New member, feeling extremley anxious

[Laz]

I have been up all night reading a lot of your threads, My name is Hugh, my friends call me Laz.... I have to tell you I am scared. I am 39 years old, have 4 children, and I have Aortic Valve Regurg. Diagnosed 2 years ago.

After reading your posts I am impressed with how supportive you all are of one another, and I am not impressed with my knowledge of my disease...although I am learning with every post I read.

I currently am at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami,Fla. however I live in Friendswood,Texas (a suburb of Houston). Pritikin is an diet and excercise lifestyle change. I have lost 12lbs. in 8 days, and I have 3 more weeks to go. This was my own self impossed "last ditch effort" to get my weight and BP under control. While things are going well here at Pritikin I am still agonizing with my ANXIETY. I am not even sure what I want to ask yet but I guess I wanted to let you all know that there is one more of us out there. When I get back to Houston I have an esophogeal echo scheduled. I guess so they can get a better look at what is going on, I am not a small guy(278lbs. down from 290lbs.) and the standard echo is not giving enough detailed info.

I know it sounds like I am rambling but it is all I can put together right now. I would love to hear more success stories they seem to give me comfort and the drive to continue my weight loss and workout goals. Anyone that has had the esopogeal echo that would like to respond on what I should expect would be helpful.

Any help and or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Laz

 

[MrP]

Hey there,
It is 1:30am here in Calif, and by chance, I just read your message. Coincidentally, I am originally from Houston...a native Texan. Just wanted to let you know that I had aortic regurgitation my entire life....nothing to fear. Many people have mild to moderate regurgitation and never require surgery. For those of us who have had surgery and aortic valve replacement, well, we're still here....no worries. You'll be fine...stay on the course you're on....exercise and eat right. Education will go a long way. And remember, you are never alone.

 

[MikeHeim]

Tee

Tee

The Trans-Esophegeal Echo is nothing to worry about. Don't get me wrong, it not something I would do with my friends on the weekend, but like most other heart-related procedures the anxiety beforehand far exceeds the discomfort during the procedure. First, a nurse will start a valium IV to keep you calm and relaxed during the procedure. Next, the cardiologist will spray something on the back of your throat to numb it. He will pull out a tube with a probe on the end and tell you that you need to swallow as he sends it down your throat. This is your only role in the entire procedure. Once the tube is inserted, he will occasionally move it up and down your esophegous. I was actually fine when the probe was still. Moving it made me gag. Nothing about the procedure sounds pleasant, but you will learn that valium can be a wonderful thing. After the procedure, I stopped for lunch on the way home so I obviously didn't have any dehabilitating residual throat pain.

 

[BillCobit]

The Trans-Esophegeal Echo is nothing to worry about. Don't get me wrong, it not something I would do with my friends on the weekend, but like most other heart-related procedures the anxiety beforehand far exceeds the discomfort during the procedure.

Ditto that.

A TEE is much more pleasant than a bad day at work. You get wonderful drugs that make you oblivious to the whole thing, yet are easy to recover from so you're not (too) foggy-headed afterward.

Laz, check out the references thread for more info about your condition. I'd also recommend http://www.healthcentersonline.com/

You can't get very far w/o registering. I keep a BS email address for such purposes, then tell them I'm Johnny Cash or something - so they don't know who I am and the spam they inflict goes to an email folder I don't care about. Once past that nuisance, however, the site is great. It lays out heart topics extremely well, providing diagrams, animations, and links to definitions. You can be a complete novice to heart disease and physiology, and learn very quickly at this site.

http://www.acc.org/clinical/guidelines/valvular/ is a heavyweight publication written for cardiologists and other physicians. Might be too technical for starters depending on your background, but certainly understandable after spending some time at healthcentersonline (if you need a primer).

You are on the right track with your lifestyle changes - keep up the good work.

Welcome aboard.

 

[hensylee]

Mornin, Hugh - I hope you are enjoying that beautiful Miami weather this morning. My cousin in Houston told me yesterday that is was 43 and raining.

