Hi Bonbet - I'm looking at the measurement numbers on four echos that I have print outs for, one from prior to surgery and three from post surgery. Prior to the pre-surgery one that I have in front of me I never got print outs which is a shame. I can't see anything in the numbers on the print outs that looks obviously like it's 'wrong' with my left ventricle (not that I can read these things like an echo technicianor cardiologist !) apart from the aortic valve in the pre-surgery echo. I had an echo a week post surgery and then three months later and they were fine, apart from some "segmental wall motion" which is normal after surgery, neither said I had LVF. My cardiologist also did an echo last August for which I don't have a print out for but he never said I had LVF then, only the "segmental wall motion". It is simply the echo from this March which said it so I have to think it's the technician's interpretation.
I'm not sure how LVF would show on an echo to be honest because, as I said, the numbers look like they're within the reference ranges apart from the aortic valve prior to surgery. I'm looking at the wall thickness numbers too and they're within the reference ranges. My Ejection Fraction has always been in the 70s, even prior to surgery, too.
I too work out regularly, even right up until surgery though I didn't lift quite so heavy then. In the UK, where I live, they try to do valve replacement surgery before there are symptoms so that there isn't LVF which can be permanent otherwise. At the risk of boring the regulars here, at the echo I had prior to surgery the technician asked me if I did weight lifting as he could tell that my heart muscle was strong like weight lifters have ! My GP said that would have helped my heart cope with the BAV stenosis.