Annoying Swishing Sound....

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Harrybaby666

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
2,541
Location
NH-Further North
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to ask if anyone else here who has valve problems are as annoyed at the swishing sound that the ole' ticker makes because of the heart valve issues...This week has been bad as I am back in CHF yet again, and my ankles swole up bigger than the good year blimp, so I know something is going on...I had my BP checked the other day and I was 118/62 and usually, I am up around 140 or 150 over 90, and I am just so darned frustrated at these "come and go" symptoms...I was also wondering if anyone else has noticed if they become more symptomatic at the slightest amount of stress. Thanks. Harrybaby666 :D :eek: :D :eek: :D
 
Before I got it replaced, I had a severely leaky mitral valve and occasionally the murmer was so loud that I could hear it. That wasn't on the laundry-list of symptoms that a cardiologist had given me to look out for, though (what finally got me to the hospital was when I began having congestive heart failure symptoms). BTW, the edema you describe isn't a good sign. I'd be far more concerned about what that means than the annoying swishing.

But, then, I spent young adulthood in Hollywood and San Francisco, so I'm rather used to swishing.
 
Same here

Same here

I have severe aortic regurgitation and am asymptomatic for the most part. Just had my condition diagnosed in January. But for the past twelve years I have noticed a swishing sound in my ears perfectly synchronized with my pulse. Sometimes it is more noticeable than others.

I was continuously asking my physician if it was cause for concern and he said some people are just more attuned to their body's sounds and sensations. Same with my water hammer pulse. I was constantly asking why my systolic blood pressure was high but my diastolic was so low and why I could actually feel my pulse in my fingers and toes when I was sitting quietly. He just told me I had hypertension and that it was a good sign that my diastolic was so low. Nothing to worry about. Stupid me, I believed him.
 
Sometimes that swishing/thudding sound keeps me awake at night! I connect it to when my bp is particularly high, and I also notice it after I've had a heavy and/or spicy meal ?! As I have recently been told I have moderate aortic stenosis, I'll make a point of mentioning it when I finally get my first appointment at the hospital, in June.
 
I'm not sure whether you mean you can hear the actual swishing from your chest or you can hear your heartbeat in your ears. I can tell you that a severely regurgitating valve does make a "swishing" sound, if you call it that. Before surgery, whenever I would go to see the cardio (at a university hospital) in would trot the latest batch of students to listen to my freakish heartbeat. Well, it didn't really beat as such. Sounded a bit like a washing-machine.... Ah, the looks on their little faces.

Anyway, I know next to nothing about CHF but if you think the swishing is because you're that congested in there (coupled w/ the edema), I'd pay a visit to the hospital if I were you.
 
Baldrick said:
I'm not sure whether you mean you can hear the actual swishing from your chest or you can hear your heartbeat in your ears. I can tell you that a severely regurgitating valve does make a "swishing" sound, if you call it that. Before surgery, whenever I would go to see the cardio (at a university hospital) in would trot the latest batch of students to listen to my freakish heartbeat. Well, it didn't really beat as such. Sounded a bit like a washing-machine.... Ah, the looks on their little faces.

Anyway, I know next to nothing about CHF but if you think the swishing is because you're that congested in there (coupled w/ the edema), I'd pay a visit to the hospital if I were you.

Hi Baldrick,
It is definitely the swishing from the heart because it's only after this happening that my CHF symptoms start to act up ( When you are in CHF, you have a persistant dry cough especially at night, you become really fatigued, you have swelling of the ankles, hands and possibly the abdomen (In my case) You also notice a sudden weight gain (I gained 5 lbs overnight, therefore I called the doctor and he told me to take an extra Lasix and Potassium suppliment to drop the extra fluid) I also get short of breath and I get chest pains and pressure upon exhertion. I agree completely that it does sound like an agitating washing machine!! LOL Anyway, thanks for the help.
 
Randy & Robyn said:
I have severe aortic regurgitation and am asymptomatic for the most part. Just had my condition diagnosed in January. But for the past twelve years I have noticed a swishing sound in my ears perfectly synchronized with my pulse. Sometimes it is more noticeable than others.

I was continuously asking my physician if it was cause for concern and he said some people are just more attuned to their body's sounds and sensations. Same with my water hammer pulse. I was constantly asking why my systolic blood pressure was high but my diastolic was so low and why I could actually feel my pulse in my fingers and toes when I was sitting quietly. He just told me I had hypertension and that it was a good sign that my diastolic was so low. Nothing to worry about. Stupid me, I believed him.
Hi Randy,
Isn't it aweful that the doctors go on assumption that because they can't exactly pinpoint the problem that they can blame the issue on our being "overly aware" of our own symptoms? I mean really. I too can feel the pulse in my fingers, especially the tips. My blood pressure also does the same thing, the systolic (top number) goes up and the diastolic (bottom number) goes down, and I also feel the swishing in my ears, but fortunately, for this one it's not too often. All 4 of my valves are leaking, so this should be one great ride. Thanks for the support and help. Harrybaby666 :D :D :D
 
Believe me...I am concerned...but...

Believe me...I am concerned...but...

Barry said:
Before I got it replaced, I had a severely leaky mitral valve and occasionally the murmer was so loud that I could hear it. That wasn't on the laundry-list of symptoms that a cardiologist had given me to look out for, though (what finally got me to the hospital was when I began having congestive heart failure symptoms). BTW, the edema you describe isn't a good sign. I'd be far more concerned about what that means than the annoying swishing.

But, then, I spent young adulthood in Hollywood and San Francisco, so I'm rather used to swishing.

