Hello Everyone, So glad to see a community available for us. It's taking me courage to relate personal information, but I know you all had a story to tell at ...Read more
Hello Everyone, So glad to see a community available for us. It's taking me courage to relate personal information, but I know you all had a story to tell at one time and I would just like to introduce something about my situation here to give me peace of mind. After much effort and many tests in an attempt to get answers to the uncomfortable feeling in my left chest brought on after the traumatic death of my brother, I was finally gifted with a cardiac doctor who I truly respect & appreciate. He scheduled test for me. A CT Coronary scan showed a total CT calcium score of 0 assuring me of no heart attack, a successful nuclear treadmill, & alarming results for me from the ECHO. On May 19th was told I have 3 leaky valves.."mild aortic, moderate mitral and moderate to severe tricuspid". My next appt was 1 mo later & told to bring in BP machine & take BP couple time/day. I had to show that the 160 BP he saw that day was stress, 3 coffee & "white coat" if I didn't want BP meds. I'm all about health & NO BP meds prescribed. Advised we would do another Echo in 6 mos, however I am to monitor for shortness of breath or change in exercise tolerance (4 miles walk/run most days of wk). I do get this "feeling" now and then but tend to just set it aside and live my life today waiting for Dec test. I am not where I want to stir it up and get second opinion when I'm feeling fine and do trust the Dr. completely. Question, is it OK to have 3 leaky valves as above? Is there more info about 3 valves vs just 1 or 2? Maybe what customarily comes next? Thank you for taking the time to read my information here. Wishing you all the best. BTW, I did purchase Adam's book immediately!! Sincerely, Sharon
I’m sure others will chime in here, but I can tell you of my own experience. I had been told many years ago that I had a murmur but I ignored it - until I contracted infective endocarditis (IE) which lead to my first hospitalization in 68 years. Apparently a leaking valve can in some cases be susceptible to IE. At that time of my hospitalization for endocarditis it was recommended that I have my mitral valve replaced. I had a great deal of antibiotic therapy to clear the infection and started being monitored by a cardiologist. He was insistent that I should not have surgery. I was, as far as I could tell, asymptomatic. But, after about a year or so of monitoring (6 month echos) it started to appear to me that my heart was enlarging and other valves were starting to leak. My mitral valve was severe, my tricuspid mild-to-moderate, and my aortic valve was mild. Still no symptoms. I switched cardiologists as the first one I had would not explain anything to me. The new doctor recommended I proceed with either repair or replacement before I developed complications (such as pulmonary hypertension). But, it was not deemed to be an emergency. I finally proceeded with the surgery about 18 months after the initial diagnosis.
I had my mitral and tricuspid valves repaired last November. Surgery was relatively uneventful and my recovery was very fast. I can’t say I feel any better than I did prior to surgery, but a recent stress echo showed that my stamina was above average for men of my age (now 70). ... Read more
I’m sure others will chime in here, but I can tell you of my own experience. I had been told many years ago that I had a murmur but I ignored it - until I contracted infective endocarditis (IE) which lead to my first hospitalization in 68 years. Apparently a leaking valve can in some cases be susceptible to IE. At that time of my hospitalization for endocarditis it was recommended that I have my mitral valve replaced. I had a great deal of antibiotic therapy to clear the infection and started being monitored by a cardiologist. He was insistent that I should not have surgery. I was, as far as I could tell, asymptomatic. But, after about a year or so of monitoring (6 month echos) it started to appear to me that my heart was enlarging and other valves were starting to leak. My mitral valve was severe, my tricuspid mild-to-moderate, and my aortic valve was mild. Still no symptoms. I switched cardiologists as the first one I had would not explain anything to me. The new doctor recommended I proceed with either repair or replacement before I developed complications (such as pulmonary hypertension). But, it was not deemed to be an emergency. I finally proceeded with the surgery about 18 months after the initial diagnosis.
I had my mitral and tricuspid valves repaired last November. Surgery was relatively uneventful and my recovery was very fast. I can’t say I feel any better than I did prior to surgery, but a recent stress echo showed that my stamina was above average for men of my age (now 70).
But, a diagnosis of three leaking valves can be very frightening. You don’t mention your age, but while mild (or even moderate) leakage is often present as we age even without valve disease, severe leakage seems more likely to take a toll on your heart over time. I chose to proceed with surgery in order to avoid symptoms or complications which can make the surgery either riskier or can degrade the outcome, but I think if I had continued to be monitored I could have put it off for some time. I think the important thing is to keep a lookout for the development of symptoms, especially things like pulmonary hypertension, which can cause permanent damage. If you are under the care of a good cardiologist and have frequent echocardiograms, it should be clear when it is time to proceed. I feel I had an outstanding experience with the surgery, and I will always believe that things could only have gotten worse and the surgery more difficult to recover from if I had put It off for several years.
I hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything here - everyone is extremely generous with his/her time.
