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I was first diagnosed in 1999 totally by chance as far as I remember (there was no murmur to be heard but since it was the first time I was doing a check-up, the doctor ordered an echo anyway). I was 25 by then. Since I haven't had stenosis (at least so far), I was never told to refrain from...

I also recommend getting a smart / fitness watch. The latest ones include sleep tracking, which has been surprisingly helpful for me in terms of detecting and changing some of my habits. They also monitor very relevant indicators such as VO2 and, while not being very precise in this case, are...

Thanks for the encouragement! My aorta is luckily nearly the same size in the last 10 years. I've run a relay race last weekend, two segments with ca. 7 km each, partly on the beach, partly on rather slippery terrain, and managed 4:24/km at the first segment and 4:32/km at the second (sorry...

Thanks so much for the report! As a runner myself, who hasn't yet gone through surgery (next control echo in December), it's great to see that you're coming back to form. While my regurgitation is severe, my EF is still in the high sixties, as it has always been since I was diagnosed (some...

Hi guys, a quick question regarding valve selection: I'm still in the monitoring phase (next check-up in December/January), but I'm relatively certain that, when the time comes, I'll go for mechanical. While I haven't checked yet which valve brands are available in my country, I wonder if...

I don't understand either! By the way, one of the major reasons to perform a stress test is exactly to find out the ideal heart rate for exercise - and this is true even for "normal" people. 130 for cardio activities should be ok for "normal" people (it's actually on the low side depending on...

The message from Chuck is right on the spot, but I'd like to add something that I've heard the last time I've done a treadmill stress test (the "fancy" one with a mask, which also happens to be a PITA but that's other story). The doctor who's applied the test mentioned that regurgitation...

Guys, just a quick follow-up. I've just been to the cardio again after all my exams. The main measures of my echo were actually stable, ejection fraction is good at 67% but my left ventricle is at 66 mm, however it has been hovering above 60 since 2015. I did notice a change in the so-called...

I assume you've found this one already, but anyway here goes the link: https://www.schuechtermann-klinik.de/medizin-pflege/herzchirurgie/ozaki-operation/ According to the AVNeo website it's the closest hospital to the Netherlands that performs the procedure. I lived in Germany for a few years...

I totally understand you guys! It's just that, way back then, I was told that the main marker for surgery would be that I'd start to get tired doing daily chores. This hasn't happened (yet), but I know my situation may be different because I'm somewhat fitter than average. But I'm getting used...

Exactly! And the chest pain has gotten worse in the last few weeks. One point to note is that (maybe due to anxiety) my blood pressure is all over the place. I know that can also cause chest pain, but I guess the final answer will come from the echo that I'll take on Monday. However, I'm nowhere...

Interesting point - last time I had a CPET (the "fancy version" of the stress test) the doc applying it did mention that exercise capability is a difference between regurgitation and stenosis. BTW I had my stress test today and it was mostly fine - VO2max above 60 and "almost" everything normal...

Once again thank you so much guys! For me it's essentially clear now that mechanical is the way to go for my condition. People are complicated - I guess I took some pride in saying, whenever asked before, say, blood exams, that I don't take any medication. So it seems I'll have to swallow my...

First of all, thank you very much for your very thorough answer, Chuck C! The reason I hoped my condition would take longer to deteriorate is to take advantage of any new technologies that wouldn't bring the inconveniences of a mechanical valve. However, I don't expect AVNeo (which seems to be...

That's a very good question, that I unfortunately didn't ask 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ However, on my EKG from last year there's the following note: "Sinus rhythm - left ventricle overload". I've also retrieved a random EKG from 2015 and I confess I don't see any change in the patterns, so maybe my previous...

Hi all! So happy to have found this site! I confess I've been trying to live a normal life and not worrying about my degrading aortic valve, but maybe now I'll finally have to deal with it. I've known now for decades that I have an aortic valve regurgitation (detected when I first had an echo...