Welcome to VR. You have found about the best support there is for valve replacement. By the time you are ready for surgery, you will certainly be more confident that you're going to survive it. Take a look at this bunch who've been there/done that and doing very, very well. Just keep on reading.

 

[Laz]

Thank you all for your concern and kind words. I am doing some online searching now and your recomendations have already proved to be helpful. I am pretty down right now, being away from my family for three more weeks, but I know it is all worth it. Does anyone have any opinions on who is considered the pioneer in VR. I also read a lot about the type of valve to choose being a personal choice, but what kind of factors do I need to take into consideration when choosing? Lifestyle/level of activity/age???

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome Laz! So glad you found us. Weekends here are a bit slow, but there will be lots more people by in the next few days to offer you support.

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Laz

Welcome to a great place. We've been members since 2002 when my husband had AVR, St. Jude's. The people and the support here is the absolute best.....

I guess my first bit of advice is please please try Not to worry so much. I know it's easy to say, but everything does work out over time and the more you stress, the worse it gets.

Any questions you may have you'll find answered on this site. There are lots of people with tons of experience and will give the best advice straight from the heart.

So....welcome aboard and know that we are here for you.

Evelyn

 

[Barbara Stewart]

Anxiety

Anxiety

Laz,
You are lucky to live in Houston near the Texas Heart Instititute so you don't have to travel for medical care. I live in San Antonio and just had a mitral valve redo there. The first replacement did not "take" for some reason so I had to have it redone 8 months later. It went really well.
Most of the others on this board have their favorites and it was my mitral valve that was my problem and yours is different, but I feel very confident about Houston and if I have to have it done again (I have a tissue valve) that's where I will go.
Good luck. YOu've found a good place here.
Barbara

 

[sue943]

This must be something else they do differently in different places. I wasn't given any valium infusion, just two sprays to the back of my throat, was told to swallow, and then complete amnesia. I think they used a drug which just gives amnesia even though the patient is awake. I had not been looking forward to the procedure as I gag even when cleaning my teeth, but it was a piece of cake.

 

[bvdr]

Welcome, Laz. Congratulations on tackling that weight problem. I have friends who have been to Pritikin and were very enthusiastic about it. Whatever works for you just keep at it. I've been slowly taking off weight since last Oct. in an effort to lessen the workload of my heart. I think it is helping....if nothing else at least my self-image.

Make yourself familiar with our reference forum here on this board. Some of our very favorites are there with links. Ask questions and make yourself one of the family.

 

[geebee]

Laz,

Happy to have you aboard. I think your approach to weight loss is great. I have often thought, if I could just get away into a controlled environment, I would have no problem stopping the bad habits. What a terrific idea and I did not know places were really available (short of $1,000/day resorts). Does insurance help to pay these things?

As for the TEE - just remember to breathe through your nose. I am a mouth breather and had a dickens of a time until the nurse told me to breathe through my nose. After that, all went well. Breathing through the mouth makes you gag which makes you panic.

Best of luck to you in everything you are doing and have scheduled. Let us know how we can help.

 

[PJmomrunner]

Hi Laz:

You are so on the right track with getting your weight under control and your fitness level up. I have eaten in a Pritiken-like way for much of my adult life and can attest that it does work when combined with some kind of work-out program. My husband began the Ornish vegetarian diet (10% fat, like Pritikin, but all whole grains, fruits and veggies)--gosh, 2.5 years ago?--when he was diagnosed with CAD (now reversed, BTW), combined with rowing as near to every day as he can manage (mostly because of travel, but also because of a 60-80 hour work week) and lost 50 pounds in the first 6 months or so and has kept it off. I joined him at about 95% compliance at first, then (when I was diagnosed with aortic regurg plus aneurysm) jumped in all the way. He credits my cooking for him the way he needs to eat with his continued success. He also has an assistant at work who makes his lowfat vegetarian needs known to those at functions he attends, which keeps him from always having to advocate for himself (or feel like he's being a PITA to others ). This kind of support is very helpful if you can get it.