Thomas Brusstar My two cents is that your heart works overtime to cover up its problems, so don’t be comforted by l ... Read more
Thomas Brusstar My two cents is that your heart works overtime to cover up its problems, so don’t be comforted by lack of symptoms. Those leaking valves sound like they will lead to growing stress and enlargement of the heart. My mitral valve was leaking severely but my heart covered enough for it that they didn’t diagnose the severity right away. I now know that my “pneumonia” in 2017 was probably when my mitral valve got severe (“flail”). After successful repair in 2018, my mitral valve is great (echo last month), BUT other tests show lung damage that might be from my era of extreme pulmonary hypertension. Your body tolerates pulmonary hypertension even though it is doing damage, and your heart covers for leaks for a while. So I would feel like proactive is better, to prevent long-term damage to lungs and heart. But please don’t freak out, because heart valves are so fixable!
Rose Madura Hi Sharon. Thank you for sharing your story. It's my understanding that when symptoms begin, they a... Read more
Rose Madura Hi Sharon. Thank you for sharing your story. It's my understanding that when symptoms begin, they are actually symptoms of heart failure. I would take a more proactive approach by getting a second opinion. As Thpmas said, heart valves are fixable. And the technology keeps getting better. Please keep us posted on your journey. Godspeed.
sharon Brommer Dear Friends, words cannot express the gratitude I feel for your having taken the time to share with me. I've experienced your every word, fear, thought, concern, unknown, timelines, etc., and have told no one about this till now.
My situation actually started March 2019 with the event. After 3 EKG's, 2 ultrasounds, 1 chest x-ray, 1 treadmill, etc. the dr. at the time decided it was gastric & more testing, then I became anemic. From a medical show I watched It looked like Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) and still not sure this wasn't part of the situation. My symptoms mirrored those perfectly. That was shot down and I went away, was just too much for me, I stopped walking & exercise, I was scared. I brought it up at this year's physical once again & was granted an appt. I packaged my information for my first cardiac dr. who got right on it with testing. I teared up when thanking him...finally I'm heard. He a great doctor.
Please know you are all such a breath of fresh air and I will follow your guidelines. I'm so glad to hear you are all feeling well . I feel I can certainly wait till Dec for my next Echo if all is well and now will feel comfortable asking the questions I know you were once concerned with....what next! Already feel I'm on the road to recovery. ... Read more
sharon Brommer Dear Friends, words cannot express the gratitude I feel for your having taken the time to share with me. I've experienced your every word, fear, thought, concern, unknown, timelines, etc., and have told no one about this till now.
My situation actually started March 2019 with the event. After 3 EKG's, 2 ultrasounds, 1 chest x-ray, 1 treadmill, etc. the dr. at the time decided it was gastric & more testing, then I became anemic. From a medical show I watched It looked like Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) and still not sure this wasn't part of the situation. My symptoms mirrored those perfectly. That was shot down and I went away, was just too much for me, I stopped walking & exercise, I was scared. I brought it up at this year's physical once again & was granted an appt. I packaged my information for my first cardiac dr. who got right on it with testing. I teared up when thanking him...finally I'm heard. He a great doctor.
Please know you are all such a breath of fresh air and I will follow your guidelines. I'm so glad to hear you are all feeling well . I feel I can certainly wait till Dec for my next Echo if all is well and now will feel comfortable asking the questions I know you were once concerned with....what next! Already feel I'm on the road to recovery.
Thank you again for your time and kindness in alleviating my concerns. I feel very blessed to have you here. God Bless you all! Stay Well! I will keep you up to date. Sincerely, Sharon
After much effort and many tests in an attempt to get answers to the uncomfortable feeling in my left chest brought on after the traumatic death of my brother, I was finally gifted with a cardiac doctor who I truly respect & appreciate. He scheduled test for me.
A CT Coronary scan showed a total CT calcium score of 0 assuring me of no heart attack, a successful nuclear treadmill, & alarming results for me from the ECHO.
On May 19th was told I have 3 leaky valves.."mild aortic, moderate mitral and moderate to severe tricuspid". My next appt was 1 mo later & told to bring in BP machine & take BP couple time/day. I had to show that the 160 BP he saw that day was stress, 3 coffee & "white coat" if I didn't want BP meds. I'm all about health & NO BP meds prescribed.
Advised we would do another Echo in 6 mos, however I am to monitor for shortness of breath or change in exercise tolerance (4 miles walk/run most days of wk). I do get this "feeling" now and then but tend to just set it aside and live my life today waiting for Dec test. I am not where I want to stir it up and get second opinion when I'm feeling fine and do trust the Dr. completely.
Question, is it OK to have 3 leaky valves as above? Is there more info about 3 valves vs just 1 or 2? Maybe what customarily comes next?
