Mech Valve Coping Survey

[Agian]

Sorry, I'm on a roll. I'm so used to the anxiety of being in the waiting room, that I'm constantly on the look-out for something to get anxious about. My latest is 'why am I still anaemic?' Tomorrow, it may be something else. I've read accounts of people who go from 'you need an operation' to the operation within a short period of time, and their experiences seem to be different.

 

[Agian]

Funny reading this- I was showing a house over the weekend. While upstairs in the bedroom it was really quiet and the owner was in their reading. When leaving the house with my client- the owner greeted us at the door and he said "that's a nice watch you have- it's really loud eh"
I said thanks and made me way lol

How is a loud watch nicer than a quiet one? I think he wanted to comment on the fact you had a loud watch rather than its perceived quality. An Australian would say '****, you've got a loud watch. Are you sure it's not a bomb?'

 

[scott.eitman]

1. Scale of 0 to 10, with Zero being pin-drop silence, and Ten being someone talking to you in a "normal" human voice (which I assume is louder than the valve), what number would you assign to your valve clicking? 2

2. Is your valve noise comparable to the strong tick of a cheap watch? Or softer, or louder? What number would you assign a cheap watch, on the above scale? Who owns a cheap watch?

3. Would a small pillow strapped to your chest completely muffle your valve? A rolled up sweater, in a pinch? Or is there a large bone/body conduction element to the noise?
No, the noise is going through my body to the ears.

4. How good is your hearing?
Good

5. Do you have a graft repair/replacement of a section of your aorta?
Yes

6. How much "natural muffling" do you have? Are you thin, stout, lots of muscle/fat on your chest? Is your heart in a "normal" place? (I ask because mine apparently sits a bit lower than average, and wonder what this means for my own accoustics!)
No alot

7. Are you still bothered by the noise, years later? Is the need for silence to work/read I meantion above familiar? If so, how do you manage?
For me, you missed the correct question. It is not a matter of hearing it. Yes, I do sometimes. Typically, I do not hear it. It is a matter of feeling it. People can put their hand on my chest and feel it.

 

[Warrick]

I can certainly empathise. I've heard of this getting some people down.
For me the clicking is a reminder of the negative experiences.
If it was a noisy watch, it wouldn't be an issue.
Is it possible it seems this loud because you've been preoccupied with it? Is it loud to other people, as well?
It's a bit like when I got the coaguchek before the operation. I played around with it and got an INR of 1, and I thought 'this will probably never happen again.'
In the ICU, I was glad I didn't hear anything. I noticed it on Day 3. Sometimes, I struggle to hear it.
I've noticed when I hear it, it's more likely others can hear it as well.

I wear a t-shirt under my shirt and it does dampen the clicking. When it's cold and I wear another layer, it's even quieter. This contradicts what other people are saying.

I guess mines just louder than others, the cardiac nurse at the hospital told me after 6 months it would get quieter but that didn't happen and I don't really care now, My kids can hear it 3 metres away if its quiet so its not just in my head ..pun intended, its like the bone clicking in my sternum when I walk has gotten louder and others can hear it now, doesn't hurt

Sometimes I think how the hell am I going to listen to this for the rest of my life (but that's less and less and I'm not over the moon but it's there to stay)... but then what's the alternative ? Tissue and reops or cark it
.. my surgeon told me he has taken them out of people and fitted tissue valves because of the noise but stuff that it's certainly not that bad

I did have issues at first about the fact that I was on warfarin forever but that's faded to nothingness and I don't know what I was worked up about there, it's not even an inconvenience,, it's just a manageable medication, my mate injects insulin into his guts everyday and he's been told he could loose his legs one day.. stuff that .. I'm still going hunting with him for 3 days in a weeks time..

Always someone worse off than me

 

[Warrick]

Glad to hear that bit mate, I know you've struggled
Best Wishes

Thanks heaps

 

[pellicle]

, its like the bone clicking in my sternum when I walk has gotten louder and others can hear it now, doesn't hurt

is that still happening?

Has anyone "pressed either side" and checked by hand for mobility? (it shouldn't be )

It sounds most unusual ... to be prudent I'd consider a trip to a decent Dr somewhere ... want to visit Australia?

 

[Warrick]

Yep , have told my GP but as you know he's an ass, I kinda thought it was normal and wasn't too worried about it , 3 wks till my next echo and see the cardiologist so can wait till then

 

[pellicle]

Yep , have told my GP but as you know he's an ass

Been getting that impression...

, I kinda thought it was normal and wasn't too worried about it , 3 wks till my next echo and see the cardiologist so can wait till then

Keep us posted

 

[AZ Don]

FYI, I had a valve sparing aortic aneurysm graft done. So although I have no mechanical valve to tick, whenever I take a deep breath (really anything over deliberately shallow breathing) I feel my heart pounding. Perhaps my graft is pressing against my sternum, I don''t know for sure and the Dr's could not explain it. It has been discussed in this forum, some have had something similar, some better, some worse. Apparently for most it goes away within a year, but not for everyone as I am now 3 years post op. I thought that I would never be able to meditate again, and I could not for a while as it can be quite distracting (comparable to someone flicking me in the chest everytime I breath), but after time I found that by including it in my focus I could meditate as well as before. Over time I notice it less and less and when I do it is less and less annoying. Just wanted to pass this on as the ticking of a mechanical valve may not be the only thing you hear (or feel) differently, and as was said before, once you accept it you can get used to it.

 

[Agian]

I've noticed an increase in thump with deep breaths when I'm lying down.

 

[zee112]

Yeah, my thumping increases/gets louder when I breathe in, I assume it's because the heart has to work harder with more oxygen?

 

[pellicle]

...I assume it's because the heart has to work harder with more oxygen?

Probably more the increased pressures inside the thoracic cavity and the inflation of the lungs

 

[aetos]

I’ve been noticing this “THUMP” like feeling more as of late. I’m now 7 month post op. It wasn’t like this few months ago, I feel this more now each and every time I inhale and not while exhaling. I dropped an email to my surgical team and they said this was common.
Gets me bit paranoid though. If I deeply inhale it sounds and feels as if my heart is being thrown up against a brick wall. Strange feeling indeed

 

[FredW]

After following this post since it started, I thought I might provide additional information.

I know the original question was about the sound a mechanical valve makes and the writer's sensitivity to a clicking valve. I wanted to point out that one should not assume that tissue valves are silent and not noticeable. Admittedly, I have only been living with my St. Jude Trifecta valve for five weeks but from the first day, I can feel (and hear the thump, thump) of the valve open and close in my chest, bones and head. It was loudest the first few days after surgery and I suspect it will fade over time, but, I wanted to make sure people know that tissue valves can also come with their own annoyances.

Given I said that, lately if I don't feel, or hear, it I get concerned about my heart is working OK and reach to feel my pulse to make sure it is still working properly.

The bottom line is if you are very sensitive to sounds or the feeling of the thump, thump of your valve, avoiding a mechanical valve to avoid the issue may not actually result in avoiding the issue. I suggest one find ways to deal with whatever thump, thump, or tick, tick we have after surgery, for it is much better than the alternative.

I'll take thump, thump or tick, tick over the silence of death any day.