Saying hello

[CooperTXLA]

I have been lurking around a couple weeks and just wanted to say how helpful this forum has been. My condition's not so serious as most folks here... BAV diag'd at 4 years old (I'm 30) that I never gave a thought to until my new cardiologist told me a couple weeks ago that the echo showed my ascending aorta's at 3.5cm. She said it looked huge on the echo, but that the measurement is smaller due to my smallish size (5' and 115lbs).

To be honest, I was so taken aback that there was something more than "ok see ya in a couple of years" at the appt that I didn't even ask what my normal diameter is. Doc says at 4.5cm I will need to have surgery prior to having kids, which I was planning to do in the next year.

My MRI to check everything out is July 20 and I'm finding myself suddenly super aware of every twinge in my chest. Heartburn's never been a problem, but now I seem to have it every night and can feel my heart beating all the time. Argh.

Anyway, hello from New Orleans and best to everyone!

 

[Philip B]

Aneuryism?

Aneuryism?

Yeah, it's amazing how you start noticing things when you're made aware of a potential problem. I assume you meant July 20 rather than June 20 in your post? Speaking of posts, this is a good group of folks who can relate their experiences to help you as you progress through this stuff.

-Philip

 

[CooperTXLA]

Oops - yes, July. Fixed that. Hoping I won't need concrete advice for a couple years, but so glad to have everyone's experiences to read through.

-Megan

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Welcome Aboard Megan !

FYI, a Chest CT or MRI are the Gold Standards for measuring the size of Aortic Aneurisms.

It sounds like your Cardiologist is monitoring and treating you appropriately.
When does she want you to come back for your next follow-up appointment?
I'm hopeing that it will be no longer than 1 year or even 6 months, to watch
for any changes in the size of your aneurism. Many Cardios and Surgeons
use 5.0 or even 5.5 cm as their 'triggers' for surgery to repair / replace an
aortic aneurism. The fact that your Cardio wants to Fix the problem at 4.5 cm
is a GOOD Sign. It shows that she recognizes the possibility of a Connective Tissue Disorder
and wants to take a pro-active stance on Fixing the problem before it becomes an Emergency situation.
Good for Her !

'AL Capshaw'

 

[TXGal]

Doc says at 4.5cm I will need to have surgery prior to having kids, which I was planning to do in the next year.

If you "replace" your AV instead of repairing.. Most doctors will tell you that you shouldn't have children. Here's a current post on pregnancy & mechanical valves/coumadin

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?35621-Pregnancy&highlight=pregnancy

Sorry, not trying to scare you, just making sure you're informed.. I've been there Welcome to the boards! You've come to a great place.. many supportive people here!

 

[Luckyguy17]

Welcome Megan,

Good on you for getting informed ahead of time as this forum is a very informative source of experienced members and has been great value for me.

Megan, hopefully for you and with some luck the July 20th tests, will confirm that any need surgery can be remitted to the future and allow you to get your family started.

All the best

Gil

 

[ARGreenMN]

Welcome aboard Megan. Keep us posted as you learn more. As others have said, this place rocks!

 

[Lynlw]

If you "replace" your AV instead of repairing.. Most doctors will tell you that you shouldn't have children. Here's a current post on pregnancy & mechanical valves/coumadin

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?35621-Pregnancy&highlight=pregnancy

Sorry, not trying to scare you, just making sure you're informed.. I've been there Welcome to the boards! You've come to a great place.. many supportive people here!

Many doctors will tell you IF you want to get pregnant/have children you should get a tissue valve, since most of the problems/concerns with replaced valves and pregnancy are if you have a mechanical valve and need to be on coumadin.

 

[TXGal]

Many doctors will tell you IF you want to get pregnant/have children you should get a tissue valve, since most of the problems/concerns with replaced valves and pregnancy are if you have a mechanical valve and need to be on coumadin.

Yes Lyn, you are correct. If you have a tissue valve, there is no need to worry about coumadin/pregnancy. However, at age 30, you have to weigh your options. If you choose a tissue valve and decide to get pregnant afterwards, there is a high possibility you will have to go back and have another valve surgery to replace your tissue valve. As we've said before on other posts, each surgery shouldn't be taken lightly. So, if you decide on a tissue, just realize that at age 30, you will more than likely at some point have another surgery. It's all in weighing your options and deciding what you think is best for you.

Hopefully, like Gil said, your tests will show that you can wait on surgery until after you have children! =) Let us know how it goes!!

 

[CooperTXLA]

Thank you everyone! Barring any unexpected results from the MRI (fingers crossed that the echo measurement stands), we've moved up our plans to get pregnant to this fall... I'd obviously much rather have a baby prior to any surgery if safe to do so. The doc said our medical facility will consider it a high-risk pregnancy just due to my BAV anyway, so I'm comforted by knowing they'll put a plan in place for monitoring throughout the pregnancy and testing the fetus at 20 weeks for heart problems. Maybe this was just the wake up call I needed to get on the baby train sooner! My partner and I are doing artificial insemination, so it's easy to put off while waiting for the "perfect" year.

I should also say that I luckily don't currently have any indication for my valve to be replaced, but I'm sure I'll go with a mechanical if/when that time comes so as to avoid future surgeries (assuming my fertile days are behind me at that point). From what I've read, the AV isn't necessarily replaced if surgery is necessary for an aortic aneurysm - is that correct?

Looking forward to July 20, or whenever I speak to the doc.

 

[CooperTXLA]

I wanted to mention also that my doc is technically in a pediatric cardiology unit, but recently started a clinic for adults with congenital heart defects. After going to another regular adult cardiologist for my previous check up (prior to moving to NOLA), the difference in knowledge and approach was great. I'm sure everyone here is already aware of the importance of choosing a dr, but since I'd never really thought about my BAV much, I wasn't even aware there was a specific type of cardiologist I should be seeking.