reading medical chart?unsure of terms

[tiggerangelgirl]

just me again i got a summery of my recent medical records and theres some things i dont know what they mean so i hope you can explain.
I know that my valves are leaking and now i know which ones,first it says that i have moderate to severe mitral regurgitation,and severe tricupsid reguritation,then it says also mild aortic insufficiency I do not know what that means can you please explain this:
also thay said that another test could be done if they want to ,but Iam certian{ the doctor said in the notes}, that the valves need to be replaced,but he called the test PIZA,what is that
also it says patient has a mildly enlarged left atrium and a mildly enlarged right atrium,please help me to understand these terms iam unfamiliar with the internal heart itself i had only had to deal with the external part with the arrythmias and pacemaker
also what does ejection fraction of left ventricle
thanks everyone for helping me to understand all these new words i want to be prepared and i dont wont to go through a whole bunch of crazy tests that arent neccesary,i want to be fixed and feeling better as soon as i can.
also when you have your valves fixed can you tell a big difference from the way you were feeling from before like,did chest pain go away ,how about sob or that funny fluttering feeling and i know i feel it all the time and i dont know if you all had ,but i can tell my heart is pumping hard its like im getting a quick thump/sob/heaviness feeling and it makes me dizzy and very hard to cactch my breath. i hope that you can reply before i go to Duke on friday so i know what im talking about thanks again

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nicole-

Here are some very informative links from the Texas heart Institute. They will answer many of your questions, and will be from experts in the field. I'm also going to post these in the reference section.

Texas Heart Institute Home Page
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/index.html

Heart Anatomy
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/anatomy.html

Valve Surgery
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/vsurg.html

Valve Diseases
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/valvedis.html

Heart Valve Types
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/valvetype.html

Diagnostic Tests
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/diagtest.html

Heart Related Glossary
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/glossary.html

Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/question.html

 

[Nan]

Nancy, thank you for posting all of those sites....I am sure that they helped Nicole, and I know that they were helpful to me. You really keep on top of everything!

 

[Nancy]

You're welcome Nan, fellow tri-citier. I refer to those sites many times myself. They're nice and concise.

And Tiggerangelgirl--

How are things going? Maybe you're in the hospital. Anyone know?

 

[Ross]

I'm thinking she is because I haven't seen any activity out of her since her last post.

 

[McCln]

Nicole

Nicole

Do you have problems with the cadio doctor that you are unsure about asking him/her question? That is also a good route also. Not to be afraid to ask the doctor to explain in great detail of what is going on with the heart, treatments available and so for. You must feel comfortable with the doctor to have a good communication, if not, get another doctor. There is nothing wrong in asking the doctor question when you are in need of answers. Take care and keep asking questions.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic vavle replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[tiggerangelgirl]

i'am here at duke hospitial

i'am here at duke hospitial

thank you everyone for all your prayers and concerns,yes iam here at Duke hospitial,i had a doctors appt.on friday and they addmitted me with CHF and was suppose to have cath. but today at 3o i found out that it had been moved,but the drs havent come in and told me why,so i sit here tonight full of anxiety because i dont know what tommorrow holds and i can't stand being being away from my two girls,please pray that things will go smooth from tonight on ,iknow that i will have surgery ,i just dont know which day i'll try to keep you posted ,thanks for everything

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Hello Nicole - thanks for popping in to let us know what's going on (or not, as the case may be). Your cath may have been moved for a variety of reasons - I wouldn't worry about that, but it sure can be frustrating having the unknown looming over you.

Just relax and let them take care of you - you're in the best place to be right now. I'm sending lots of hope and positive thoughts your way.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nicole-

I just want you to know that we're thinking about you and praying for some good things to happen for you.

Please be comforted in the fact that you are in a very safe situation. You can relax and get some needed rest because you are probably being monitored with telemetry. You are at a wonderful hospital. Don't get anxious to leave just yet, the job isn't completed. It's natural to miss your girls, but when you finally get back, you will be on the road to recovery and feeling much better, and will be able to take excellent care of them for a long, long time.

So enjoy the comforting cocoon of the hospital and the prospect of new hope for you.

Take care,

 

[Ross]

I've been worrying about you since I posted your avatar. I'm glad to know your in a safe environment, but I know how frustrated you feel. Try to maintain and go with the flow. I don' t believe there is any such thing as resting in there, at least I sure couldn't.

We are here and awaiting news when you get it.

 

[Gisele]

Thinking of you

Thinking of you

I'll be thinking of you as you sit there and wait-I certainly understand the anxiety all of this causes.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your status.

Gisele

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

We'll sure be thinking of you and waiting to hear the results of the cath.

 

[Nan]

Hi Nicole, just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you. It is really hard to wait, and especially not knowing what is coming the next day, but as everyone else has said, you are in the best possible place to wait! Can your girls visit at all?

