Thanks for reporting back. I'm scheduled for an exercise echo myself as a follow up to my last echo. No idea how that will go. Sounds like you are on a methodical plan.
Do you mind me asking the extent of breathlessness you would have from stairs before surgery? Just breathing a little harder or would you need to sit down to catch your breath ?Not saying this has anything to do with your breathlessness on exertion but I had that REAL bad (just walking up steps) starting a few months prior to suffering a major heart attack - which led to my OHS. Turned out I had a major coronary artery blocked 90% plus BAV with "moderate" calcification which of course put a strain on my heart. My breathlessness was originally totally misdiagnosed as COPD btw, and I almost died from that misdiagnosis & meds I was on etc etc etc, very long story.
The stress echo you mentioned getting should help reveal your issue. One known as a NUCLEAR stress test might also be useful - for that they inject you with radioactive/whatever dye b4 you workout on the treadmill then do cat & dog scans on you to get a good look at your heart muscle & its bloodflow.
Anyways, don't worry about the stress echo, should not be a big deal. Best of luck to you and sounds like you are on the right track!
While OHS is not something to rush into, when you have a condition that will get progressively worse, with the risks continually increasing, why wait until the risks from the disease approach or exceed the risks from OHS? You will still have to have the OHS. The only risk that you can control is limiting the risk from the valve by not waiting until it causes damage.My sister, a retired OB/Gyn, had said she'd be concerned about any CT surgeon wanting to operate on someone functioning as well as I am given the risks
It's hard to quantify. I don't have to sit down to catch my breath but I do have to sop and rest. I feel it now just walking across the room when my heart rate is only around 75- not severe, not so bad I need to stop and catch my breath, but in the beginning I didn't have it just walking on a level surface.Do you mind me asking the extent of breathlessness you would have from stairs before surgery? Just breathing a little harder or would you need to sit down to catch your breath ?
While OHS is not something to rush into, when you have a condition that will get progressively worse, with the risks continually increasing, why wait until the risks from the disease approach or exceed the risks from OHS? You will still have to have the OHS. The only risk that you can control is limiting the risk from the valve by not waiting until it causes damage.
This is why I recommend to all children that they ask their parents for at least 1 sister! Seriously, I'm sure she will be very helpful.She HAS said she'll support me in whatever I decide, including flying halfway across the country to stay with me afterwards for awhile.
It helps if she's an MD! I'm a retired actuary and so far none of my siblings has needed my expertise.This is why I recommend to all children that they ask their parents for at least 1 sister! Seriously, I'm sure she will be very helpful.
Good luck with the appointment!I'm meeting with the surgeon Monday (yeah, in 2 days) .
This is golden. Even though she's in a different specialty, I'm sure that, as a professional, she'll be helpful in a big way.She HAS said she'll support me in whatever I decide, including flying halfway across the country to stay with me afterwards for awhile. Our late parents would be proud.
As I understand it, these are to add/replace "Chordae tendineae". Which are natural "strings" that connect to papillary muscles. That is, the mitral valve's opening/closing is done not just by the pressure difference in its natural state. The muscles help with the motions.His approach would be repair, including "neo chords" to better connect the valve flaps to the heart wall
Do you mind me asking the extent of breathlessness you would have from stairs before surgery? Just breathing a little harder or would you need to sit down to catch your breath ?
Wow- I hope they don't wait till mine gets that bad before they recommend surgery. I've never felt that bad but that's partly because I've had to modify my workouts and make them a little easier, walk my bike up hills and take long hills and steps at a slower pace when on foot.I could not "catch my breath". Felt like I was gasping for air. Had to wait/rest to return to "normal".
Yeah, I was pretty bad. Both a bad valve AND blocked arteries.Wow- I hope they don't wait till mine gets that bad before they recommend surgery. I've never felt that bad but that's partly because I've had to modify my workouts and make them a little easier, walk my bike up hills and take long hills and steps at a slower pace when on foot.
It's a special privilege, reserved for the family memberssometimes ask my sister the doctor questions that make her roll her eyes at me.
IMHO patient's education is useful. It takes (at least) two to tango, and they'd better be (more or less) in step.I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, spend too much time consulting Dr. Google, listen to Dr. Peter Attia's podcasts and
I agree. The old-school doc might ask sarcastically, "Which medical school did YOU attend?" My interventional cardiologist and I had a great back-and-forth discussion. Him: "Your Lp(a) is high. Maybe you should take statins." Me: I had terrible tendonitis with Prevastatin. My CRP is low and my calcium score is 1." He agreed although I'm debating getting another class of statin. I really like having a practitioner who supports my doing my own research and my attempts to keep this from getting worse via healthy diet and exercise.IMHO patient's education is useful. It takes (at least) two to tango, and they'd better be (more or less) in step.
I like the test results online because I can research them and then have a list of questions prepared BEFORE the visit. I always forget all my questions in the moment. If I don't know what to ask I usually just leave and then the questions pop up afterwards and I end up more confused than when I went in.I can see why some docs don't like the patient having access to test results on-line because they ca get alarmed, but I'm glad I've had this lead time before my visit.
My echo report just says greater than or equal to 60%.When I first became concerned with my EF - it was 40, and gradually declined, I checked to see what the normal EF should be. IIRC, 'normal' is around 60.
Nobody's EF is 100%, AFAIK, so having a 60% is not a dire prediction of failure (people, at least me, expect 100% to be normal - it isn't).
Yes, listen to your doctor. If you're unsure, get another opinion. But you can take some comfort in the knowledge that a 100% EF isn't the 'normal' value.
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