upcoming echo

[jjay32]

so my yearly echo is on Jan 8, and now I am having trouble sleeping, This time in the waiting room can be hard at times.
Overall I have a good handle on the whole future heart surgery thing, but it is times like now that I know the anxiety is always there just under the surface, waiting to rear its ugly head. I know this is kind of out of nowhere, but I just needed to verbalize it, everybody here is like family that understands what is going on, and allows me to lean on them for support. Thanks for listening. Jerome (jjay)

 

[Johan]

Jerome, I know exactly how you feel and you have all the empathy I can muster.

I had echo's for the last 20 years, every three years in the beginning and then anually and then 6 monthly. The last 5 odd years with severe AV stenosis (hovering between 0.8 and 1.0).

I know how you feel and it is difficult to devise a strategy to cope with that interminable period before surgery becomes a necessity, the waiting room period..

Verbalization is one such a strategy, so please continue using it...we are all listening and thinking of you.

Fearing the unknown is normal but through VR.com those of us in the waiting room get to know so much that we begin to have anxieties about the KNOWN, a whole new and different ball game!

Eventually the surgery gave me my life back, and that is someting for you to look forward to!

 

[gerrys]

Jerome:
Hang in there. I lived with the knowledge of heart problems since age 10 and at age 59 it finally caught up to me. I hate to think of how many EKG's, echo's, etc I've had over the years.

You should be comforted by the fact that medicine has advanced and continues to advance tremendously over the years. AVR was not even an option 50 years ago and now it is a routine procedure.

Be happy that they can now monitor your heart in a number of ways and can select several avenues of treatment when it's time. This is a great place to get your questions answered by those who have already walked down the path.

Best of luck.

 

[skeptic49]

JJay, as you know I just had my yearly echo...you have plenty of company and yes the feeling of this thing hanging over your head is a pain in the A**...but we'll be fine. Try to forget about it...the nuns used to tell me "Don't worry about it until you really have something to worry about."

Your BAV/AA waiting room friend,

Jim

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Jerome, I know exactly how you feel and you have all the empathy I can muster.

I had echo's for the last 20 years, every three years in the beginning and then anually and then 6 monthly. The last 5 odd years with severe AV stenosis (hovering between 0.8 and 1.0).

I know how you feel and it is difficult to devise a strategy to cope with that interminable period before surgery becomes a necessity, the waiting room period..

Verbalization is one such a strategy, so please continue using it...we are all listening and thinking of you.

Fearing the unknown is normal but through VR.com those of us in the waiting room get to know so much that we begin to have anxieties about the KNOWN, a whole new and different ball game!

Eventually the surgery gave me my life back, and that is someting for you to look forward to!

GREAT Message Johan, especially the Last Line !

ALL Newcomers should read it.

Maybe Ross should make it into a "sticky" for the Pre-Surgery Forum.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[DavesMom]

Jerome,

I have my annual echo on the 14th of this month so I understand your anxiety. No need to apologize for venting - the waiting room is not a fun place to be.

As I said, I can sure empathize. My echos have been fine since my AVR/aneurysm repair in '99 but it's hard not to have a bit of worry in the back of my mind. Luckily I don't have to wait long for the results this year - my echo is in the morning and I see my cardio later that same day. The only bad thing is that what I'm most concerned about (a 4.5 cm aneurysm in the ascending aorta) never seems to show up on my echo. It was only found via a CT scan

As Johan so correctly said, think of this as giving you your life back. I remember my doctor telling me how much better I'd feel after the surgery and that statement made all the difference. I actually began to look forward to the surgery and my doctor was right - I did feel better.

Again, vent away whenever you feel the need. We understand.

Take care and best wishes,
Michelle

 

[Mentu]

Jerome, many of us have been in your shoes. I knew for 10 years that my valve was stenotic. Although my Cardio told me it might never become serious, it was still a possibility hovering in the shadows. That is quite enough with which to build anxieties but learning more about the problem does help. Foremost, as Johan said, this is a problem that can be fixed with extremely high success rates. Most of us know the problem is becoming serious before an echo or cath quantifies the progress of the degeneration so it is less likely to catch you unaware. Still, it is disturbing when your Cardio does tell you that it is time. Educating yourself about the different issues such as what the numbers in the reports mean, types of surgery, valves, etc. is one of the strategies with which to combat anxiety. The other is sharing your feelings instead of holding them inside. So, let us know when you are feel uneasy and we will remind you that you are not alone. Here in VR you have a lot of sympathetic ears who can honestly say that we understand.

Larry

 

[Roxx_yer_Soxx]

JJay-
You have been very inspirational and reassuring for me in all of my newbie posts.

I won't pretend to be an expert in this subject, but my guess is if you don't feel much different, then probably very little has changed.

The good news is.... even if/when your time comes for surgery.... the outcome has a 99.998% chance of being a total success that makes your life even better.

You are are my prayers
But I know you are going to be just fine

 

[jjay32]

Thank you everybody for the support. My cardio specializes in echo interpretation, right after the echo I have my consult with him and he goes over results. I know the basic readings and guidelines for aneurysm size and aortic stenosis so I am an informed patient, this last 4 months I have noticed an increase in angina episodes, and this is the first time that walking outside in 10% weather caused major chest discomfort, so that has me thinking that the aortic valve is continuing to narrow. I will post numbers when I get them. Again, thanks for all the support.