heart issue

[sharon48]

I have a 22 yr old son in the army who is now scheduled for an echo and a high resolution CT scan on June 28. He has been experiencing severe dyspnea on exertion - vomiting, tight chest, inability to breathe, headache.
Flight surgeon said she suspected asthma. She referred him off-base and subsequnetly pulmonary function tests showed his oxygen saturation fell from 98% at rest to 91% after a slow five-minute walk. A chest x-ray revealed an enlarged aorta. I have a copy of the dr's report and he clearly is suspicious that there might be aortic valve disease.

DOes anyone have any familiarity with these symptoms. As I'm not with my son, it's causing me a great deal of anxiety and the delay in the subsequent testing isn't making me happy.
Any info you can provide would be helpful

 

[tammy70]

I am sorry to hear about the problems your son is experiencing. They should have a better idea how his valves are functioning after the echo. A couple of quesitons: does anyone in the family have any valve problems and has he ever had these symptoms before? Good luck to you and your son.

 

[tobagotwo]

The description is not at all out of line with a bicuspid aortic valve and aortic aneurism. However, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the echo and CT to tell the story for sure. Other heart issues can cause similar disfunction.

He must be excused from fitness training until the diagnosis is clear, particularly with the enlarged aorta. See if you can be sure they have done this. Heavy exercise with these symptoms should be considered extremely risky, until doctors can determine the causation.

Best wishes,

 

[gadgetman]

Unfortunately the military health system has a bad habit of moving too slow. They have lost more and more "in house" cabilities so they are farming all sorts of tests out locally.

The military first discovered (after I retired from active duty) some blockage in my heart. At the time they had a Cardio on consult which verified their findings. That is when they sent me to a civilian Cardio who I've been with since.

Don't "preach" to him but recommend to your son that he stay on top of his treatment. Military systems are good at "misplacing" paperwork. The anxiety on your part is understandable. Try not to worry too much (NEVER TELL A MOTHER THIS ). Good Luck to your son and prayers and good thoughts are coming your way for all of you.

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[Marguerite53]

wishing you good luck

wishing you good luck

Sharon. I, too, have a 22 year old son so I can totally empathize with you on your level of concern. From the sounds of it you are very much "in the loop" at this point and that is excellent. DO NOT WAVER. Stay informed even if it means you feel like you are nagging and pesky. You are the person who cares the most in this equation and you must advocate for your son if he hasn't the perspective to. It sounds like he is letting you help so that is good. Keep on asking questions and getting answers.

Perhaps you could get your own GP involved in the questions and answers so as to assuage your anxiety some. If you have a good relationship with your local doctor and he/she can refer you to a local cardiologist. Those nurses can be very helpful in explaining things more clearly than we, here can.

I would echo the advice to keep your son away from strenuous activity until a diagnosis is confirmed.

Keep us posted. Wishing you good news at the month's end.

Marguerite

 

[ALCapshaw2]

With Valve Disease and/or Aortic Aneurism it is IMPERITIVE to limit exertion until those issues are resolved and repaired. Failure to heed those cautions can have serious or fatal consequences if either of those conditions exist.

If there is any way to move up those tests, I would urge your son to do so. The echo is a simple non-invasive test that can be performed in less than 30 minutes. This test can give a 'ballpark' overview of valve size and function as well as size of the aorta.

Be SURE your son and the military take these conditions SERIOUSLY.

'AL Capshaw'