Just saying hi, I'm new

[Guest]

i recently saw a cardiologist and after having a EKG done, I am now on 2 heart meds. Nitro and metoprolol.
I'm scheduled to have a nuclear stress test done in a couple of weeks.
All this came about, after I was experiencing shortness of breath and occasional chest discomfort whenever I wound climb stairs or do anything physical.
I have to admit that im scared to death of what im facing.

 

[SumoRunner]

Doesn't matter when you get the news, or how long you've known, it's still scary. I was 10 when I first learned I had a valve problem, 15 when I first heard surgery would eventually be needed. Knew it pretty much my whole life, but at 42 when the cardio said it was time for a replacement, I was beside myself for months. It was done almost 26 years ago now and I've had a whole second life. 69 now and finished a triathlon last week.

 

[dick0236]

I visit heart surgery patients weekly as a member of a support group. It is interesting to watch the change in them from "I'm really scared" pre-surgery to "glad it's over and how long 'till I can drive my car?" a few days post op. You seem to be doing things correctly and your condition does not seem to need emergency treatment since the additional testing is scheduled a couple weeks out. Read thru the posts on this forum and you will be reassured by those who have "been there, done that".......and life goes on.

You may be a candidate for corrective surgery now, or it may be sometime in the future........either way it's fixable and generally has little impact on our lives.

 

[honeybunny]

Welcome to the site; the folks here helped calm my fears when I was diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis in May 2015. Like dick0236 said, it's fixable. Many other conditions are not.

 

[Protimenow]

Dick was fixed decades ago (the late 1960s?) and I had my valve replaced in 1991. Things have probably gotten better in the 25+ years since my surgery. These 'fixes' have become less of a risk, now that surgical teams have tons of experience, and surgeons also have more training and experience. Valves have also been refined and improved -- and you've got this forum for support, if yuo have questions.

Don't be scared to death -- it won't help to be scared. You've got a solid support group here, and what you're going through - no matter what - should be something that's fairly routine for the specialists.

 

[SumoRunner]

Yeah, think about what if sites like this didn't exist. I don't know when this forum began. I first found it in 2006 and my valve was already 15 years old by then. Like Protimenow, I had it replaced in 91 and there was nowhere to turn for advice, before or after. Use the experiences of people here and at other sites like it to set your mind at ease.

 

[harrietW]

Welcome ! So much support here. I was so terrified. You found a great place to hang out!

 

[mikeccolella]

Just had my aorta replaced 3 months ago. I had been told all my life it would happen. I was not at all wanting this, but looking back on it it was not nearly as bad as my thoughts about it. God Bless You and good luck!