Take care,

 

[tiggerangelgirl]

hello my VR Family

hello my VR Family

thank you again on all the prayers and positive thinking,,i never realized how great it is to see others caring for you and encouraging you while in this situation,you know it has been wonderfull to see all the posts and read such positive things,pretty much everyone here has gone through some tough things and i think it's great!!!!!OH BY THE WAY I'M HOME!!!!!!
they discharged this morning ,but i have to go back up on the 26th for some more outpatient tests,as far as i can explain the situation is ,my tricupsid valve is leaking and that will have to be fixed also my mitral which will be put on "hold" as they put it ,they said that you could go 10years with bad valves and not have to fix them until that time. Does anybody understand that?,please write back and explain well anyways there is a problem with my lungs and im not carrying enough oxygen to my heart my artiel blood gasses were 86 and believe me they kept checking,so this causes a problem with doing major surgery my lungs cant handle the stress of a ventilator and thier scared if they do the surgery,i will not be able to come off vent,and cause further damage,so they told me they wanted to postpone it until as long as we can,my heart cath was great,no blockages my pressures were a little high though but we know thats due to contrictive pericarditis,and we will be having a pericardectomy but dont know when,i'm glad that they didnt due the surgery yet because iam still scared and anxious as can be,but on the other hand i 'm tired of feeling bad and tired,What were some of the symptoms?problems were you all having before you had your surgeries? and how long from time of dianosis did you have surgery?please everybody who reads this please reply i find strenghth and courage reading your posts,it really shows that you know what i'm going through,so right now its another waiting game ,more test,more DR's ,so thanks agaian for your thoughts and prayers and i know DR's know what there doing they just dont explain it to the patience as good as they understand it,so i will keep you posted and keep on talking to you all its so great to be a part of this forum,i pray that GOD will bless each of you

 

[MelissaM]

Hi Nicole -

Thanks for keeping us posted on your progress. So glad to hear that you are back HOME! There are many members on this board who have been in "wait and see" mode with their valves for years. Sometimes it takes a long time for your valves to degenerate to the point surgery is warranted, which is why your doctors might want to wait before operating on your mitral valve.

Playing the waiting game is REALLY hard, especially when you aren't feeling well. It is hard to keep feeling bad day after day. I hope you get to a point where you can get the care you need to start feeling better and get back in the groove of your life.

Your lung problems sound worrisome. I don't know anything about the lungs, but I am sorry that you are having such difficulties.

We are definitely thinking about you and keeping you in our prayers! Keep us posted!

Melissa

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nicole-

It's good to hear from you again. I'm sorry that you still don't have many answers.

Do you know what the problem with your lungs is? Did they do some tests on them? What were the results? What are the tests they are going to do next?

It is true that many people can go on for some time with leaking valves and not need surgery for a while. A lot depends on the severity of the leak.

To me it sounds as if they found some things that needed further investigation and the plans changed once these things were discovered.

The fact that you are going for more tests tells me that they are defining your diagnosis by doing more testing on the problem areas.

It is ALWAYS a good thing to go into any medically invasive procedure armed with as much information about the patient as possible. So this is why you are waiting a little while longer. They want to know exactly what is happening inside your body.

I know you aren't feeling well, but please try to stay positive and take it easy until things are completed. These things are sort of like trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together. Once the picture is finished, then they'll see the whole picture.

It sounds like it is all going toward the goal of getting your problems taken care of as safely as possible.

God Bless and take care,

 

[Nan]

Hi Nicole, so glad that you are now home. Even if you have a surgery ahead of you it is good to be at home for a while to re-charge and spend time with your girls.

I too am waiting on a leaky mitral valve....will it or won't it get worse, the constant question. I don't always feel well and sometimes retain fluid so my gut feeling is it is getting worse.

It is very hard to deal with the unknown. You just have to take it day by day. Sounds like you have some docs who are really taking a good look at all of your issues. That is wonderful.

Take care, and try to focus on the good times you have at home, live in the present as much as you can. The rest will take care of itself without you thinking about it all the time!

 

[tiggerangelgirl]

thanks everyone yes believe me i'm trying to live life and take naps in between,my oldest neice had soccer practice today and i was out there just a hooting and hollering,enjoying myself and the girls,and then we went to the highschool football game a girl in my sundat school class is a senior this year and shes drum major so we go out and support here, had to leave at half time,kinda got worn out,but my mind was off my sickness and it felt great,we had fun.
this is to answer the question about my lungs,they said that the pressures in my lungs were extremly high and that the oxygen in my blood was very low and they said that it will cause my o2 stats to be low,i think it was called pulmonary hypertention and another word that i don't know and they also said that my lungs werent normal and the test they are going to do will determine if my main symptoms are coming from my heart or the lungs,they put a cathater in your neck and ride a bike while they measure the pressures in your lungs and heart and after this test they will now more and have a plan,I hope,so yup i'm in the waiting game again but i have alot of vr friends to talk to

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nicole-

I had an inkling that your diagnosis would include pulmonary hypertension from what you have mentioned. My husband also has this condition. It is a very serious condition, but there are now very good treatments for it. My husband is on the medication Tracleer and it has made a world of difference for him. There are some other good medications as well, Flolan, Remodulin and believe it or not, Viagra is becoming a useful drug for this condition, for women as well as men. The dosage is quite different than it would be for male sexual problems, though.

Last December, Joe was in much the same shape as you are right now, but he became worse very fast and was in the hospital for a month, as I mentioned before. he also had a right heart catheterization and many, many other tests. That is the gold standard for diagnosing PH (pulmonary hypertension).

It is VERY important that you get treated by a specialist in PH, not just a run of the mill cardiologist or pulmonologist. They have access to the most up to date medical treatments. This condition is rare, and the vast majority of doctors don't have a clue how to treat it.

My husband had this problem for several years, and it was never treated. He got worse and worse and almost died. I finally found a specialist who saved his life.

There is a website for PH: Here are the links:

http://www.phassociation.org/

http://www.phassociation.org/Message_Boards/main.asp?board=1