Hi, I am new to the forum, have read a lot of posts and just got a copy of my July 2010 Echo. I tried to do research and make sense of all the numbers, but it seems there is a wide variety in how things are abbreviated and measured so I will throw them out here for your knowledgeable feedback! I think I am struggling the most with the ‘waiting room’ aspect of all of this. Some days I am so tired it’s like a 500 lb weight is on my head but I wonder if that is just stress of life (and a 6 and 4 yr old) or related to BAV? Do you just feel increasingly worse for years?
I am 38 years old and have been an athlete my whole life, but now my cardiologist recommended not to do anything too strenuous as I have some history of syncope and they throw out that ‘sudden death’ fun topic. About 12 years ago I had my first episode on a stairmaster when I just didn’t feel right and woke up on the floor with a black eye and a lot of people staring at me. I had 2 tilt table tests and was given diagnosis of ‘neurocardiogenic syncope’ and put on beta blockers. After 5 months being a zombie they took me off and said to eat more salt, and I became good about monitoring my exercise and heart rate. Amazingly nobody at the time gave me an echocardiogram even though I have been told I had a heart murmur since high school.
Fast forward to 2004 had my first Echo when pregnant and heart murmur was really loud. Diagnosed with BAV but not given any info other than it will be something to deal with when I am old, and to have another Echo in 5 years, so I just put it on the back burner. Just had an updated one in July, and with the rec of the echo tech off I went to a cardiologist and was floored by the news that valve surgery was more of a short term thing, and that I should be careful with exercise, etc. Since then I have done a ton of research, and am making a questions for my next visit this summer.
I also struggle with frequent auras and migraines (4 this week), and am fascinated that they might somehow be related to BAV! I have some high fatigue days and some days that I feel like my heart is ‘skipping’ around. I wonder if these things are just normal for the average joe and now I am just more paranoid….Nice to have a great forum I have appreciated reading everyone’s posts and am slowly finding a way to just process all this given it might be years before surgery, but it is hard not to think about it daily.
Aortic valve 1.57 cm2.
I am 38 years old and have been an athlete my whole life, but now my cardiologist recommended not to do anything too strenuous as I have some history of syncope and they throw out that ‘sudden death’ fun topic. About 12 years ago I had my first episode on a stairmaster when I just didn’t feel right and woke up on the floor with a black eye and a lot of people staring at me. I had 2 tilt table tests and was given diagnosis of ‘neurocardiogenic syncope’ and put on beta blockers. After 5 months being a zombie they took me off and said to eat more salt, and I became good about monitoring my exercise and heart rate. Amazingly nobody at the time gave me an echocardiogram even though I have been told I had a heart murmur since high school.
Fast forward to 2004 had my first Echo when pregnant and heart murmur was really loud. Diagnosed with BAV but not given any info other than it will be something to deal with when I am old, and to have another Echo in 5 years, so I just put it on the back burner. Just had an updated one in July, and with the rec of the echo tech off I went to a cardiologist and was floored by the news that valve surgery was more of a short term thing, and that I should be careful with exercise, etc. Since then I have done a ton of research, and am making a questions for my next visit this summer.
I also struggle with frequent auras and migraines (4 this week), and am fascinated that they might somehow be related to BAV! I have some high fatigue days and some days that I feel like my heart is ‘skipping’ around. I wonder if these things are just normal for the average joe and now I am just more paranoid….Nice to have a great forum I have appreciated reading everyone’s posts and am slowly finding a way to just process all this given it might be years before surgery, but it is hard not to think about it daily.
Aortic valve 1.57 cm2.
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