No surgery needed???

[Lauratx22]

Hi-

My aunt has had Moderate to severe MVR for the last decade and has never had surgery..she is determined to explain to me why I don't need surgery. I have moderate to severe mitral valve reg. and an enlarged left atrium (not A Fib yet..) Has anyone had moderate or severe MVR that has put it off for a long time? I think I need the surgery soon due to the enlarged left atrium. The pressure in my heart is normal and everything else is normal except the regurgitation and enlarged atrium.

Thank you-
Laura

 

[Ross]

If your Atrium is enlarging, your beginning to have heart damage that if not taken care of soon, may well become permanent damage. I see no point in waiting until your disabled for life, when there is a window to turn this enlargement around.

What does your cardiologist say? Surgical consult in the picture?

 

[Jkm7]

I had moderate to severe mitral regurg and my cardio watched it carefully for about 2 years. The moment it worsened, he referred me back to my surgeon. We have learned here that very often the worse it gets, the faster it gets worse. There was a time when my cardio said, we had to wait and see but he did not rule out the chance it would not worsen and I could avoid a second surgery. I wasn't that lucky.

Do you have any symptoms? That was a factor in my cardio moving forward.
Every case is different and because your aunt has been fortunate to avoid surgery so long, she needs to understand that is not the case for everyone.
If you feel the least uncomfortable about your cardio's recommendation, by all means seek another professional opinion....... not one from a non-medical professional who does not know how to evaluate your individual condition. (No offense intended toward your aunt but unless she is a cardio or cardiothoracic surgeon who has studied your records, she is probably ill equipped to give you such important medical advice.)

 

[Julieaka]

I am with you -was in same piosition - even called off the surgery 5 years ago

please listen to BOTH the experts/the numbers - but also listen to your body........ even in small ways it will tell you
\
for example in the 6 months prior to my valve replacment - I was sick twice - checked for gallbladder issues, checked for pneumonia - and then head and neck CT to check that out - ruled as vertigo

it's all about the body slowing down, heart enlarging - working too hard

while I was a BIG proponent of holding off/no OHS - you also have to know when to say "when"

 

[csabrina]

Laura -

My MVR is the same as yours. I to am asking the question about putting off surgery. Ive decided to meet with the surgeon and have a TEE and then base my decision upon the combined recommendations
of the cardio ,surgeon and results of TEE.

Sabrina

 

[Lauratx22]

My cardiologist told me that I could wait but it could get worse and I could have it possibly repaired now rather than not have a choice in the future and h referred me to a surgeon. I am going to have a consult with Dr. Lawrie in Houston that does the Da vinci surgery. I go back to work Monday due to me being on maternity leave. I found that I have MVR 3 weeks postpartum due to the symptoms I told my doctor...shortness of breath laying down, rapid heartbeat and some anxiety. She sent me to a cardiologist who did a echocardiogram, TEE and a cardiac catheterization on me. Now almost 6 weeks postpartum, the symptoms have disappeared due to the decrease in blood volume but sometimes I have the shortness of breath laying down.

 

[ejc61]

Hello Laura,

I had severe regurg for maybe a few years if not longer. I had only been seeing the intervention cardiologist for 3 years. I have high BP controlled by meds. My left atrium was getting bigger over time. Maybe from 5 something to 6.2. When it got to that, surgery was suggested. The rational was that I was still young, 47, and no other issues and that I could possibly have it done minimally invasive. I was also asympthomatic. Once I had a TEE, Heart Cath and CT Scan, it was determined that I was a good candidate for either minimally invasive, (through the right rib), or robotic, even less invasive. Talk to your cardiologist and then look for a surgeon. Keep in mind that hospitals will try to lure you to their hospital. Not every hospital has the same technology. While this seems obvious, I didn't realize that doctors will try to influence where you go. My cardiologist, for instance, said that there's not a big difference between minimally invasive or open heart. Yeah I think there is reading the experiences on this fine board.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

At some point, Chamber Enlargement can become PERMANENT, even with a successful Valve Replacement.
You do NOT want to go there.

Have you talked with a Surgeon yet? IMO. Surgeon's have a better 'feel' for WHEN to proceed with surgery.
Also, Surgeons like to FIX the problem Before there is Permanent Damage.

IMO, it's time to interview Surgeon(s).

'AL Capshaw'

 

[AgilityDog]

Get the surgery sooner, rather than later.
Warning: the following is very blunt.

My Mitral valve blew on April 12, 2006. I was misdiagnosed until late August of that year, and then got a proper diagnosis only because I kept going back, and questionning why nothing made me feel better. By June I was miserable, by July it was worse, and by August I could scare little children who heard me cough.

My MVR and Maze procedure were done September 5, 2006. In those 4 months I put on 15 pounds of water, coughed all night so hard I could not sleep, and could not take a deep breath. My atrium enlarged by 40 percent, I flipped in and out of afib, and was in advanced heart failure by the time I got diagnosed. I could not speak a full sentence, while sitting down, without gasping for air. My cardio said my valve was "flapping in the breeze."

I nearly died the day after surgery from v-tach. My recovery was long and difficult. There were many times that summer and fall that I was not sure I was going to live, much less have much of a life. Fortunately, I'm close to normal. My atrium has remodeled to close to normal size - on the larger size of normal, but in range. I don't have a-fib. However, I take multiple medications, am pacemaker dependent with complete heart block, and have a defibrillator. But most people don't know I have heart issues unless they see my scar, or I tell them.

But that's how fast a valve can deteriorate, and what happens to you.

As a result of the delayed diagnosis, I now have damage to my aortic valve and perhaps to my tricuspid valve. I'm having AVR this week, and may also get a repair to the tricuspid. This surgery should be easier because I am much more healthy than the first round, but I sure wish I didn't have to have it. I wish I'd never had to have the first one, either.

With the atrium enlarging, it sounds like it is time for your surgery.
Don't put it off. Don't listen to your Aunt. She means well, but she may have been extraordinarily lucky. Or she may have done irreparable damage to her heart.

 

[Bear72]

If your Atrium is enlarging, your beginning to have heart damage that if not taken care of soon, may well become permanent damage. I see no point in waiting until your disabled for life, when there is a window to turn this enlargement around.

What does your cardiologist say? Surgical consult in the picture?

Totally agree. I had moderate to severe then eventually severe and the moment my heart began to enlarge, every surgeon agreed to get the repair. You risk making things alot worse for yourself down the road. IMO, you can live just fine with the regurgitation but not the enlarging heart.