enlarged heart/cardiomyapathy

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well, crap! have an appt to have a chemical stress test AND an echocardiogram April 6th. He thinks he heard a valve regurgitating so is ordering the echocardiogram. never had one before. I might, after all these years, become a legal VR member! Chemical stress tests are not pleasant but not bad and I have had those a few times. No big deal, but echocardiogram is an unknown for me. I am way too old to have a valve replacement now. Maybe he mis-heard that! There is a long standing murmur which I have known about for a long time and the S T has changed. He says x-rays are undependable in dxing enlarged heart but this test will prove one way or the other. So there we stand until Apr 6th. Thanks for your thoughts; they are so very much appreciated. Dontcha just hate starting over with stuff!
 
Sorry you still don't have answers, hopefully the stress test and echos have good results and it is just one of those things to keep an eye on. IMO an echo/ultrasound is pretty much the easiest test to go thru, Justin usully falls asleep during his, since the room is dark and its pretty quiet. They just move a probe/wand all over your chest, the biggest complaint is they use a gel to get better pictures/move the probe easier and sometimes the gel is cold -altho lots of places have a gel wamer so even that is better than they used to be. Also even when they are done and wipe the gel off, its still kind of sticky.
Thanks for letting us know how things are going.
 
Well crud, Ann! Sorry that you are still up in the air on this!

But like Lyn said, hopefully the Echo & the stress test will help clarify what is going on with you and hopefully, it is not as bad as it sounds! And the Echo is nothing to get stressed out about!

.....and what's that stuff "about being too old"? ...NOT!

Good luck to you & we'll be here for you to share the news with us! :)
 
Ann, If the reguirg is not severe....they can control the symptoms (if any) with meds. Are you having a MUGA Scan? You mentioned chemical. Had one of those. Not a big deal. Only issue we had was drawing blood out of my tiny veins. Always have to remember to hydrate before these appointments. They draw, mix with some sort of radio-active dye. And inject. Then test.
Prayers. Will watch your thread for updates :)
 
Well Ann, I have been watching for your posts about the latest bump in your road. Since you have done stress tests before, you will find that the echo is a piece of cake. Like Lyn said above, the room is dark, quiet and taking a nap sure doesn't hurt. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. And I might say that you are NOT too old to have valve replacement if that turns out to be the final decision. I shall keep looking for your posts to keep us updated. Hugs to you.
 
Ann,
Do you have valve replacement envy???? :biggrin2: If so, it's misplaced, cause valve replacement ain't all it's cracked up to be!:wink2:
If you have a very minor valve problem, that will be enough to label you "legit" even though your bona fides are better than most, if not all.:smile2:
We'll be waiting to find out your test results.:smile2:
 
Ann - Long time, no "see." Sorry it has to be under these circumstances. As the others have said, the echo is a big nothing. I, too, sometimes fall asleep during mine. The goo is the only thing to watch, as it seems to go everywhere, and once it reaches your body temp, it is tough to tell where there is any left after the test. . . so I sometimes miss some when I wipe it off. Wear washable clothing - it washes out easily. Just may look silly if you have a big wet spot somewhere like I sometimes do. . .

Keep us posted, we're prayin' for you!
 
Oh, Ann ... very sorry you have to endure all of this. GOOD LUCK with your April 6 appointment (next week).

Thoughts/prayers en route, my dear....



Cort | 37.m.IL.pigValve.pacemaker | 5 Monte Carlos + 1 Caprice Classic | * meet_04.16.11_Dwight.IL *
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"I'd try to run, but I don't think I can" __ Waylon Jennings __ 'Ain't Living Long Like This'
 
well, tomorrow is the day! I am not looking forward to it. the stress test doesn't bother me. it's the echocardiogram that does. I pray there is nothing to worry about. I am way too old for valve replacement - it really scares me. I have a cousin who had a replacement last year and she is in her 80s and did very well - even went to rehab afterward. I admire her spunk and stamina. I just don't think I have that. I will let y'all know when I know - and I am wearing loose comfy clothes that are washable. They have me down for 4 1/2 hrs! that's a long time and I don't think those tests take that long. Nurse cousin said the echo is not long and I already know the chem stress test isn't that long. When I know, you will know. Thanks to all.
 
hensylee said:
well, tomorrow is the day! I am not looking forward to it. the stress test doesn't bother me. it's the echocardiogram that does. I pray there is nothing to worry about. I am way too old for valve replacement - it really scares me. I have a cousin who had a replacement last year and she is in her 80s and did very well - even went to rehab afterward. I admire her spunk and stamina. I just don't think I have that. I will let y'all know when I know - and I am wearing loose comfy clothes that are washable. They have me down for 4 1/2 hrs! that's a long time and I don't think those tests take that long. Nurse cousin said the echo is not long and I already know the chem stress test isn't that long. When I know, you will know. Thanks to all.
Click to expand...

