Hello everyone.....

[EireCara]

*Hi guys....Just wondering if you have an opinion on a couple of new symptoms Im experiencing. Iv been feeling a 'pulsating' in my head with pressure,(not bad but I know its there), and I can 'hear' and feel the pulsating in my right ear especially at night when I lie down, also pulsating in my 'aortic' area, I can feel it with my hand when lying down and its sore in one area just above and slightly left of my navel. *The other thing is a pain in my 'aortic' area when I stand (it happens when I stand in line in the post office..always a 5 or 10 minute wait) and when walking (after about 4 or 5 minutes of gentle walking).
I am always SOB now...it used to 'come and go' but seems to be 'staying around' now.
*Im not panicking about any of this, but wonder has anyone experienced any of these symptoms. *I finally got a copy of my last echo (taken 6months ago) and it states ..moderate MVR, 3 clefts anterior leaflets, AO dim 3.4. I am awaiting other reports from a different hospital so I can compare results...these things seem to take forever !!!

Best Wishes to you ALL.

 

[readsforfun]

Other than SOB, I haven't experienced any of the symptoms that you are feeling! I would certainly stay on top of it, and don't hesitate to prompt them when awaiting results. I was told 1 year ago that I had aortic stenosis, but, I could go for 5-10 years without needing surgery. This year, when I went back for my annual echo, I was told I needed surgery NOW! Things can change quickly. So, do stay alert, tell your doctor about your symptoms and get the answers to your questions. Good luck to you!!

Jan

 

[EireCara]

Wow.........

Wow.........

Hi Jan, Wow that must have been quite a shock for you. It looks like your having surgery in just a few weeks. Id imagine your feeling pretty scared right now, but if you read lots of posts on here you will see that all these people before you have had this surgery and they are fine now, if not better than before the surgery. *Very best wishes Jan, I will send positive thoughts your way, and THANK you for replying to my post.

 

[Magic8Ball]

Not had any of the symptoms but i'd guess at high blood pressure causing the pulsating you are talking about.

If your symptoms have changed i'd get to your GP quickly and get a once over before possibly seeing your cardio.

Any assurances we can give you here should not stop you from going to see a proper doctor to discuss.

Change is not good to ignore.

Regards.

 

[catwoman]

Jacqui:

I had those symptoms. I had pulsations in my lower throat, the SOB, the "throbbing" in my ear, inability to lie on my left side, I was gray to blue (my friends NEVER told me I looked blue or gray), etc. etc.

You are very symptomatic. Do not delay surgery.

I had to go on short-term disability 2 weeks pre-op because I could not walk 40-50 feet to my desk from my car parked on the street (handicap tag) in front of my office building. I'm on the first floor, so it was a very short walk to my desk.

 

[EireCara]

*Iv been to my gp twice since Xmas (Im beginning to feel embarassed about going again).. but she doesnt seem alarmed at my symptoms..nobody is talking surgery to me, but I am hoping to see my cardiologist in Dublin, in a large hospital (where I had my last echo done in September and they diagnosed my MVR at moderate).. Im also waiting for an appointment to have an ablation (for arrythmia) and a heart cath.been waiting almost six months, at the same hospital. The hospital manager was on TV news yesterday saying they had to cancel all 'major' operations due to the hospital being at full capacity and a shortage of beds, so I guess they are 'busy busy' in general.
*Actually another symptom Im getting is pain when I breath IN, especially first thing in the morning or when I wake up during the night, its quite strong at first but eases after 2 or 3 minutes when I sit up.

Thank you all for your replies...'greatly appreciated'.

 

[catwoman]

Jacqui:

Are you having to sleep with your head elevated, say, propped up with 2-3 pillows?

 

[EireCara]

Yes 2 or 3 pillows......

Yes 2 or 3 pillows......

