Post surgery

[Cynthia_58]

Hi im on my 4 th month post op mitral valve stenosis, before surgery i felt discomfort on my throat something stuck in it especially when im lying down ,secrete sticky saliva , i went to different doctors and tested my blood for thyroid no problem about that , it was almost 2 yrs problem on and off ,then time comes i had a valve problem leading to a surgery for mitral valve replacement ,now i have a pleural effusion doctor gave me 40 mg lasix coz i have edema , also a fib ,my worries was is it connected to my strep throat whats happening i read on the internet one of the causes of heart problem came from the throat im thinking it might affect my new valve and the rest of my valve can you please give your insights about this , i kept going and going to my doctor but the problem wasn't resolve... So disappointed , frustrating

 

[honeybunny]

Search for pleural effusion on this site. You may need the fluid drained. I don't think the strep throat necessarily will affect your valve or heart but maybe others here can give you more information on that. Meanwhile make sure you get plenty of rest, follow your doctors instructions, and try to relax. We all tend to worry about every little thing after open heart surgery. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Agian]

Strep throat is a bacterial infection. If you've had it for years, it's probably not the cause of your throat discomfort.
Worse when lying down? Reflux maybe?
Some people get dry mouth (lots of causes). It makes swallowing difficult sometimes.
Maybe you could see a gastro.
My dad had/has dry mouth, ended up seeing a rheumatologist, who gave him the all clear. It's a pretty common problem.

 

[dornole]

Strep throat CAN lead to mitral stenosis in some people. What happens is that your body mistakes the mitral valve for strep bacteria and your own immune system attacks the mitral valve and scars it to be narrower, leaky or both. This is called rheumatic heart disease, it is an autoimmune reaction. That's what they say caused my valve damage though I was unaware of it at the time of the infection. It probably happened when I was a child. I was 35 I when I developed heart symptoms and yeah it took time for the docs to figure out. It is not a common problem in developed countries that have good access to antibiotics. I felt worse lying down also, in my case coughing very hard that got WAY worse lying down. I had to sleep in a chair.

There are other causes for mitral valve problems of course. You could ask your doc if he thinks it was rheumatic fever or something else. I do go to the urgent care if I have a sore throat for more than a couple days to get a strep test just in case. But really, it probably doesn't matter what caused your valve problem, there's not a lot you can do but just live healthy generally and listen to your doc about meds, lifestyle, checkups and tests.

I hope your plural effusion gets cleared up soon, you sound pretty stressed. Understandable.

 

[Cynthia_58]

My family doctor referred me to EENT , waiting to be called but here in Canada waiting makes it worst i can't go straight to the doctor , my biggest fear it might affect my mechanical valve and the rest of the valve, yeah the doctor told me i had a rheumatic fever when i was young . My surgery was last April 2016 my chest still heavy ( thight) radiates to my shoulder and back to shoulder blades... Afib too dont know why the doctor said due to my age , i'm 58 can it be corrected as far as you know .... I just lift up to the Lord whatever his plan it will be done..

 

[dornole]

Sounds like they think your throat thing is totally separate from your valve if they are sending you to an ENT. I think your mechanical valve should be pretty darn durable. They know about the afib and you're being treated as best they can for that. They are treating you for the pleural effusion. I'm not totally sure from your post what's in the past and what's in the present, but it sounds like they've got you covered now. I hope your faith brings you peace with the things you still just have to deal with and I wish you the best care with doctors who can explain things well and set your mind at rest.

 

[Cynthia_58]

Hi Dornole

Afib, pleural effusion throat problem all together are present , thats why im so worried about. I got an appointment to EENT doctor in January 2017 as i've mention waiting here in Canada for the appointment make it worst do you think the problem in my throat is connected with my heart problem ?