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**I was told I had a murmur but NOT to worry about it.
I have had a heart murmur all my life and no one has ever expressed concern until into my 40s. Pectus Excavatum (PE) often causes a murmur due to the displacement of the heart and possible confusion, so I figured that's all it was. It actually shocked me when the doctor sent me for the first heart test 18 months ago. I was pretty convinced my fatigue was low testosterone due to getting older. LOL

Then the newest doctor lectured me on my weight. I am 6'4" and 219. No doctor has ever said anything. But he seemed very concerned about the 15 extra pounds I carry. I am barely overweight and I am at the gym at least 3 days a week. The BMI scale isn't infallible, especially when you are so close to being normal. Only a real body fat analysis can give you a truly accurate answer. I eat mostly healthy foods, but I guess I have to cut out my few splurges.
 
Regarding the sound/noise of mechanical valves, despite having tinnitus I have very sensitive hearing (I had to remove a wall clock from my bedroom which was like 20 feet away from my bed, because the "click" it made with the second hand was annoying me).

And when I was in the hospital recovering from my open heart surgery there was a weird light that was part of the electrical socket on the wall across from the foot of my bed which made a strange noise every time it blinked (every couple minutes) which virtually no one could hear but me (but it kept waking me up) - and I had to complain to the nurses about it who thought I was crazy (besides the point) with end result of something like a maintenance person coming in and disabling or changing the outlet (or something I can't remember exactly).

But my mechanical aortic valve? I can't hear it. Not a peep. Nor can anyone else. Don't know what factors are involved to make mine inaudible (without a stethoscope) vs other folks that say they can hear theirs (body mass, bone density, height, curly vs straight vs no hair, being left vs right handed, or anything imaginable under the sun) but point is YMMV either way so I wouldn't put too much stock into that aspect of it. Besides maybe by the time you need one they'll have a guaranteed noiseless model available.

But seriously I wonder if this is any kind of thing that the Drs (or the valve makers) know about, are they aware of some being louder than others, are there installation placement locations to make them less noisy, or what?
From what I was reading it didn't sound like most people hear it. It said there is a chance you will hear a ticking from it. My heart seems to be closer to the surface so I'm wondering if I would be able to hear it. My wife tells me when she puts her head on my chest my heart is the loudest she has ever heard. LOL I am sure this is due to heart being abnormally placed from the PE.
 

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