As for the TEE, sounds like MikeHeim got the tough-guy version! I remember the IV, gargling with yucky-caine, the spray in the throat and a little coughing and choking, then (only vaguely) talking to the cardiologist about his findings afterward. I did have a dry, scratchy throat for about 3 days, but constant hard candy took care of that.

It's only natural to be scared, but you can handle this. You are demonstrating that you are very proactive by heading for the Pritikin Center. You're going to be okay.

 

[aussigal]

Hi Laz....

WELCOME to our second home

this is the best place to ease your worries and learn about your condition

its full of the most wonderful people on the planet!

The Pritikin centre eh!...congrats on going there to get yourself nice'n'healthy...

as you have already read...this TEE isnt so scary after-all...
you will even probably end up wanting Open Heart Surgery when you have finished getting to know us all! ...

I doubt if there is a procedure related to valves and hearts that isnt covered here somewhere...

enjoy your learning

 

[rbl1999]

Hi, Laz, and welcome.... This is a great forum that you have found, I could not have gotten thru my recup withouth these good people and all of their support and advice... You will be fine, think good positive thoughts.. Rose

 

[twinmaker]

Hi Laz and WELCOME! Congratulations on starting a weight reduction and work-out program. You're certainly to be commended. We're really happy to have you "on board" here. This site is full of knowledgable, caring, and just plain "fun" people. I've had two open heart surgeries on my mitral valve. I understand you stressing about tests, etc. I seem to stress more about my cardiac tests than I did my surgeries. Go figure. Anyway, I didn't find this site until last summer and although I'm 53 and had my first surgery at age 22, I've learned so much on this site in the past few months. Best of all is the support you will get from the people here. We are like a big family where we all have something in common. Anyway, we look forward to getting to know you better and we're glad you found us. LINDA

 

[hpuehler]

Hi Laz,

I am 35 and just had AVR with a st judes mechanical valve on Jan.4, 2006. I understand your anxiety as well as all the other kind peolple you will find here. The "amnesia" drug is Versed they sometimes give it with Fentynal. I had a good dose because I told them I was a gagger. I remember a spray at the back of my throat and nothing else!!!!!!!!! Yea! I vomited also but had no clue. It was a breeze! I did need my husband to drive me home and I do remember being really into the hamburger he stopped and bought me on the way home. My husband said it was the funniest he has ever seen me. I'm glad we found some fun in it.

Find a good surgeon, go get a massage, relax and everything will be o.k. I can't tell you not to worry though because we all have.

Heather

 

[MitralMan]

From one Hugh to another

From one Hugh to another

Laz, I'm Hugh (aka MitralMan).

As so many others have already said, you're on the right path. Or, as AHnode would say,

You can DOOO eet!

This is a great site with great people. Other than chemicals, this is by far the best way, in my experience, to reduce anxiety related to heart stuff!



But be careful -- this web site can become habit forming. In the meantime, I'm off to exercise!

 

[BDMc]

Welcome!

Welcome!

Laz, Great to have you aboard! It's been over 21 years since my OHS, so I guess I'm a success story! This is a wonderful, and valuable place! Questions are a great, and realistic way to deal with one's fears. Don't worry about rambling! Ask away! I'm sure it's been very hard to be away from your family, but I have to think a monitored weight loss is a very smart move! Take care, and keep us posted. Brian

 

[Laz]

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you all SOOO much, I feel better already. Just knowing there are other people with the same thing in common to share your fears and concerns, as well as being able to read about the many success stories gives me hope about living a fairly normal life.

Today is the begining of week two of four for me at Pritikin, and I have to tell you all that I feel better than I have in years. I have now taken off 15 lbs. , I have about 50 more to go (to be sexy again...lol) gotten off the salt/sugar, and other than really missing my wife and four kids I am doing great. Thank you all again. I'll jump in and let you all know how the TEE goes.