Yes..I usually go asleep almost sitting upright, then wake up with a 'gasp' during the night because Iv slipped down from the pillows and im lying down. Last night I woke up with a particularly bad 'gasp' and had to get out of bed and walk around. This has been happenig for months now...what happens is we(I) make adjustments for these symptoms that sneak up on us and then this becomes 'normal'. I also get pain in my back, between my shoulder blades, just slightly to the left. Believe me if I were well off enough to pay for private health care I would probably be operated on by now. Our health service is in a crisis at the moment. There are people worse off than me, from what I hear on the news.

 

[Marguerite53]

You know, at first I was just going to say that I'd had some of your symptoms with my aortic stenosis and not to worry too much. But I never woke up gasping for air. Maybe it's a difference in the valves.....anyway. I think your symptoms need attention. I really do. You need to be heard. CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!

Do not be shy about calling them. Call them 8 times a day if you need to. That is what they are there for!! I know things are done differently in your country than in ours, but everywhere....we are all caring human beings. Doctors take an OATH to be there for you in time of need. You are in a time of need. You may not be in a serious emergency, but you have valid concerns which need to be addressed NOW. Be persistent. You have a right to good health and answers!

Keep us posted. Good luck!

Marguerite

 

[MaryC]

'How many pillows are you sleeping on?' has been one of my cardiologist's regular questions during my annual checkup. I have always been able to reply the same way '...one flat pillow.' When my brother ended up in the hospital last September and found out he was needing mitral valve surgery I mentioned my cardiologist's pillow question. My brother was stunned. I asked him how many he was using and he said 10! I would get to your doctor and tell them about your symptoms. Have you had a TEE done?

MaryC

 

[EireCara]

MaryC, Im sleeping on a minimum of 2 very fat pillows. I usually fall alseep sitting up because if I lie down I get all kinds of weird symptoms..pressure in my heart/chest...irr.heart beats...and SOB. But I usually wake up lying flat. Lately I am thinking 'back' and can see that these things have been happening 'now and then' for years and years, but this last year its come more and more and seems to have decided to 'stay' right now. I have always been 'sure' that I would wake up some day completely better, if I lived ''correctly''...so for the last 10 years I havent drank alcohol, smoked, and Im very strict about what I eat..I am vegetarian, havent eated dairy for 17 years. But NOTHING has made one scrap of difference to this heart thing. Thank you for your reply.

*Thank you Marguerite.

 

[EireCara]

Oops....

Oops....

*Sorry MaryC....No I havent had a TEE test done. In fact I never heard of it until I read about it on this site!!

 

[sue943]

It is a TOE for us, not TEE. Transoesophageal Echocardiogram just to be awkward.

 

[EireCara]

*Thank you, Sue.

 

[Susan BAV]

I never had a TEE done until during (immediately after) the OHS where they were checking to see how my mitral was doing with the brand new porcine aortic valve in place. Each doctor seems to prefer different tests.

Also, Jacqui, some of my symptoms weren't constant but recurring and from I don't know what reasons/causes but humid weather made it all worse I think.

Have you changed your meds recently? Blood pressure meds all work so differently. If the docs put you on a beta-blocker recently, or something else recently, that could cause different sensations for you.

 

[EireCara]

Hi Susan, Iv been thinking back to when I started taking a beta blocker and realised Iv taken one for at least 14/15 years. Iv also taken Dialzem a calcium channel blocker for several years...I remember when I started on it that it made a hugh difference to how I felt, and I thought ''great, this is it, I will never feel 'that' unwell again''. That was probably about 4 or 5 years ago. Last December the cardio at my local (small) hospital upped the strength of Dialzem from 90mg twice a day to 120mg twice daily. That did make a difference, but only for 4 or 5 weeks. Its really getting me down, and I cant take anti-depressants as they aggrivate my already irregular heartbeat. 8-/* Its definitely not humidity bothering me at the moment as its ''freezing'' here right now. It was -5 last night...its cold, but at least the sun is shining during the day.