aortic and mitral valve mild thickening...

[bethanne]

I received a fax copy of my stress echo (I didn't get the echo 2 doppler study from 6 weeks ago). The only change that presented on the test was mild thickening of the mitral and aortic valve. Can anyone tell me what this means?

The latest report from my cardio is that he does not feel that I should go forward with surgery at this time. The stress echo showed no evidence of ischemia during the test, therefore he feels that I should wait until their is evidence of. Since I am feeling better with the calcium channel blocker I am okay with this, I think. He has also suggest I see an internist for my symptoms, I have made an appointment for Friday. My mom and both of my sisters are on synthroid for thryoid problems, and this could be contributing to my fatigue issues, etc.

I have also happened upon the name of a female cardiologist at st. lukes and I am wondering if I should have a second opinion, if at least to consider changing cardio's. Although I like my current doctor, I am drawn to a woman dr., her areas of interest are valve disease as well as woman's heart disease.. What do y'all think? Should I just stay where I am and be content with a follow up in 6 months.

I plan to try some physical activity to see how I can handle (now that I am feeling better on the nifedipine.).

As always, I appreciate your feedback.

bethanne

 

[bvdr]

I think the second opinion from the female cardiologist is a great idea. Not so much that she is a female but rather the valve specialist nomer.

 

[Bob]

Thickening?

Thickening?

The way thickening was explained to me is as follows. When my mitral begain to fail not enough blood was going out to the body. To compensate the heart tries harder. As it works harder and because it is a muscle it grows, thickens, in size. Just like a weight lifter thickens his/her muscles by lifting more weight. A little thickening was OK but too much is very bad. In my case we waited 8 months before the cardio said its time to fix it. My aortic leaks also but not enough to fix so the surgeon only did the mitral. We are watching the aortic for signs of overwork. Hope this helps. There may be other definitions of thickining, this was mine.
Good Luck.

 

[catwoman]

Bethanne:

Please PM me the name of the 2nd cardiologist, the one who specializes in valves. I have a cousin in Spring TX with a congenital valve problem; I don't know any more than that. His mother could use the name of another cardiologist. I will become one of his guardians when he turns 18, should something happen to his parents.

 

[Susan BAV]

Bethanne -

A second opinion (probably) never hurts... Don't let your doctor write off your fatigue to hypothyroidism...

 

[bethanne]

hi everyone,

I went to my new internal medicine doctor today.. she basically said the same thing Bob stated above regarding the thickening of the valves.. (i took copies of two echo test results with me to appt. )she said that some of my symptoms were from my valve and unfortunately, basically have to live with until the decision was made to replace. management of some symptoms with meds would be helful in the interim (which is what we have talked about here at vr.com so I am upset with current cardio to dismiss them and make me feel crazy)...

She did feel that some of my fatigue complaints may not be from the valve and ordered a battery of tests, blood work-up, pulmonary test, urine test, etc. We made an appointment for next Thursday to go over all the results.. in person since she realizes i have lots of questions...

She was concerned about the fluid retention and after test results would concurr with new cardio to adjust med to help with this... Yes! I did it... I was so nervous but I made the appt for April 15th with new cardio, who plans to review recent echo studies prior to appt. The hard part was calling my current cardio office and requesting records to be sent to the other office... It is so silly to have been so worried about it, but my new cardio's assist said i do not have to give a reason, so when i completed the info release sheet i did not answer that question... you would think i am 15 yrs old instead of 41.

Today is a much better day... Thank all of you for your listening ears and your support and encouragement to keep asking questions until I get the answers I need to make good decisions...

 

[McCln]

If it would make you feel better, get a second opinion. But I felt confident when I had surgery, because I felt that I was getting great advice. I was told as a child that my aortic valve would need to be replaced someday. But you must feel confident with the test results. If you are having problems, get another opinion. Better to be safe than sorry. Only you know if the results this time sound right or not. We do not judge for second opinions, we encourage it for a person feel good about their health. Take care and good luck. Get that second opinion.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[Debrinha GT]

second opinion

second opinion

Hi everybody, first of all I'd like to say that whenever health is concerned we have to be very careful because if something does go wrong, we're the ones who will suffer the consequences of our decisions. What I'm trying to point out here is that if we can't feel 100% sure about our situation, yes, a second or even third opinion can make a big difference. Well, although I'm saying that, I myself find it difficult to do so for it means having to bring it to the open with my cardiologist which isn't an easy task. In my case it isn't due to lack of trust but information instead. He has always got it right with me but wheneverI try to get some straightforward answers out of him, he always beats about the bush and I simply hate it when he does that. Doctors here in Brazil are famous for doing that and they're not at all keen on letting a patient in on to his situation. I'm going to see him on Monday and I wonder what he'll say on hearing that I've been doing a lot of research on the internet and that I'm taking part of these forum discussions. If any of you could help me sort out this problem, I'd be very grateful. Thank you.

