Are these cardio symptons

[Elsiedog]

This is my first time on this site. I had Ross Procedure to replace AV in March 2001. I felt great afterwards but over the past few months have been getting very tired easily and mild breathlessness, especiallywhen climbing stairs. They found the valve was leaking again and took me in for a further OP. At the last minute ( 8 hours before surgery ) the surgeon decided he was'nt sure the OP was needed and the leak wasnt too bad and that he thought the symptoms I was describing were not common to valve problems.They have put me on tablets and are going to do a further echo in 6 months. They seem confident the leak won't progress but not too sure how they can say this. So now I am waiting again and hoping the leak does'nt progress and that the tablets deal with the tiredness etc. Do these syptoms sound like valve related to anyone else and what should I do, get another opion or trust my cardiologist and see what the test in 6 months brings?

 

[Nancy]

Hi Richard-

Welcome to the site. Regarding your symptoms, it's hard to speculate as to why the surgeon opted to cancel your surgery, but I can tell you what my husband went through with his leaking mitral valve. Let me say first that reops are evaluated very carefully prior to surgery because each time they go in, the risks multiply due to scar tissue and adhesions from previous surgeries. Tests can determine the extent of the leak and your symptoms can tell the doctor how it is affecting you physically.

In my husband's case, the reop was his third open heart surgery. He suffered for about a year and a half with Congestive Heart Failure characterized by progressively more serious bouts of breathlessness and fatigue. His leak was in the mild to moderate range, so the cardiologist mitigated his symptoms with the use of duiretics and my husband went on a salt-free diet. This worked fairly well for a little while, but as time went on, it became impossible to give him enough diuretics to counteract the fluid buildup in his body without risking possible kidney failure. So the operation was scheduled. He was operated on July 18 of this year and is doing quite well, considering that prior to surgery he could only sit on the sofa and sleep.

So I'm guessing that the doctors will try to use medication to relieve your symptoms in the hopes that the leak will stabilize and they can put off your surgery until it's absolutely necessary.

Diuretics and salt-free do work for some for a long period of time. Of course every case is different.

Take care, I wish you well, and you might try to limit your salt intake and see if that helps any.

 

[hensylee]

Welcome to the site, Elsie. There is a lot to learn here. Maybe your dr should explain a bit more to you so that you KNOW the progression rate and why he decided not to do surgery, which you certainly don't want, if it's not necessary. It's a lifesaver but no picnic. Good luck and God bless

 

[Kevin M]

Richard,
what kind of medication did they put you on?

I know that even after surgery, there are often mild leaks and things like that. They said I will always have a notable murmer.

That part isn't much to worry about, but the fact you are experiencing symptoms is always scary. That too, can be misleading for us as patients. I know prior to my first surgery, my symptoms were maybe 20% of the hassles I faced while waiting for my second one, yet my measurements indicated the first operation had me in a more severe stenosis and regurgitation situation.

You didn't indicate if they did an echo prior to telling you about all this possible second operation. Did they also do a TEE. I understand this test offers some very accurate results and measurements. The results of such a test could've given the doc's the information they used to suggest they leave things alone and just monitor you for a while.

I feel for you. Here you are eight months after a traumatic event in your life and they put you on hold again. It's tough to concentrate on your life when you don't know if you'll be facing another operation soon or what the status of your health is.

Try to keep positive and patient while you wait for that next echo Richard.
Kev

 

[Elsiedog]

They have got me on ace inhibitors and dieretics( not too sure of spelling!). They did a TEE a few months ago and this lead them to monitor things alot closer, but it was actually a standard echo that they used to decide not to operate. As time has gone by I am very relived they didnt operate, I now just hope the tablets do the trick with the symptoms and that the echo shows no more leakage in 6 months.