Ann, You know you are in my prayers. I know since it is unknown and scarey, its hard to believe that the echo really isn't a big deal at all, but really it isn't, there is no pain and for the most part you just lay on your back..they might even have a dvd set up to watch tv or movies. and someone moves a little wand all over your chest.

I also pray what ever is wrong, is mild and you don't need any interventions at all, Just something to keep and eye on.
What time is your appt?
 
Hi Ann,
Wishing you all the best tomorrow for your two tests. Honestly, the ECHO is absolutely nothing to fret about. They just wave the magic wand over your heart area and it takes measurements of everything going on in there. I always watch on the monitor and pinpoint my valves. I've got a really good tech who doesn't mind me talking the entire time and asking questions..:wink2: Entire thing doesn't take but 30 minutes or less..

Is your stress test the treadmill one or the nuclear stress test? Treadmill one is nothing to worry about, you just walk until you give out and they monitor you. Can't help you on the nuclear stress since I've never had one.
 
I've had the nuclear stress test and that might be why they're saying 4+ hours. It wasn't a big deal but it did take a long time.
I wish I lived down there by you so I could go with you to talk your socks off while you waited.:wink2:
Love ya!:smile2:
 
They will have you lean over a bit onto your left side and they use the echo transducer wand on various spots around
the heart area to pick up the measurements and readings of heart size etc. Some moments they may press a bit
on the wand but don't be shy to say "hey that pinches". ;)
You will have enough gel on your skin so that you don't feel much anyway.
Lay there and think of fun stuff like your pets and ALL your VR friends. :)
Best wishes !
 
hensylee said:
well, tomorrow is the day! I am not looking forward to it. the stress test doesn't bother me. it's the echocardiogram that does. I pray there is nothing to worry about. I am way too old for valve replacement - it really scares me. I have a cousin who had a replacement last year and she is in her 80s and did very well - even went to rehab afterward. I admire her spunk and stamina. I just don't think I have that. I will let y'all know when I know - and I am wearing loose comfy clothes that are washable. They have me down for 4 1/2 hrs! that's a long time and I don't think those tests take that long. Nurse cousin said the echo is not long and I already know the chem stress test isn't that long. When I know, you will know. Thanks to all.
Click to expand...

Bina said:
They will have you lean over a bit onto your left side and they use the echo transducer wand on various spots around
the heart area to pick up the measurements and readings of heart size etc. Some moments they may press a bit
on the wand but don't be shy to say "hey that pinches". ;)
You will have enough gel on your skin so that you don't feel much anyway.
Lay there and think of fun stuff like your pets and ALL your VR friends. :)
Best wishes !
Click to expand...

Dear Ann,

I shall be praying that all will be well. I hope you won't need any VR, yet I like to tell you that my girfriend's mother was 82 years young when she had her valve replaced with a mechanical one!! She feels younger than ever!

Bina prepared you very well for the echo and I too encourage you to tell the technician that it hurst if they pushed hard. I am over-sensitive and I keep saying "ouch" throughout the whole time. My last echo took much longer than before...it was about 90 mins. The technician was new and she said it was a challenge to get specific results because of the shadows of my two mechanical valves in my case.

Good luck and hugs.
 
Good luck with your tests tomorrow Ann. I'll be thinking of you. {HUG}
 
Ann, I have had cardiomyopathy for 25 years, since I was 20 years old. In fact I spent my last year in the Marines with this issue. I always had mild regurg in the mitral position due to the enlarged left ventricle stretching out the valve, but about three years ago I notices I felt worse. I was moving slower, getting sick all the time. It was due to the mitral valve leaking in the severe range; when I woke in the morning I could hear a gurgle in my chest. I ended up getting my mitral valve replaced, but there are non surgical options available that did not exist even a year ago. There are also several medications that can improve your hearts perfeormace so that remodeling could happen to improve valve function. There are many options.
 
it was a looong day. we got there at 8:45 and got done about 1:30 OR 2. xrays, then chemical stress test, then the echo, then back to first room for xrays again. Those xrays took the longest time and I had to wait an hour (for some reason, that hr was necessary) after the echo to get the last set of xrays. Somewhere in there, they allowed eating and a cup of coffee. It was pretty mechanical compared to the luxury of Pensacola stress test. There were about 6 or 7 of us getting it done so they didn't allow any pampering and that's good. The dr will call with test results in 2 or 3 days. they got my heart rate up to 139 and when it was slowing down, it could really be felt. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I will let you know what the tests said when they tell me.
 
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