual: you got a bad murmur (have had one since forever, but not that bad), number 4 out of 6. Leaky valve. Gonna send you to the cardiologist. Echo, stress and TEE later: severe mitral regurgitation. But no symptoms. Gonna need surgery. Timeline? 1 month to find a surgeon, 1 month to schedule & do the surgery. Pretty much how it turned out, using those 2 months to do tons of research and plot the best course.

Turns out I had busted or never had one of my chordae (the little tendons that link the mitral valve leaflets to the papillary muscle in the left ventrical). That allowed the leaflet to prolapse into the left atrium, opening up a big hole in the valve and robbing me of 1/2 or so of my flow. But since I was in such good physical condition that my heart had a lot of excess capacity, I was pretty much asymptomatic. But as surgery approached, I started throwing PVC's and could tell something was wrong. During that time I went on an afterload reducer to limit cardiac remodeling.

I won't say surgery at UCLA medical center was a piece of cake, but it was magical. After open heart surgery on a Tuesday morning they kicked me out on a Saturday morning. Since then it's been blue skies and smooth sailing..

Now am back 110%, running, swimming, skiing (if it ever snows), playing field sports. Feeling much better strenght/stamina-wise. Like Barry, in retrospect my heart was starting to slow me down. But gradually and I chalked up to the normal ageing process (I'm 56). Now I'm thinking "accept no limits".

Be sure you are advocating for a repair at a high volume center of excellence, not a community hospital. Ask for the surgeon/team's stats on repair vs replacement and surgical mortality/morbidity. Should have a 90% repair record and a 1% or less mortality rate. It is scary at first, but the alternative (no surgery) is far scarier since there is no effective alternative treatment. Also, with severe mitral regurgitation, the outcomes are much better if the surgery is done before symptoms develop, so take advantage of your good health while you have it and get it done now, as the guidelines suggest.

My experience is that if you can get to the place where you are excited about the surgery - that it will give you your life back - and you are fully engaged in preparing then you will will be calm and relaxed. After you wake up "on the other side", if you can take charge of your physical recovery and push yourself the right amount every day, you'll do about as best you can.

We're all here to help, lean on us -- DVB

Hi Nancy...I am 54 and had MVR severe too. Had my surgery for MV repair on 1/4 and also the MAZE procedure. I would be happy to answer any questions....or we can talk on the phone, Have had this for awhile and had to play the waiting game for the exact right time to proceed forward, Echo's every quarter to stay on top of changes. Fire away with your questions or it might be better if we talk..whatever helps you the most!! Jamie Todor

Hi Nancy. My situation is not that different from yours. When I was 51, I was diagnosed with severe MV regurgitation and had no symptoms. I chose MV repair surgery, which took place 8 months later. That was over 6 years ago - now I'm going back to have my MV repaired for a second time. See my journal if you'd like more info. You've find our community of "valvers" to be a tremendous resource and source of support.
- Jim Smith

MVR, eh! Asymptomatic,eh!. Yep, been there, done that. It was Nov 22nd, '11 at the rountine cardiology follow-up to monitor my hypertension....good young doc Brendan Cavanaugh (best cardiologist as far as I am concerned in the SW & has a reputation of being the best imagery speicalist in the SW)...young doc had a routine echo done on me before the appointment...and at the appointment he looks me in the eye and says ...he says....Barry, you have severe regurgitation at your mitral valve and you need to have open heart surgery to repair it..."....I just look at him, stare back at those blue eyes, just stare and don't say a word...and finally he says something and I respspond "I don't want to hear it!". Yep, asymptomatic...he asks me if I've had any trouble breathing (I have 1/3rd regurgitation with each beat)...Now, I know why I couldn't catch my breath on that 1.2 mile swim, just couldn't, the further and harder and smarter I try to pace the deeper and deeper I am sinking in the lake... and finally hailed a kayak to tow me towards shore to where I can climb out of that lake in Vermont on the previous Aug 27th....and now I know why I so ran out of steam during that Marathon mid Oct about mile 7 and ended up walking tons of the rest of the 26.2 miles...kicked out the last couple of blocks when one of the gals of our running group came to run me in...Now I knew what I had blamed on hydration issues and thought more trainng would have made a difference...then I knew the real reason...I wasn't delivering adequate oxygen to my body... So, had it fixed..It can be fixed and it actually isn't, my opinion, as bad as it was for the Mrs to have her total hip done in Oct '11. You can check my journal if you like...and so many more. I don't know that we often actually call it MVR. BTW, I'm gonna suggest you are your own best advocate when it comes to getting the repair done by those most experienced and with the best techniques and teams of support people. Do your reseach, just do it. I'm also gonna pass on what my hero bud, the athlete guy with some kind of chronic leukemia or lymphoma who I took to dinner selfishly trying to see if some of that oh so marvelous positive attitude he always, I mean always, displays and I ask him straight out...and he says, so simple, but so profound to me...he says...Barry, it is all attitude. Yep, he is right. It is, it is all attitude. Best vibes to you, Nancy. ...Barry on the mtn in NM.

Nancy, so glad you started a journal. You will find useful information here. You will be able to read about others and see the success and recovery process week by week. I responded to your guest message, hope it helps. All the Best, Janis Kielbasa

Hi Nancy,
I am 61 yrs. old and did know about my mitral valve issues for a long time. I also had palpitations. I had a repair 12/5/12. I am absolutely fine now. I went back to work at 4 weeks. I don't think it matters how long you know about regurgitation, but how severe it is.
Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to. We are all still on this site to support each other.
Jane