Advice needed.

[Eowyn Rose]

I need advice badly.
I am 11 months past surgery. I replaced my aortic valve and still have a narrowing of my aorta.
As before I have pain in my chest exactly at the point where my valve is. I did have does pain previously and I was checked out and nothing life treating has been found. I was sent home I went on with my life and the pain went after a while. The next time it happend I went back to the doctor which told me that anxity could give me this chest pains. I went to a female medical doctor who specalizes in anxities and stress.
I was normal. I did not need antidepessant I am not over reacting and my mind is clear and I am not overly stressed. I am just as i though a good average in everything.
I did like the idea of getting pains because I am stressed, loopy etc.
Anyway here I am again. I felt great a week ago. Than in a matter of 1 day I fell to bits. I got pain just were my valve is and felt so exhausted. I applied heat packs which eased the pain. I hardly could go to work and was so weak. I took one day of and rested in the hope the pain goes away. It did not. I did not feel so exhaused but still not good enough for every day life. In the morning my pains are not as bad as later in the day. The back shoulder blade hurts me to but i think that is a muscular because I start to hold myself differently with my pain.
I am now convinced that it is not in my head or I am to stressed or because I am belonging to the weaker sex. Tomorrow I will go to the GP and I will ask to check me out again. Thats were I need your help and knowlege.
What questions do I have to ask? What test should be done. What could be the reasons? Where do I ask them to look. Maybe it is not even anything with my heart.
Thanks Eowyn Rose

 

[Cris N]

I have very little medical knowledge but my first thought would be to check for bacterial endocarditis. I'm sure others will pop in with other thoughts. I hope you get this resolved quickly & that it's nothing serious. Don't let the doctors give up until you're satisfied.

Cris

 

[Blanche]

Dear Eowen Rose:
I don't know how to advise you about your symptoms, but I do know that you need medical treatment and advice. I would bet my ranch that whatever is happening to you is not in your head. As far as "weaker sex" is concerned, that is a bunch of baloney. Both men and women suffer stress, especially after surgery. Men may deal with it differently, but stress is stress and it can cause all sorts of unconfortable reactions. Some people handle stress better than others do, regardless of gender.

I spent 10 years in denial about the "stress" in my life. When I finally admitted it to myself and my doctor I got medication that changed my life. And, at that time I certainly did not have the medical conditions that you now have. Stress gets us all sooner or later, although most of us wish to wish it away. You said that you"liked the idea of getting pains because you were stressed , loopy, et." You must realize that what you went through is in an of it self one of the most stressful things that a human will ever encounter in life. Taking medication for "stress" is not sitgmatizing, it is just good old common sense. I would wager that at lease half of the people who have the same surgery that you had take or took medications to relieve their "stress." I think, in my humble opinion, that this is one of the first steps for you. The second might be to contact a cardiologist and ask for a complete work up. Your surgery may have been 11 months ago, but your symptoms seem new and they are her NOW. They also seem to be symptoms that call for expertise beyond that of an internist or gp.

What ever is happening to you is not your fault. You have done every single thing right. Find the right kind of doctor to help you and you will be much better. I know it is harder than it sounds, I have been there, I am there now. You can do it. You have to take control. You can do it.

Blanche

 

[CCRN]

Ditto all above.

Your symptoms could be pericarditis, depression, muscular spasm, or all of the previously mentioned. Insist on getting another counsult if you are not getting results. I highly recommend massage for the muscular pain. Muscle spasms can be quite painful so don't rule it out so soon. Hope this helps.

 

[Eowyn Rose]

Dear Blanche,

Since english is my second language I might explain thing wrongly. After one GP told me that it might be stress I went and consulted a female doctor who speciallized in anxieties and stress. I go once every week for the last 3 months and she never taught that I am depressed or was unable to handle my every day life. She is a great help to me and helps me greatly in understanding myself and get my confidence back. I went to see her because I belived that if it would be my emotional state she can help me. I even hoped that prognosis would indicated that it is stress related or I that I am depressed. That excluded everything serious to me and as you mention with drugs my life would improve. I was not diognosed with depression or anxieties. I would have happily taken antidepressant or any other kind of medication if prescriped to make sure I would not have such symptoms again.
I did write the treat in a hurry.
My illness was a lot to cope and a rough ride. My husband could not understand that I had such an emotional rollercoaster once I was diognsed and after the operation. Thats when it was easier just to say that I am in loopy state because I could not explain myself to make him understand how hard it is emotionally. Please do not understand me wrongly I do not call anybody loopy who is depressed or has anxieties. I had it all, and treated it. All am saying is just because I am female and emotional I do not like to be undermined, when I feel it is my body.
I am so sorry if I have offended anybody
Eowyn Rose

 

[Blanche]

Eowen Rose:
I doubt that others were offended by you. I was not. Please know that I believe that you always explain yourself very well. It is just that I am very, very worried for you. What's happening to you is real and it is not something that you have done nor is it something you can control.

Perhaps I am wrong about the stress, although I seriously doubt that. In any event, you are having real concerns about real medical symptons and problems. The medical people you are seeing are not giving you the results that you need. Please seek medical help elsewhere and please do it immediately. I wish the very best for you.

Blanche

 

[rbl1999]

Hi, I just wanted to add that I hope you are ok... I just had aorta valve replacement and I know what a difficult time it is and how important it is not to sit and stress about it. I would be firm with your doctors and tell them that you need to know what is causing this. I know that I had and still have some strange pains that scare me, so I do understand. Hope all goes ok for you.. Rose