How iminent is heart failure?

[pgammo]

Now that I have been diagnosed, I am set to have a CT, as well as some other test at the hospital which requires me to take a pill and get x-rayed or something.

These appointments are not for a few weeks though, so my question is:

Is death or heart failure imminent at this point? Am I going to live long enough to have these tests performed? Not really sure how BAV effects a person in the short term.


Thanks everyone, and sorry I sound like a hypochondriac.:frown2:

 

[escargome]

Well I should hope that since your cardiologist felt you could wait a little while for the tests that you will be fine. I personally as a non-medial person, believe that you will not die from heart failure within the next few weeks. Of course if you put off having the test done in a timely fashion, then all bets are off. I was born with BAV and did not have surgery until I was 56. So try to calm your jangled nerves and just follow your medical testing right now. I also noted in a previous post of yours that your cardiologist hasn't made you feel like a person rather than a statistic. Well get all your ducks in a row, ask him questions and if he doesn't make you feel comfortable in your gut with his answers, then find a second opinion. Cause as is said, opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one. Take Care. It will all work out just fine.

 

[HiMyNameIsDale]

I agree with escargome. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your cardiologist is ok with you waiting at this point so you should be fine (especially if you don't have any serious symptoms). I fealt the same way as you when I found out i had a bicuspid aortic valve 9 months ago until I found this forum. This forum helps to ease your fears by providing you with a vast wealth of information. Waiting is hard. Most people will tell you that. But, once you get some testing done and some reliable measurments you should feel better and the cardiologist can get a better hold of your situation. You can always go for a second opinion after you get your tests done to be double sure. I think you should be fine for the next couple of weeks. Take it easy and try to relax.

 

[Bill B]

If you were in any danger your cardiologist would have spelled it out and jumped on it right away. Some people go their whole lives with BAV without a problem. The CT scan will help determine the severity of your valve problem, whether you have other issues associated with BAV, such as aortic enlargement, that need to be addressed, and with the new CT scanners, can even determine the condition of your coronary arteries and whether they might need any work.

 

[Glen Swan]

Yeah, they wouldn't send you home if they detected anything bad because they are at risk if else. I would not worry about it and just call your doc if you're experiencing doubts. They should be able to answer your questions on the phone if you describe your symptoms (like with your heart beating faster than normal). Ideally, I bet you're just getting yourself worked up and should try to relax today and tomorrow. If you feel it's unrelated to that, then as above, just call your doc and see what he says.

As before, everything will work out.

 

[tprice54]

I agree with all the above....if there was any chance of problems, your cardio would not let you loose in society!
Some people go right from their doctor to the hospital as they are in such bad shape and did not know it, so the fact you are seeing doctors is a good thing.

 

[selma]

Yep, I'm with the rest of the crew. If you were in imminent danger, they'd have hauled you directly to the ER. And not that you asked yet, but don't worry about the tests. They're a piece of cake. You'll probably have a TEE and a cardiac cath. In both cases, you're in la-la land and probably won't remember a thing.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Yeah agree with everyon else, if you where in heart faliour or any immediate danger they would act fast,
Thinking of you
Love Sarah xxx

 

[FC in Texas]

pgammo-

I also have to agree with the consensus that you are likely OK and not at risk of imminent failure. Having said that, once I was in the waiting room and experiencing symptoms, I had lots of anxiety which brought on physical symptoms. It was really the only time in my life where I could not control my own thoughts about the matter. This website and hearing what others in like circumstances felt really helped. So, totally normal to be feeling panicky. Are you having any symptoms like shortness of breath, etc?

 

[pgammo]

FC,

No shortness of breath, but heart has been palpitating perhaps because I am stressed and scared? Also, I've been feeling a sort of light pressure in my chest, but it might also be in my head or something entirely different. I'm just so scared of the whole situation and definitely panicky.

 

[Bill B]

You need to take some time to learn about your disease. I don't know your history, but if you have newly discovered BAV, you have what is usually a slowly progressive valve disease that is completely curable by valve repair or replacement. The fact that you are having a CT scan leads me to believe you may be further along than just newly diagnosed. Regardless, people with this disease, like me and many others here, do very well, and rarely if ever suffer from heart failure these days. The surgical fix is done before that can develop. And after the valve repair or replacement, death will come to us no earlier than it would for someone without a history of BAV. BAV is common and the surgical procedure is essentially routine and overwhelmingly successful. So, you have little to worry about other than that which is unknown to you.

 

[Ovie]

^^^ exactly. Myself and everyone else here that has gone through some kind of heart operation or is waiting to, will tell you knowledge is power. Gather all the information you can, and ask all the questions you need, nobody is here to tell you to suck it up, everyone is here because they want to help, no matter the question, there is a wealth of information here and I remember being the same way, you're not alone in any of this and I really hope you do what you can to learn of your issue whenever you have free time. We're all rooting for you and hope nothing but the best for ourselves and every other member here.

Best of luck.

 

[epstns]

This may not be exactly "on point" with your situation, but I'll paraphrase a discussion I had with my cardio about whether I could have died before I had my surgery. He said that with the condition I had (aortic stenosis), I would be calling him to tell him that it was time for surgery well before my valve could get bad enough to threaten my life. He said that the symptoms of advanced valve disease would make my life so miserable that I would know it was time for surgery without needing to ask him. Our plan was to have the surgery before things ever got to that point, hence the annual echos and exams. The plan worked.

Basically, these things don't kill us unless we ignore them. I can say that is certainly true, as I had several family members who followed that path. They had all the symptoms of advanced aortic stenosis back in the 1970's and 80's. They either ignored the symptoms or chose not to have surgery for unknown reasons. They all died young. Their siblings who were not affected lived rather long lives.

Listen to your body, but don't panic. These things take a long time to develop and deteriorate. You'll know if it gets bad quickly, but usually it takes a long time.

 

[pgammo]

I've woken up from my sleep a couple times to find my heart beating hard, but not fast. My heart rate seems normal, but my heart is beating pretty strongly. Is this normal? This has been the second night in a row.

 

[Fundy]

It may be normal, considering your scared a bit. You just may be noticing it more than before. If you have a problem with your aortic valve your heart may be working harder, in my opinion my heart was beating a lot harder in the four or five years before my surgery. However for most of that time the tests showed I was not in any danger for the most part.

Surely your cardio would have told you not to exert yourself too much if you had severe aortic stenosis or regurgitation. do you have lifting restrictions?

If you find yourself worrying too much, you could contact your doctors office and get a copy of your echo report. someone here could help you with what the numbers mean in terms of you being in much danger. BAV itself is just a different type of valve than what's usually there, and 2/3 of the time doesn't even cause the person any problems for their entire life. But if you think your cardiologist is holding info back on you for some reason, as I mentioned you could get a copy of the echo report and you'd have a lot of info there regarding any immediate problems.