Persistent symptoms

[AndyMull]

Hi, I'm new but my problem isn't. In the 1990's I ran long distances (marathons), and my mitral valve prolapse got worse. I realized there was a problem in 2000 when I couldn't run 1.5 miles without my heart pounding, my breath getting short, sweating like a pig, and finally my legs (and body) feeling like a ton of bricks. In October 2000 I had mitral valve repair surgery. All the doctors and cardiologists say the repair is effective, that there is no leakage. But the symptoms have never gone away. In fact, they've gotten worse. I've gone from being able to jog 1.5 miles, to today, I can't go 100 yards without my heart pounding, out of breath, etc. My cardiologist has not idea what the problem is, since the valve isn't leaking. He said it might have to do w/ the electrical nodes (my term). But I've gotten worse and worse over 12 years. And, I've not seen or heard or read of anyone having this kind of problem. Have any of you experienced or heard of anyone experiencing this problem. The cardiologist (who I believe is excellent (he actually listens to what I say!)) said we could do lots of tests (and spend lots of my money) figure out what's wrong, and still won't be able to do anything about it. :frown2: I'm completely baffled.

Thank you so much!

 

[epstns]

Andy - A couple of ideas. First, when you had your most recent echo, did they visualize and measure the other valves in your heart? What about dimensions of the chambers of your heart and its pumping effectiveness? Sometimes a cardio orders an echo for a specific reason, and the tech excludes other areas of the heart - potentially missing additional problem areas.

Also, I see that you're taking metoprolol, at 75 mg/day. I've been taking metoprolol since my aortic valve replacement almost 2 years ago, starting at 100 mg/day, reducing to 50 mg/day and now reducing to 25 mg/day (all reductions with cardio's agreement). While on the higher dosage, my attempts at jogging felt like I was dragging a sled full of boulders. Each reduction in dosage seemed to lighten the load. Now at 25 mg, I feel better than I did even a couple of years before my valve got bad enough to replace. My point is that you could discuss metoprolol dosage with your cardio and perhaps try out a reduced dosage. I would even question the cardio as to why you are taking metoprolol (unless you already know). I am taking it because I had afib after surgery and they believe that this med will reduce the chance that it will recur. With each passing year, the chances seem more remote, hence the dosage reductions.

 

[tprice54]

Steve beat me to it! The beta blocker will limit your hr, and thus make everyting slow down or feel like crap when you try and push your heart. They serve a purpose, but only if you really need them, like CHF, but are not the drug of choice to just lower BP. So, find out exactly why you need this med, and why you cannot stop taking it, as it is affecting your lifestyle. If the answer is just to lower BP, get off it asap, and use something else (ace inhibitor works great for us weekend athletes).

 

[Fundy]

Have you done any tests that target your lungs, some basic respiratory test or something? As the others have said, metoprolol gets named for causing such things often. I'm not sure if it would have that much of an impact to limit you to 100 yards, but then again I have no real knowledge about it.

If it were me, I'd probably want to know how my lungs were doing.

 

[yotphix]

When I was working through my recovery, the docs wanted me to stay on Bisoprolol because I had had some Afib. I kept having my dose (informing them rather than asking) and finally wore a 48 hour holter to convince them that I didn't need it any more. As others mentioned, each reduction let me work harder, longer.

 

[AndyMull]

Thank you all for your feedback!! I started taking the metoprolol because when I didn't take it, my heart rate went up and up and up with no ceiling until I stopped running (right before I collapsed!). The metoprolol controlled how high my heart rate would get. But, over time, my ability to sustain activity has gone down. The idea that perhaps the respiratory system or a different part of the heart is having an impact seems plausible. Thank you all so much for responding!

 

[bocco]

With the buy in from your cardiologist. You might try backing off the metoprolol a little bit and trying to up the exercise a little bit. If that works a little then keep adjusting in small increments and watching your heart rate.

Gary