New Guy...

[cewilk]

Hey there everyone, my name is Chris and I'm 23 years old and recently commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. About a month ago, I was participating in a very rigorous physical event during my training and had a pretty bad heat stroke, which ultimately led to a hospital visit. While at the hospital, some additional testing was done on my heart and they discovered I have BAV with moderate regurgitation. Also, my ascending aorta is currently at 4.1, which I was told anything 4.5 or higher usually means surgery is needed to replace the valve.

It was brought to my attention that I could/would need to have my valve replaced in as little as 4 or 5 years, which would make me only 27-29 years old. The mechanical replacement does not seem appealing to me considering I'd have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life before I even hit 30.

I was just wondering if anyone else found out about their condition this young in their life and if so, what route of valve replacement did you choose? How fast was your recovery? I am just really concerned because there is a possibility I could get medically separated after the procedure, especially if I have to be on blood thinners for life.

Right now, I have been medically cleared for full duty and I can continue my training. The only precaution I was given was to avoid lifting heavy weight in the gym, particularly maximum effort type sets.

Any insight or advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Greg a]

WELCOME to our family ....there are many members in and around your age I AM NOT ONE but they will be along to check in ....there is a wealth of knowledge here for you to digest so sit back ask questions and enjoy the ride ,,,,once again WELCOME

 

[kfay]

Chris, If you read on here, you'll find people of all ages with your condition. Many of them went years and years after diagnosis before actually needing surgery and a small number would need surgery really soon after diagnosis. It's really impossible to tell how quickly your situation will change. And just for clarification, the BAV and the enlargement of your aorta are two different things, but can go hand in hand frequently. When your aorta gets to a certain size, they will probably replace that part of your aorta in addition to your valve.

If it happens when you are still young, and you are worried about your career in the military, you can go with a tissue valve which most likely will mean no anticoags long term (unless you develop a-fib that they aren't able to control). Then, when you have to have that tissue valve replaced down the road, you can opt for mechanical or there could be the chance that percutaneous (replacement through a cath instead of heart surgery) replacement of the valve with another tissue may have become standard.

It might serve you well to get copies of your tests (echos, etc.) and keep them so you can compare them to new ones going forward.

Good luck and try not to spend the next (fill in the blank) years worrying about it.

Kim

 

[Jkm7]

Hi Crhis,
Sorry about the reason but happy you found us.
Kim gave very good advice, particularly about collecting all your test results and maintaining your own set of medical records for your future use. Moving around base to base, doctor to doctor, could make it hard to keep for you to have all your records. It's the best way to follow how stable your condition is.... comparing the test results.

As Kim said, everyone is different. Some here have gone years before they need surgery but others progress faster. While it is a real punch when we hear about our heart issues, the more you learn, the more you will discover how safe this surgery really is. For the patients, of course, it is a major event but we are so lucky to have such fine facilities available to us where it is just another day at the office for the surgeons, their teams, the techs, nurses and all who care for us. That is just the way I want it.

There's a wealth of information on this site. Read, read, read,,,,, the more you know, the better grasp you will get over your situation.

It's amazing your condition was not discovered at your pre-entry Marine physicals.
All the best to you.

 

[rufus]

Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear about your news, hopefully it will be a good few years before you have to make a decision on your treatment. Although slightly older than you (36 at time of surgery - dec 2007) i had no symptoms and was referred by my gp as he noticed i had a heart murmur, upon examination biscupid aortic valve, with stenoisis and regurgattaion. Was operated on 3 months later.

You will get lots of good advice on here and many different opinions. Some people have had good experiences with a specific type of valve others not so for what its worth here's mine !!

I was not given a choice of valve (health service in UK !!) and because of my age was given a mechanical valve, as it would be highly likely this would last me a lifetime, having the experiences i have had i would never have opted for this and would rather have had a tissue valve. I have never felt particularly well since my operation and have endless little problems - this for me was hard to take as i was an extremely active individual before the op and enjoyed a lot of sport (mainly contact sports - of which i cannot do now due to warfarin) and i am only young (ish) - i actually feel about 30 years older ;o(.

My lifestyle has changed for the worst and i know there are people who will say "well at least your alive" but to be honest if i had the money and i could find someone to do it i would go through ohs again tomorrow to change my mechanical valve to a tissue one.

Im a prison officer (corrections officer) and am on restricted duties forever due to the 'risks' as i am on warfarin and the possibility of me being knocked or cut is reasonably high. Ultimately it is your decision and whether you feel you could go through surgery again but in my opinion if you want to lead a 'normal' life and enjoy the things you always have i would go with tissue. i wish i could turn back time and had the option of what i wanted to have done.

