New Member

[skumpet]

Hello,

I'm new to this board, I found it online when searching out information about moderate aortic stenosis which I was just diagnosed with today. I'm still feeling stunned, unsure of what I can or can't do now such as eating or exercising. I haven't felt any symptoms whatsoever, I actually feel like I'm in the best shape of my life at 54 years old. I've been training for a marathon and not sure if I can continue that or the chin-ups and push-ups I do every day. I've yet to meet with a doctor to discuss the results or plan of action but so far what I've read online hasn't eased my mind. I know looking online isn't the best thing to do and the email with the results even suggested waiting to review with my doctor before reading, but who's going to do that? Lol. Anyways, this looks like an informative and compassionate community and I hope to gain more knowledge and piece of mind as I read the many posts here. Thanks for reading.

 

[Chuck C]

Welcome to VR!

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad that you found us.

I found it online when searching out information about moderate aortic stenosis which I was just diagnosed with today. I'm still feeling stunned,

That is totally normal. I was close to your age when I was diagnosed with moderate aortic stenosis- 52. It can take awhile to adjust to your new reality. This forum helped me a great deal in this regard, and I expect it will for you as well. What you will learn is that life is very normal with aortic stenosis, there is a very successful cure for it- surgical valve replacement, and that life is very normal after surgery. It is hard to imagine that life would be normal after OHS, but it really is.

unsure of what I can or can't do now such as eating or exercising.

I've never heard of any dietary restrictions for a person due to having aortic stenosis. You should be able to exercise normally, but, of course, check with your doctor about that. Having said that, if he puts lots of exercise restrictions on you, get a second opinion. I can tell you that when I had moderate stenosis I continued to do all kinds of exercise, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, running, biking, hiking and more. You may be limited with respect to lifting heavy weights- just talk to your doctor. Now, aortic stenosis sometimes comes along with an aneurysm, especially if you have a bicuspid aortic valve. If you have an aneurysm, this could alter how hard you are allowed to exercise, depending on how big it is. When people have aortic stenosis in their 50s, it is most commonly caused by having a bicuspid aortic valve or having elevated Lp(a). It would be a good idea to get your Lp(a) tested- simple blood test. If you have a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), you will be at higher risk for having an aneurysm.

I had my aortic valve surgery 42 months ago, along with getting my ascending aorta replaced with a dacron sleeve. I am very active, still doing all the sports that I did before surgery. I just finished a 4.6 mile hike with a 1,400 elevation gain today and feel great. I climb the mountain just like I use to before surgery.

Moderate aortic stenosis could mean that you are relatively close to surgery, or it could be many years away. It really depends on where it is in the moderate spectrum and how quickly it progresses. For some, it progresses slowly, some fast. When mine was discovered it was already pretty close to to the 'severe' threshold. It crossed into severe after 20 months and I got my surgery.

There are a lot of informative threads here. Take your time and read them. There are also a lot of folks who have been where you are at, so feel free to ask us any questions that you may have.

I want to underscore again that there is no reason why you can't live a totally normal life and continue to do the vast majority of things which you enjoy. The surgery probably has about a 99% success rate for someone your age. So, when that time comes, I am sure that you will do just fine. The fact that you are currently in the best physical shape of your life will only make surgery and recovery that much better. I would strongly encourage you to stay in shape, with your doctor's guidance of course, and go into surgery strong.

There is a lot of cumulative experience on this forum. Please feel free to ask any questions which you may have.

 

[skumpet]

Welcome to VR!

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad that you found us.


That is totally normal. I was close to your age when I was diagnosed with moderate aortic stenosis- 52. It can take awhile to adjust to your new reality. This forum helped me a great deal in this regard, and I expect it will for you as well. What you will learn is that life is very normal with aortic stenosis, there is a very successful cure for it- surgical valve replacement, and that life is very normal after surgery. It is hard to imagine that life would be normal after OHS, but it really is.


I've never heard of any dietary restrictions for a person due to having aortic stenosis. You should be able to exercise normally, but, of course, check with your doctor about that. Having said that, if he puts lots of exercise restrictions on you, get a second opinion. I can tell you that when I had moderate stenosis I continued to do all kinds of exercise, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, running, biking, hiking and more. You may be limited with respect to lifting heavy weights- just talk to your doctor. Now, aortic stenosis sometimes comes along with an aneurysm, especially if you have a bicuspid aortic valve. If you have an aneurysm, this could alter how hard you are allowed to exercise, depending on how big it is. When people have aortic stenosis in their 50s, it is most commonly caused by having a bicuspid aortic valve or having elevated Lp(a). It would be a good idea to get your Lp(a) tested- simple blood test. If you have a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), you will be at higher risk for having an aneurysm.

I had my aortic valve surgery 42 months ago, along with getting my ascending aorta replaced with a dacron sleeve. I am very active, still doing all the sports that I did before surgery. I just finished a 4.6 mile hike with a 1,400 elevation gain today and feel great. I climb the mountain just like I use to before surgery.

Moderate aortic stenosis could mean that you are relatively close to surgery, or it could be many years away. It really depends on where it is in the moderate spectrum and how quickly it progresses. For some, it progresses slowly, some fast. When mine was discovered it was already pretty close to to the 'severe' threshold. It crossed into severe after 20 months and I got my surgery.

There are a lot of informative threads here. Take your time and read them. There are also a lot of folks who have been where you are at, so feel free to ask us any questions that you may have.

I want to underscore again that there is no reason why you can't live a totally normal life and continue to do the vast majority of things which you enjoy. The surgery probably has about a 99% success rate for someone your age. So, when that time comes, I am sure that you will do just fine. The fact that you are currently in the best physical shape of your life will only make surgery and recovery that much better. I would strongly encourage you to stay in shape, with your doctor's guidance of course, and go into surgery strong.

There is a lot of cumulative experience on this forum. Please feel free to ask any questions which you may have.

Thank you Chuck, I really appreciate your thoughtful reply. You’ve brought me some needed relief. I would have liked to have talked to a doctor today about my results but I’ll have to wait and then it will probably mean a referral to a cardiologist. So much waiting lol. Is it standard not to have the procedure until you start having symptoms? I’m the kind of person that wants to fix things now if possible. If medication can’t reverse or stop the progression why do they have you wait? Doesn’t that make a person feel like a ticking time bomb of sorts?