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blessed1416

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
140
Location
Alabama
Hi VR Friends,
I haven't been here in a while due to changes going on in our family and just simply haven't had the time. For the last year and half, I've had frequent chest pains ranging in severity from mild tightness to crushing pains so bad that I'd need to lie down just to get some relief. About 2 months ago, I woke in the middle of the night to a sharp pain in my back that felt like I had been hit from behind. Around that time, I was experiencing some high blood pressure issues, but my cardio attributed it to stress. He put me on azor and bystolic, and my bp has been normal since. He also did a stress echo and said that everything looked good...heart function was 60% but bicuspid was "showing some regurg," but that if my bp remained controlled that this wouldn't be an issue. My feet and ankles stay swollen even though I take a diuretic every other day. He has me coming in for appointments every 6-8 weeks, so I can't help but wonder if he is not telling me everything. Also, he has really never explained what a "bicuspid" valve is. From what I'm reading, it is a congenital heart defect, with a valve only having 2 leaflets rather than 3. I don't understand what is happening, I just know that I don't feel quite right even though all the tests are showing nothing of concern. Can anyone help me to understand what is happening? Thank you so much!
Blessings, Gail
 
Gail get copies of all your medical records!!!! You'd be surprised at what they write that they don't tell you.

As for the chest pain, it sounds very much like an aneurysm. I know he said things look fine on a stress echo, but has he ever considered a CATSCAN? Aneurysms and Bicuspid valves seem to go hand in hand and what your experiencing may well be the final warning bell.
 
sorry you are having to go through such a tough time. stress is not a pleasant thing. Stay with us through this. we pray it isn't a heart issue, but sounds like it ought to be thoroughly checked out.
 
I agree with the excellent advice Ross gave you. I was bicuspid and had a major aneurysm. Was taken care of with a combined aortic valve/root replacement 5 1/2 years ago. Not saying you have the same problem, but Ross is right -- getting copies of your medical records is a good place to start. You are entitled to them.
 
Your doctor owes you a better explanation. You shouldn't have to come here to find out what a "bicuspid" is, not that this isn't a great place for some information. Get a list of questions ready for your next doctor visit. I always take in a written list and ask the doctor for some time to go over them. Go ahead and ask questions here, but make sure to review it directly with your doctor. If then you get the feeling you are not getting good, complete information from the doctor, then consider a second opinion with another cardiologist. You're having some pretty severe symptoms. If the doctor says aren't related to your heart or aorta, I'd sure like to know what the cause is.
 
Hi, Gail! I grew up in Alabama, so your post caught my attention. Definitely get a copy of any data from your last ultrasound of your heart. The group here can tell you a lot about the data. If you have a bicuspid aortic valve, it may have narrowed with time and could be causing sypmtoms. BAV's tend to age faster (get narrow or get leaky or both) than the normal tricuspid aortic valve. Swollen ankles are not a good sign either.

Also, how is your gall bladder? I had severe between-the-shoulder-blades back and center chest pain last year which I thought was my heart and it ended up being gall stones. Those pains always hit at night when I was laying down (allowed gall stones to move and cause blockage/pain).

Good luck!
 
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Gail
My feet and ankles stay swollen even though I take a diuretic every other day
Click to expand...
this is not normal, it is a symptom that something is wrong.
Does the cardio have an opinion on this, if this just is being dismissed by the cardio I would be having doubts about their competence.
As other have indicated aneurysms occur in a significant number of BAV patients and are more prevalent in those with regurgitation.
You may have an aneurysm and this should be ruled out first, however there could be a number of other conditions that have caused this back pain.
 
If your legs are swollen, you may need to take your Diuretic Every Day (instead of every other day) and maybe even increase the dose, WITH direction from your Cardiologist. (I'm curious, where is your Cardiologist locaated in Alabama? HSV, BHM, other? If HSV, who do you see?)

'AL C'
 
Thank you everyone for your quick responses. Ross, Marylee, Hensylee, Bob, and Bill, I called my cardio's office today and asked them to make copies of the report from my last stress-echo and they said that my doctor would be glad to go over them with me when I came to pick them up. Bill, I plan to have questions in my hand when I go in for the consult. Drivetopless, I had my gall bladder removed 3 years ago after several mis-diagnosis. OldManEmu, my cardio seems to think that arthritis has set up in my sternum from having 2 OHSs, he even prescribed Celebrex to help with the pain. I've taken it for a month and it hasn't helped. And, Al...the diuretics drain my energy so much that I only take them every other day, also I'm restricted to staying close to home on those days as well. My cardiologist is in Opelika. He is Dr. Michael Aikins. He has taken such good care of me up until this last year and I have never questioned his ability. But from everyone's insight thus far I will definately have questions for him next week. I may be back to ask for suggestions. Thank you all and may God bless you. Gail
 
I don't recall anyone saying that diuretics "drained" their energy.
Actually, it more the opposite. Retaining too much fluid can make it more difficult to get about.
Something is going on there that you and your Doctors need to track down.

Ask your Pharmacist about side effects from your diuretic.
Pharmacists can be a valuable source of (free) information on the effects (and interactions) of prescription drugs.

'AL C'
 
My internist found the diuretic I take daily had also washed out a lot of my potassium. Low postassium levels will cause you to feel drianed and tired. You need to get your poatassium checked and add a lot of potassium to your diet. Everyone recommended more bananas, but my recent research showed me that things like beans and peanuts have a lot of potassium--much more than bananas. I am a vegetarian and sometimes get great cravings for beans and for tofu. It turns out that tofu is extremely high in potassium! (Oh, and salt substitutes from the table salt area of your supermarket are vertually all potassium.)
 
Maryka,

Another source of Postassium is in Fruit Juice drinks.
Juicy Juice contains 220 mg/serving. My Orange Juice has 450 mg/serving.

'AL'
 
Back to Potassium: The minimal daily requirement for Potassium seems to be somewhere around 3000 units, so you would have to have about 15 juice boxes to reach that level. (Orange juice is higher, so it would be only about 6-7 juice boxes.) There are a number of good/high sources of Potassium including regular servings of: apricots at 814 units, prune juice at 707, carrot juice at 689, spinach and winter squash are over 800, I believe. Soy beans (and their products) are over 800, tofu higher yet. White beans (as in good old Campbell's bean soup) are over 1000 units! I got these numbers from my college level nutrition course (required for my major in college) and from the Internet.

The problem is that Potassium must be balanced because getting way too much of it can damage the heart also. We who are on diuretics should be monitored by our doctors for Potassium levels.
 
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Something sure doesn't sound right. Get the results of all your tests not just your stress test. Always get your results and keep them in a folder. Even though we may assume your leg swelling is of cardiac origin doesn't mean it is. It could possibly be renal. Doctor's just do not have the time to spend with their patients that they might like which is just one reason that a patient needs to be a very active member of their health care team. Read all you can about bi-cuspid valves and become very familiar with what you are dealing with.

By the way, do check not only your potassium but your magnesium as well. I hope you soon have some answers and are on the way to feeling better.
 
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