The doctors don't seem to be whenever I go to the ER. They keep telling me it's anxiety or some other numb answer. I am thinking that my Mitral Valve is getting worse, but we shall see when I go for my echo on June 20th. Harrybaby666 :mad: :D :mad:
 
Prior to surgery, I heard my murmur all the time. If I sat with my back against a wall, everyone around me could hear it as well - kind of like the ticking now. Doctors and nurses were always quite impressed with how loud my murmur was. I didn't have a beat, just swish, swish, swish, swish. Is that not a "normal" murmur sound?
 
Harry,

Sorry you on on a roller coaster. I swished and could hear it through my body. Now I click. I only hear the click through the body when my sinuese are very congested.
 
Harry I dont have the swishing..what I do have is ears plugging up..as if I were in an airplane, dont know its relation to your problem or why it occurs, just thought I'd mention that it happens..just another of OHS anomalies?
 
This website has a complete array of heart sounds: http://www.wilkes.med.ucla.edu/inex.htm

Lisa in Katy said:
Prior to surgery, I heard my murmur all the time. If I sat with my back against a wall, everyone around me could hear it as well - kind of like the ticking now. Doctors and nurses were always quite impressed with how loud my murmur was. I didn't have a beat, just swish, swish, swish, swish. Is that not a "normal" murmur sound?
 
My husbands murmur was so loud that everytime he went to the doctor prior to his Aortic valve replacement they always brought in whatever student doctors were there so they could hear it. I had heard it for years when I laid my head on his chest before he was diagnosed as having a Bicuspid valve. But, he had no symptons and we just thought he had a loud strange heartbeat.
 
Harrybaby666 said:
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to ask if anyone else here who has valve problems are as annoyed at the swishing sound that the ole' ticker makes because of the heart valve issues...This week has been bad as I am back in CHF yet again, and my ankles swole up bigger than the good year blimp, so I know something is going on...I had my BP checked the other day and I was 118/62 and usually, I am up around 140 or 150 over 90, and I am just so darned frustrated at these "come and go" symptoms...I was also wondering if anyone else has noticed if they become more symptomatic at the slightest amount of stress. Thanks. Harrybaby666 :D :eek: :D :eek: :D

Boy, reading through your posts here, sounds very much like what happened to me. The drop in BP concerned me as much as the change in heart sound. By day 3 with the fluid gain and coughing, I knew I had blown out my mitral valve. Wound up in heart failure and took 3 days to get me stable enough for valve replacement. Get an echo done...soon. Just my opinion for what its worth.
 
I thought I was crazy until I read these posts. I've been hearing my heart beating in my right ear for years and was told I was just super sensitive to my heatbeat. I also have clogging in the right ear- a sensation of someone having their hand over my ear- went for all kinds of tests- nothing.

Now I am on an SSRI for anxiety and thankfully the beating heart in the ear has all but gone- but the clogged ear is still their. Although some days better than others. I have mild MVR and trace tricuspid- but nothings changed in 7 years so I'm not really concerned just annoyed.Go figure...

Blessings to all,
Bobbie(mom of Janine MVR NYU 6-7-04 NYU-Dr. Giovanni Ciuffo]
 
Ok...Here's a question for ya...

Ok...Here's a question for ya...

jeffp said:
Boy, reading through your posts here, sounds very much like what happened to me. The drop in BP concerned me as much as the change in heart sound. By day 3 with the fluid gain and coughing, I knew I had blown out my mitral valve. Wound up in heart failure and took 3 days to get me stable enough for valve replacement. Get an echo done...soon. Just my opinion for what its worth.

I saw from your public profile that you are a pysician yourself....How would you go about expressing this to a cardiologist who doesn't seem to want to listen to you....? Harrybaby
:D
 
Harrybaby666 said:
How would you go about expressing this to a cardiologist who doesn't seem to want to listen to you....?
:D
Its tough and I don't have an easy answer for you. I'm currently making slow progress with my GP who will be managing (co-managing really) my coumadin. He's never had a patient do home testing and has no idea where to start. The people at the insurance company are just as clueless. It is a covered benefit but no one has gone through the process before so they're busy finding out what to do to get the process going once the approval goes through. You need to get the cardiologist to explain to you why he feels that this is not a problem. The echo results will help ALOT. Gone are the days when "gut feeling alone" is the basis for treatment. Patients really know more than we give them credit for about about if they feel something's wrong. The hard part is most doctors are to busy and time pressed to really sit down and listen to what we as patients have to say. Its not easy and I have to admit, I've done the same thing (unwittingly) and I also had the advantage of "pulling rank" on the nurses during my hospital stay when certain procedures and meds didn't seen right at the time. Sorry if I didn't help much with the answer, but this has really been an eye opener for me seeing the cracks in the system that I never did before.
 
Harrybaby666 said:
....How would you go about expressing this to a cardiologist who doesn't seem to want to listen to you....? Harrybaby
:D

Harrybaby,

First, you reach up and grab his tie to get his undivided attention :) . If this doesn't work, then grab something further down (I'm sure he will know you are there then) :D . If it's a woman Doctor, then you're on your own :eek: .

I sometimes hear my heartbeat in my ears at night when I lay on my side :eek: . Cardio said if it continues I should check my BP while laying down, otherwise, it is probably that I've become more "aware" of my heart since I've been through all this. He said it should go away in time. I do remember that when I first got back to bed full time I was acutely aware of every little ache, twinge, and strange sensation in the heart area.

The only swishing going on around here is in the toilet :D .

May God Bless,

Danny
 
I am not going to worry about feeling my heart beat. Since I have started taking the SSRI for my anxiety my whole life has changed. I never thought I could feel "normal" whatever that is but whatever I am feeling it is wonderful. I am sure most of my problems were from anxiety which has been such a nightmare for my whole life.

Blessings to all,
bobbie (mom to Janine MVR 6-7-04 NYU)
 

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