Good luck anyway and lets hope its a good few years before you have to make a decision. Take care

 

[Mentu]

Hi, Chris, as a former officer in the Navy I can appreciate your concerns. (I was a Gator sailor so I know how you guys push yourselves.) That kind of prediction of "4 or 5 years" can be misleading. There is no way to know how your body will change. Mine took a decade to change significantly and then degraded rapidly over a period of a few months. It is something you should not forget but you don't have to stop living your life. Understand the symptoms and get regular check ups. Besides that, staying as healthy as you can is the best preparation for the day something needs to be done. I think many others here in VR will agree that you will probably know your heart is changing before your doctor does. That is not to say that some people never have recognizable symptoms which is why the regular checkups are essential. Regular exams can help you avoid the kind of permanent heart damage that can come from waiting too long for surgery. Should the day come that you do need surgery, a healthy person can be back on their feet usually in a few days and mostly recovered in two to three months. What's two to three months if it restores your life?

Larry

 

[dick0236]

It was brought to my attention that I could/would need to have my valve replaced in as little as 4 or 5 years, which would make me only 27-29 years old. The mechanical replacement does not seem appealing to me considering I'd have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life before I even hit 30.

I was just wondering if anyone else found out about their condition this young in their life and if so, what route of valve replacement did you choose? How fast was your recovery? I am just really concerned because there is a possibility I could get medically separated after the procedure, especially if I have to be on blood thinners for life.

Thank you.

Hi Chris and welcome. Yeah...it is a bummer to be given that kind of news at a young age. I knew of a "serious heart murmur" in my early twenties, but surgery was new and I was able to dodge surgery 'till I was 31. Since I had no other issues, recovery was quick and I passed of Forune 50 Company physical about one month following release from the hospital after the surgery. I have always lived a normal life, with few, if any restrictions. Warfarin(blood thinner) is not a problem, but you do need to develop a regimen of taking it. I can see that having a valve replacement might limit a career in the Marines, but it will not limit your ability to enjoy a long, productive life and career doing pretty much what interests you. Sometimes you just gotta make lemonaid outa the lemons. You probalbly have some time...so read and reserch your situation. Hopefully, medical advancements will provide the right choice of valve when the time comes.

 

[epstns]

Hi, Chris, and welcome to The Waiting Room - the virtual room where many members await their own turns at surgery.

I had a slightly different condidion affecting the same valve as yours. The specifics do not matter, although if you want to know my history, just yell. Short version - I was diagnosed while in my early 50's during a very active life. I had spent 7 years in the part-time military (yeah, I know it is different, but it still brought annual physicals and PT testing, etc.). I had also been running/jogging since my early 30's. I was quite active, did everything I wanted to do. Married, raised a family, maintained a house, worked insane hours, (drove a race car, ran road rallies, etc.) - you get the picture. Just your average guy's life.

By the time I hit my early 60's, I knew things were changing. My cardiologist told me that in most cases like mine, the patient tells the doc when it is time for surgery - not the other way around. Well, last winter I called "Time." I had my valve replaced with a tissue valve at the end of February. After some speed bumps on the road to recovery, I can truly say that by about 3 months after surgery I felt pretty much as good as I did before surgery, and now at 5.5 months post-op I feel better than I have for a year or two. I may not be back yet to my prior running speed, but I am able to hit the gym 5 days a week. At your age (even a few years from now), I would expect that you would feel very little, if any, lingering effect of the surgery.

You should look through posts here about the projected lives of the various valve types. You will find that the newest generation of tissue valves are expected to last longer than the last generation. It is too early to tell if the projections will materialize, but by the time you need replacement the data will be more complete. We do have members who have had valves implanted at a young age. Some have chosen tissue, others mechanical. You may find more younger tissue valve patients to be female, as the common wisdom is to implant tissue valves if childbearing is a possibility. Anticoagulants complicate pregnancy and delivery. But. . . I don't think gender matters. The fact that there are significant numbers of younger patients having both mechanical and tissue valves should make it possible for you to read of their experiences and form an opinion.

All that said, I really agree with Larry's (Mentu) advice. Read, learn, watch your condition, but by all means go ahead and live your life! I knew of my pending surgery for almost 10 years. I'm so glad I was able to accept the situation and get on with life. Just think of what I would have missed had I just spent those years dreading the future. You don't want to do that, do you?

 

[cewilk]

Thanks to all of you for the insightful responses and encouragement. I will definitely continue to read and learn as much as possible. Thanks once again.