Duration of moderate/ severe stenosis ?

[ashadds]

How long did people have moderate to severe stenosis , before being operated on ? Gradients between 30-40 mmHg ?

 

[jwinter]

Mine was 42 last May and had surgery November 1.

 

[ashadds]

Mine was 42 last May and had surgery November 1.

where you monitoring it ? has it been stable for a few years

 

[dornole]

I've had mod severe regurg for about 10 years now - I think the rate of progression really varies. When I had stenosis that was discovered suddenly due to pregnancy rapidly increasing the burden on my heart and was extremely obvious.

 

[jasond1979]

My Cardiologist said he can't really predict the progression of Valve disease. He said he's seen people get moderate/severe and just stay there. By the way I'm in the same board you are, some of readings are moderate others severe. I think my last reading was 38mm/HG. Weird finding out you have valve disease and there really aren't any symptoms. My Cardiologist says they wait for symptoms to appear before they operate. From what I can find out, once symptoms appear you got a couple of years before you die.

 

[jasond1979]

Mine was 42 last May and had surgery November 1.

Were you experiencing any symptoms or did you just go for the surgery at that reading?

 

[epstns]

ashadds - I was diagnosed at moderate-to-severe stenosis at age 52. I didn't replace the valve until age 63. You can search a lot of my posts to learn that during all those years in The Waiting Room, the valve hardly slowed me down at all. I just went on with my life as I would have lived it absent the stenosis. Others experienced much faster deterioration, and sometimes with some major symptoms. We're all different, and anyone who tries to tell you exactly what to expect is just guessing.

I took the approach that "Everything is fine. . . until it isn't." That probably kept me sane through all the years of waiting.

 

[jwinter]

Jason I had a tissue valve replacement 4 1/2 years prior and had testing and cardio appointments once and twice a year(twice a year first two years and once a year after) I had all the tests and appointments February 2016, shortness of breath gave me the "heads up" in May, tests ran in June showed the stenosis. Go figure? By surgery time November they said I even had a loose suture from first surgery. Bad cardio? bad testing? quick stenosis? too small of valve put in the first place? These were some of the things I heard.

THIS I know to be true. WE are our own best advocates and need to speak up when necessary. ASK questions and keep asking until you fully understand in your mind what they are telling you. Once you find the cardiologist that makes you comfortable, do as they say and work together to get your heart taken care of.

Some of the questions you have cannot be answered in a firm yes or no. What we all share with you is from our journeys of how it went for us but we are not all the same.

Good luck to you and you are on the right path.