aortic stenosis

Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bob,

You are communicating just fine. Just come on out of your cocoon and mingle with all us other "butterflies" that have done the same thing.

I never took my stenosis as very serious but the handwriting is on the wall. It doesn't get better no matter how much I wanted it to. And it can progress pretty fast. I went from 1.02 cm sq. to .7 cm sq. in 6yars and 6 months. Then went from .7 to .61 in 5 more months all without symptoms. Just hook up with the cardiologist and follow his recommendations. They will save your life if you let them. Best of Luck and keep coming back to this wonderful group of caring and sharing.

Bill
 
Hi, Neighbor!

Hi, Neighbor!

Lisa...sorry to be so tardy in getting back to you. I haven't checked the post for some time.

Since we are "neighbors", if you would like to meet sometime, I would be more than willing to visit. A lot of fine people helped me through this almost three years ago now. I would be pleased to help someone else out.

Maybe we could meet at the stagecoach or something. Let me know.

Jean
 
I'm stupid

I'm stupid

Don't mean to be stupid but what is the difference between the Aortic Stenosis and the aortic valve regergitation. If you have one do you necessairly have the other? The other question is what is most peoples experience with going from moderate regergitation to severe where you would need the valve replacement?

Thanks for the info.

Lisa
 
You're not stupid!

You're not stupid!

Lisa,

Aortic stenosis is a stiffening of the aortic valve, so the blood has a difficult time leaving the left ventricle. One of my doctors compared it to putting your thumb over the end of a hose and spraying the water.

Aortic regurgitation is a leaky valve that lets blood back into the left ventricle.

Hope that helps!
 
Last edited:
wlaldridge said:
Bob,

You are communicating just fine. Just come on out of your cocoon and mingle with all us other "butterflies" that have done the same thing.

I never took my stenosis as very serious but the handwriting is on the wall. It doesn't get better no matter how much I wanted it to. And it can progress pretty fast. I went from 1.02 cm sq. to .7 cm sq. in 6yars and 6 months. Then went from .7 to .61 in 5 more months all without symptoms. Just hook up with the cardiologist and follow his recommendations. They will save your life if you let them. Best of Luck and keep coming back to this wonderful group of caring and sharing.

Bill
 
hey bill, since i'm at .8 c.m. ,If I walk in your shoes, Ive got 10 months to go maybe.. since Ive been reading a lot, it seems another criteria is the ejection fraction rate. I didnt hear any comments at the drs. about it, although the person that took my ekg said all looks good. does ekg show that?
the place you're at must be living up to its name by now. any winds? I visited there and panama city back in the 60's when I was stationed at ft. benning. I like this place and sure I will visit often. bob
 
thank you

thank you

Thanks all I knew there was a logical explination, now I understand.

Lisa
 
Welcome aboard Bob,

When my aortic valve area reached 0.8 cm sq, my cardiologist told me 'it was time' and refered me to a surgeon who I saw one month later. I scheduled surgery for another two months later (to finish my taxes, will, power of attorney, and accomodate his travel schedule).

Two days before my surgery, I started having 'sympotoms' (chest pain) and was went to the ER in an ambulance. I was put on a 'baloon pump' the night before surgery. I would NOT have wanted to wait even another week.

Bottom Line: I would recommend getting you affairs in order, study the valve options / tradeoffs (see Reference Section, Valve Selection section, discussion entitled "Making the Choice"), select a surgeon / hospital that does a LOT of replacements using your valve of choice, and GET A DATE. You definitely want to replace your defective valve BEFORE your heart develops permanent damage. Waiting for severe sympoms is NOT a good idea.

'AL'
 
Ejection fraction is calculated from the Echocardiogram. It is the percent of blood leaving the left ventricle into the aorta. Normal is 55 to 75 percent. Mine at opening .61 was still 55% low end of normal. The heart is marvelous at compensating. The left ventricle just pumps harder. The down side is that it thickens the wall of the ventricle (mine had just started to a little) then at some point the mode of failure is for the ventricle to dilate and stop working completely. Thus the sudden death associated with Aortic Stenosis. You may not get any warning signs simply drop dead. Most get some symptoms and the docs are pretty good at timing the surgery, it is a game of statistics they play, like walking a tightrope. The risk of a "bad outcome before symptoms" the first time is less than 1% but the risk of a bad outcome of first surgery with symptoms less than three months duration is slightly less than 1%. I think I got that right, anyway they are willing to wait till the odds are stacked in your favor then pull the trigger do the surgery and save your life. They understand the mode of failure and the rate of sudden death pretty well but do not like to let symptoms extend very long, even with the numbers not in the danger range.

The waiting is far worse than the recovery, take my word. Much as I didn't want the surgery or cath or any of that crud, I am glad I did it now and look forward to a bright future. Maybe even employment again someday soon.

Listen to Al he is a strong voice of knowledge here.

Best of luck,

Bill
 
Bill and Al

Bill and Al

Bill and Al,

Tell me what you make of this below is one of the 3 of my Echo's. I don't know where you are looking on here to see the size that you were referring to Bill (0.8).
Just based on what you see here what do you think?

Left Vent/ Doastole 3.7 cm
Left Vent/ Systole 2.5 cm
Septum-diastole 1.0 cm
L.V. Post. Wall-diastole 1.0 cm

Left Atrium 2.5 cm

Aortic Root 2.4 cm
Aortic Leaflet Opening 2.0 cm

Right Vent Diastole 1.0 cm

Aortic Valve
1.1 m/sec.
FHT 408 m/sec
AI 2+

Mitral Valve
0.5 m/sec

Calculated Values
L.V. Fractional Shortening

2D FP 57%


Findings:
The cardiac valves are well-seen. Moderate/to Severe Aortic regurgitation is found though no obvious structural abnormality is seen. The 3 leaflets of the aortic valve could not be distincly identified.

Don't know if any of that will make sense but maybe some of it will mean more to you than me, if so let me know. Thanks again and talk to you soon.
 
The narrative usually mentions the defects seen they do not mention stenosis and none of the openings and sizes appear out side normal range.

Some one else will let you know about AI at 2+ and what it means.

The regurgitation is a back flow when the valve closes. All the valves in the heart are "check valves" that is they only are supposed to allow fluid to pass in one direction and prevent back flow as the heart is between beats. You probably are not suffering stenosis(stiffening and failure of the valve to open enough to let blood pass out of the left ventricle. Maybe only the back flow thing.

Best I can do,

Others know more.

Bill
 
Back
Top