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Itwuzzme

Hi everyone,
I figured with all of you knowing so much about the heart you would be the right place to come.

Here is the short version. I had an echo done 3 years ago due to High Bp for 8 years (Most of the time uncontrolled) Plus a extensive family history of heart problems. My doctor never mentioned any problems at the follow up and I never questioned it (being nieve and 29) Now 3 years later about 2 months ago I came down with what I thought was a stomach flu and was hospitalized with extremely low potassium (of 1) and was in the hospital for 4 days on meds and was told it was my IBS (don't ask) came out and went to GI doc who diagnosed me with GERD , Gastritis and IBS. BUT I still Can not stay standing for longer than 5-10 mins without feeling like I am going to pass out. I get Dizzy, Weak, Shaky, Sweaty. Sometimes I am just down right tired. I have heart Palpitations just standing. Or even Sitting. So I went back to my Primary Doctor who told me It was my BP that is now Dropping when I stand. So I go to a Neuro Who is doing Urine tests. I am so Confused. SO I question all the heart stuff from my previous doctor. I go to the hospital to pick up the Echo results and see that it says:

Mild Left Ventricular Dilation
Mild Tricuspid Insufficiency with right ventricular systolic pressure estimated to be 33 mmhg suggestive of mild pulmonary hypertension and trace mitral insufficiency.

Now I know most of you have had valves and such replaced. My doctors is telling me I am adding to much to all my problems. I am scared to bring this to him and him flip out. Do I wait till the neuro does his thing and then bring this to him. Is this nothing. My last doctor said NOTHING to me about this. WHICH concerns me. I tried to go back there to find out why and they said something about the file being in storage and they wouldn't be able to find it. I hope by him not telling me that I didn't aggravate all my symptoms and now what was once mild is no longer mild :(

THank you!
Worried Mom of 4 (32)
 
What does the full echo report say?

Are you taking potassium now and if so, how often is your blood being tested?
 
m-mode measurements:
Septume 10mm Right Ventricle 15 mm Aortic Root 28mm
Posterior wall 10mm LVED 50 mm Aortic Valve 15 mm
Mitral valve exc 17mm LVES 30mm Left Atrium 35mm

Doppler Velocities:
Pulmonic Valve acceleration time is 95 msec. The tricuspid regurgitation velocity is 2.4 m/sec. The peak pressure gradient is 23 mmHg. The right ventricular systolic pressure is 33 mmHg. The mitral valve velocity is 0.9 m/sec. Pressure half time is 70 msec. The aortic valve velocity is 1.2 m/sec. Peak pressure gradient is 6 mmHg.

Impression:
1. As per 2d Echocardiography there is evidence of Mild Left Ventricular Dilation. The rest of the Cardiac Chambers appear to be within normal size
2. The overall Regional Wall motion systolic function appeared to be normal and with an Ejection Fraction 55%
3. The Aortic Root is not Dilated
4. The Aortic Valve Leaflets are Trileaflet opening and closing Adequately
5. The Mitral Valve Leaflets are opening and closing Adequately
6. The Tricuspid Valve Leaflets are opening and Closing Adequately
7. No Evidence of any intracardiac Vegetation, Thrombi, or Masses
8. No Significant Pericardial effusion
9. Color Flow and Doppler studies revealed Mild Tricuspid Insufficiency with right ventricular systolic pressure estimated to be 33 mmHg, suggestive of Mild Pulmonary Hypertension and trace mitral insufficiency

That was the whole thing! WEW that was long!
 
Yes I am taking potassium now and It is being tested once a month. It is sitting at normal range. My doctor has now classified me as being a complainer. :( He thinks that I need to just rest. It is just very hard when one day your life is going normal and the next you are knocked flat on your back and he isn't doing anything about it! And honestly It hurts my heart to bend over! (SHrug) He just doesn't listen!

Thanks for looking over the results for me.
 
Itwuzzme said:
Yes I am taking potassium now and It is being tested once a month. It is sitting at normal range. My doctor has now classified me as being a complainer. :( He thinks that I need to just rest. It is just very hard when one day your life is going normal and the next you are knocked flat on your back and he isn't doing anything about it! And honestly It hurts my heart to bend over! (SHrug) He just doesn't listen!

Thanks for looking over the results for me.
Click to expand...

How does it hurt when you bend over? I have reflux and alot of times that hurts when I bend over. Since you have GI issues is this pain new or something you've had for a while?
 
No, it is new. It was when I was cleaning. I bent over and It felt like I was being stabbed in the heart. Since I felt just tightening in the chest and shortness of breath! :(
 
In my opinion, the results of your echo are really quite normal. The terminology always sounds worse I know (Mild insufficiency, mild dilation -- it's natural to do a double-take on these words) but surely, if your heart health was in any life-threatening trouble, I'd imagine your doctors would acknowledge that.

I know it's not always easy to put that much faith in the doctor when you're "convinced" that something's not right, but hopefully this will help you put things in perspective: my pre-surgery echo results had the word, "severe" plastered all over the report -- something was clearly and definitively wrong. Your echo results look mostly normal.
 
Trace and mild are wonderful words to see on an echo report. Trace is very, very common and requires no treatment. Most of us leap for joy to hear 'trace'. :)

Hope you feel better soon.
 
I think you are justified in asking for another echo to make sure that there have been no changes. If your PCP is not listening/respecting you, can you change doctors? I think it is easy for doctors to say that you are over-reacting, but hopefully you know yourself well enough to know if that is possible. Yes, stress can do terrible things to your body. On the other hand, there are plenty of stories on this forum (including my son's) where doctors ignored a patient's symptoms that turned out to be very real. Soooo, I think you deserve to feel confident in the answers you are getting and if you are not, then you need to keep fighting - which is a time consuming and frustrating process.
 
I'm in favor of an updated echo also. They may think it's unnecessary, but things can change rapidly over 3 years too.

Reason I say they should do another now is because of these two items:
Aortic Valve 15 mm
Aortic Root 28mm

To me, it sounds like the beginning of an aneurysm and should be checked upon.
 
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