Thank you for taking the time to read my information here. Wishing you all the best. BTW, I did purchase Adam's book immediately!! Sincerely, Sharon
I’m sure others will chime in here, but I can tell you of my own experience. I had been told many years ago that I had a murmur but I ignored it - until I contracted infective endocarditis (IE) which lead to my first hospitalization in 68 years. Apparently a leaking valve can in some cases be susceptible to IE. At that time of my hospitalization for endocarditis it was recommended that I have my mitral valve replaced. I had a great deal of antibiotic therapy to clear the infection and started being monitored by a cardiologist. He was insistent that I should not have surgery. I was, as far as I could tell, asymptomatic. But, after about a year or so of monitoring (6 month echos) it started to appear to me that my heart was enlarging and other valves were starting to leak. My mitral valve was severe, my tricuspid mild-to-moderate, and my aortic valve was mild. Still no symptoms. I switched cardiologists as the first one I had would not explain anything to me. The new doctor recommended I proceed with either repair or replacement before I developed complications (such as pulmonary hypertension). But, it was not deemed to be an emergency. I finally proceeded with the surgery about 18 months after the initial diagnosis.
I had my mitral and tricuspid valves repaired last November. Surgery was relatively uneventful and my recovery was very fast. I can’t say I feel any better than I did prior to surgery, but a recent stress echo showed that my stamina was above average for men of my age (now 70).
... Read more
I’m sure others will chime in here, but I can tell you of my own experience. I had been told many years ago that I had a murmur but I ignored it - until I contracted infective endocarditis (IE) which lead to my first hospitalization in 68 years. Apparently a leaking valve can in some cases be susceptible to IE. At that time of my hospitalization for endocarditis it was recommended that I have my mitral valve replaced. I had a great deal of antibiotic therapy to clear the infection and started being monitored by a cardiologist. He was insistent that I should not have surgery. I was, as far as I could tell, asymptomatic. But, after about a year or so of monitoring (6 month echos) it started to appear to me that my heart was enlarging and other valves were starting to leak. My mitral valve was severe, my tricuspid mild-to-moderate, and my aortic valve was mild. Still no symptoms. I switched cardiologists as the first one I had would not explain anything to me. The new doctor recommended I proceed with either repair or replacement before I developed complications (such as pulmonary hypertension). But, it was not deemed to be an emergency. I finally proceeded with the surgery about 18 months after the initial diagnosis.
I had my mitral and tricuspid valves repaired last November. Surgery was relatively uneventful and my recovery was very fast. I can’t say I feel any better than I did prior to surgery, but a recent stress echo showed that my stamina was above average for men of my age (now 70).
But, a diagnosis of three leaking valves can be very frightening. You don’t mention your age, but while mild (or even moderate) leakage is often present as we age even without valve disease, severe leakage seems more likely to take a toll on your heart over time. I chose to proceed with surgery in order to avoid symptoms or complications which can make the surgery either riskier or can degrade the outcome, but I think if I had continued to be monitored I could have put it off for some time. I think the important thing is to keep a lookout for the development of symptoms, especially things like pulmonary hypertension, which can cause permanent damage. If you are under the care of a good cardiologist and have frequent echocardiograms, it should be clear when it is time to proceed. I feel I had an outstanding experience with the surgery, and I will always believe that things could only have gotten worse and the surgery more difficult to recover from if I had put It off for several years.
I hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything here - everyone is extremely generous with his/her time.
My situation actually started March 2019 with the event. After 3 EKG's, 2 ultrasounds, 1 chest x-ray, 1 treadmill, etc. the dr. at the time decided it was gastric & more testing, then I became anemic. From a medical show I watched It looked like Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) and still not sure this wasn't part of the situation. My symptoms mirrored those perfectly. That was shot down and I went away, was just too much for me, I stopped walking & exercise, I was scared. I brought it up at this year's physical once again & was granted an appt. I packaged my information for my first cardiac dr. who got right on it with testing. I teared up when thanking him...finally I'm heard. He a great doctor.
Please know you are all such a breath of fresh air and I will follow your guidelines. I'm so glad to hear you are all feeling well . I feel I can certainly wait till Dec for my next Echo if all is well and now will feel comfortable asking the questions I know you were once concerned with....what next! Already feel I'm on the road to recovery.
... Read more
My situation actually started March 2019 with the event. After 3 EKG's, 2 ultrasounds, 1 chest x-ray, 1 treadmill, etc. the dr. at the time decided it was gastric & more testing, then I became anemic. From a medical show I watched It looked like Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) and still not sure this wasn't part of the situation. My symptoms mirrored those perfectly. That was shot down and I went away, was just too much for me, I stopped walking & exercise, I was scared. I brought it up at this year's physical once again & was granted an appt. I packaged my information for my first cardiac dr. who got right on it with testing. I teared up when thanking him...finally I'm heard. He a great doctor.
Please know you are all such a breath of fresh air and I will follow your guidelines. I'm so glad to hear you are all feeling well . I feel I can certainly wait till Dec for my next Echo if all is well and now will feel comfortable asking the questions I know you were once concerned with....what next! Already feel I'm on the road to recovery.
Thank you again for your time and kindness in alleviating my concerns. I feel very blessed to have you here. God Bless you all! Stay Well! I will keep you up to date.
Sincerely,
Sharon