Ray Norsworthy
Well-known member
Hello, friends. My name is Ray Norsworthy & I was first diagnosed with aortic stenosis about 5 years ago. At that time my AO was still well over 2cm. Despite my best efforts (supplements of Vit D, K-2, resveritrol, Omega 3, CoQ10, coleus forskohlolli, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl l-carnitine, l-theanine, vinpocetine, glutathione, pycnogenol, hawthorn extract, boswellia extract, serrapeptase, etc., a healthier diet, 6 days a week exercise, including weight lifting) my stenosis has worsened & now my AO is .9cm. My ejection fraction is still normal, but max. gradient is 91mmHg with a mean of 58mmHg. I only have a trace of aortic regurgitation & mildly dilated left atrium with LA volume of 36 mL/m2 suggesting moderate enlargement. The cardiologist, Dr. Wetherly, seems unconcerned enough about my condition that I'm not even scheduled for another appt. until late in December.
Thus far I have exhibited no other symptoms except an occasional burning in my chest as I am warming up during exercise. After a series of tests (stress test, EKG, carotid scan) the cardiologist decided it was not angina, but some ford of GERD or other gastrointestinal problem, probably brought on by my excessive use of supplements. As of late, I have felt better than I felt in a few years, probably due to my dedicated health regimen, & was still hoping to delay my AVR for a couple more years, as long as it did not compromise my quality of life. I am 6'3", a solid 275 lbs with 54 in. chest. I've been an athlete all my life & stayed active.
However, last Saturday at the gym, about 2 minutes after I started warming up on the elliptical machine (I do interval training), instead of a burning I started getting rather acute pains right in the center of my chest. Unable to go on, I got off the machine. Normally when I would pause to take a slug of Maalox for the burning, the chest pain would immediately subside. But this time the pains (no burning) continued & I began to get alarmed. It felt like my heart rate was higher than normal (it was 96 when I got off the machine. At rest, it's in the 50-56 range) & it didn't seem to be subsiding. I was about to tell my wife perhaps she should call an ambulance when the pains finally begin to fade away. It seemed like it took a long time, but it was probably only 5 or 6 minutes since I stepped off the exercise machine.
I have no idea if I was experiencing angina pain or if my gastrointestinal upset could cause those kind of pains without any burning. Online research says they can, but it's hard to believe, you know? To say my acid problem complicates my situation would be an understatement (yes, I'm on an acid suppressor, omeprazole 40 mg twice daily). I've cut out nearly all supplements, but I don't think I'll try to exercise until I see the cardiologist. I'm just so SICK of waiting for that sword to drop on my head! I'm wondering if I shouldn't ask for an angiogram or TEE. Would either of these tell me enough to make a more informed decision on how soon I should have surgery? I'm at the point where I just want to get it over with. Sometimes I wonder if that's not what the cardiologist is waiting to hear! I certainly don't want to risk any permanent damage, nor do I want to put up with those pains when I try to exercise, if indeed they were angina. (If not, perhaps cutting out the supplements will do the trick).
I apologize for the abundance of detail. I don't really expect anyone to read all this, but it made me feel better just to spill it out. But if you manage to plow through it, I'd certainly be grateful for your opinion on my situation.
Thus far I have exhibited no other symptoms except an occasional burning in my chest as I am warming up during exercise. After a series of tests (stress test, EKG, carotid scan) the cardiologist decided it was not angina, but some ford of GERD or other gastrointestinal problem, probably brought on by my excessive use of supplements. As of late, I have felt better than I felt in a few years, probably due to my dedicated health regimen, & was still hoping to delay my AVR for a couple more years, as long as it did not compromise my quality of life. I am 6'3", a solid 275 lbs with 54 in. chest. I've been an athlete all my life & stayed active.
However, last Saturday at the gym, about 2 minutes after I started warming up on the elliptical machine (I do interval training), instead of a burning I started getting rather acute pains right in the center of my chest. Unable to go on, I got off the machine. Normally when I would pause to take a slug of Maalox for the burning, the chest pain would immediately subside. But this time the pains (no burning) continued & I began to get alarmed. It felt like my heart rate was higher than normal (it was 96 when I got off the machine. At rest, it's in the 50-56 range) & it didn't seem to be subsiding. I was about to tell my wife perhaps she should call an ambulance when the pains finally begin to fade away. It seemed like it took a long time, but it was probably only 5 or 6 minutes since I stepped off the exercise machine.
I have no idea if I was experiencing angina pain or if my gastrointestinal upset could cause those kind of pains without any burning. Online research says they can, but it's hard to believe, you know? To say my acid problem complicates my situation would be an understatement (yes, I'm on an acid suppressor, omeprazole 40 mg twice daily). I've cut out nearly all supplements, but I don't think I'll try to exercise until I see the cardiologist. I'm just so SICK of waiting for that sword to drop on my head! I'm wondering if I shouldn't ask for an angiogram or TEE. Would either of these tell me enough to make a more informed decision on how soon I should have surgery? I'm at the point where I just want to get it over with. Sometimes I wonder if that's not what the cardiologist is waiting to hear! I certainly don't want to risk any permanent damage, nor do I want to put up with those pains when I try to exercise, if indeed they were angina. (If not, perhaps cutting out the supplements will do the trick).
I apologize for the abundance of detail. I don't really expect anyone to read all this, but it made me feel better just to spill it out. But if you manage to plow through it, I'd certainly be grateful for your opinion on my situation.