 

[RCB]

For Deb and others going to dr.

For Deb and others going to dr.

The best thing you can do to get the information you want out of a dr. is:
1. Type or print out a list of questions you need answers
to. Make a copy-one for you, one for dr.
2. Prioritize them with the most important first.
3. Keep the number small.
4. Make sure to keep the wording PRECISE, CONCISE.
5. After the phy. exam or when he ask if you have questions, hand him the list and open your notebook with a
copy of the list. Take notes on what he says and ask him
to repeat some thing you don't understand.
Too many people go to drs. just to talk- you have this
board and friends to talk- never waste a dr's time-he will
appreciate you for it-always thank him for his time. If not
satisfied with dr's reply-change dr.
Good luck!

 

[bethanne]

The best thing you can do to get the information you want out of a dr. is:
1. Type or print out a list of questions you need answers
to. Make a copy-one for you, one for dr.

this is a great suggestion. I actually had a list this past week for my cardio, but only got a call back from the nurse not the doctor... this is the main reason I got frustrated and opted for the second opinion.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Bryan B]

I learned to do this out of necessity. If I didn't I would forget all the questions I wanted to ask my doctor. Now I always make a list out of habit. The docs seem to like it (I make a copy for them) because they can answer the questions quickly and more concisely. My PCP actually writes his answers on the page of questions and gives it back to me.

 

[Debrinha GT]

Thanks for helping!

Thanks for helping!

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. It seems I wasn't the only one facing this problem and I hope I succeed in getting the answers out of the doctor himself and not the secretary. I'll write the questions down and number them by order of preference. By the way, should I tell him about my research and this forum, or is it irrelevant? What would you do?

 

[RCB]

Depends on the dr.

Depends on the dr.

Deb,
You have to make a judgement about whether or not and how to tell your dr. about this forum. Some drs. feel
"I'm the DOCTOR", other think your a knowledgeable pt.
Approach can be everything with these medical types. Don't make your comments put him on the defensive. Make
your questions like "you know I read such and such about
such and such- would that be an option for me?" Pts. sometimes forget that drs. are people too and some have very big egos- just humor them. I know of no profession
that is as competitive to get in to, where the schooling is as
long, the professional standards so high and their decisions so life and death-they have earned our respect. Work with them- if you can't, go to another.

 

[Debrinha GT]

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much RBC for your support and kindness.Ever since I joined this forum you've always taken your time to answer my questions and you can't imagine how much I appreciate that sort of attitude. I'm going to follow your advice tomorrow and even if things don't go the way I expect them to, I'm still grateful all the same. If there's anything else you think can help me, just say it. Also, if you ever need some advice from me, just let me know and I'l do what's within my reach to help. See you around.

 

[RCB]

Help us to help you

Help us to help you

"I'm going to follow your advice tomorrow and even if things don't go the way I expect them to, "
Deb,
The key phrase above is " the way I expect them to"
Can you share with the forum what your expectations are
of your meeting with the dr. tomorrow? If you tell us
your goals, many of us could help you to reach them.
That is what we do here- help one another.

 

[Debrinha GT]

Let me explain

Let me explain

Hello RCB, I guess I haven't made myself very clear regarding what I actually expect from this consultation. Of course I'd love to hear that there's nothing wrong with me and so on, however, I do have a problem which I have to face. What I want, is for the doctor to stop trying to change the subject whenever I ask something and simply answer it instead. I know I might end up hearing something unpleasant or scary, but I'd rather live with the truth than being fooled into believing something that doen't make sense. Within a few hours I'll be there and I do hope he's got good news for me. Thank you again for your support and I'll post later on. Wish me luck!

 

[Debrinha GT]

Good news

Good news

As I had said, I was determined to get answers from my doctor and so I did. I waited until he was finished with me and then, after he told me that my valve is still in good shape and there's no regurgitation, I showed him the sheet with the questions I'd previously prepared. He analised them and began to answer one by one as best as he could. I feel very relieved even though some of the things he said got me to wonder what's in store for me. By that time, I felt that I could tell him about my research and this forum and I was pleased when he actually showed that he was happy for me and didn't opose to it. Talking about my doubts with you here before going to see him made a big difference, you can be sure, for I had no idea of how to approach him with my questions. Thank you very much indeed!

 

[RCB]

Great report

Great report

Most drs. like it when their pts. take an interest in their
care- it is less they have to explain and makes you a part of the team.