Should You Heed the Murmurs?

[Marty]

An interesting article in the Washington Post this A.M. particularly for those of us with floppy mitral valves. I don't have one anymore.I've got a St Jude mechanical.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2821-2003Dec15?
language=printer

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

Heed the murmurs

Heed the murmurs

I was told for the 1st time in 1984 I had a murmur, nothing to worry about. Years later and 2 more pregnancies later, after many tests and appointments, I am told I have a congenital heart defect. With hindsight, I should have tried to pin that "murmur" down a long time ago, but who knew? I felt good...back then.

So if ever told you have MVP and it is nothing, be sure to follow up and get another doctor if the 1st one says it is nothing.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Peggy..the plus...you have two beautiful childern. My surgeon informed my floppy mitral could have lasted longer if it were not for the stress of pregnancy.

Did anyone bother to tell me? No! Was always told MVP is a non issue.

Marty, excellent article. Thank you!

 

[mamsram]

insignificant

insignificant

My murmer was termed "insignificant" for decades. It was like a beach ball atop of a hill, It just sat there doing nothing, then a gust of wind and and it was all down hill after that---faster and faster.

A murmer is a noise, like the murmering brook, but something is causing that noise and that someting can come back to haunt you.

 

[Yokena]

Thoughts

Thoughts

Good article, and good points everyone. I also had a murmur (or murmurs) from what eventually turned out to be three congenital defects and was told it was nothing. It has turned out to be quite a lot of something! I think, though, that since in past years there 1, weren't a lot of tests available for diagnosing congenital defects, and 2, most kids with them did not survive to adulthood, that doctors did not know that as adults these things would cause us big problems. In addition, there wasn't anything that could have been done for me in the 1950's or 60's so the best advice was just to keep on keeping on.

I do wish that doctors had followed me and advised me so that maybe I wouldn't have made some poor lifestyle choices, but those things weren't much done then for anybody. I hope that doctors are being better educated and trained these days, but unfortunately I doubt they are for the most part. It is up to the adults, either as parents or patients themselves, to do what we have to do to get proper care and to take good care of ourselves. I'm so glad the internet and groups like this are available as resources!

Joyce in Mississippi

 

[Marty]

Symptoms of mitral valve prolapse

Symptoms of mitral valve prolapse

Funny, when I look back, I had symptoms for many years. They were so vague and "neurotic" I was ashamed to tell anybody about them. I was seen by a few good cardiologists over the years and they all reassured me the floppy valve was "nothing".
It wasn't till I ruptured a cord (chordae tendinae) causing symptoms of acute breathlessness and a sense of impending doom was I referred to the surgeons. When they got in, my valve was so beat up a repair could not be considered and I got the St. Jude. St. Jude really did give me a second chance. Now both the cardiologists and the surgeons are tilting toward earlier surgery and not waiting for the heart to enlarge and disaster to strike. The best treatment for the floppy valve is a good repair as devised by Dr. Alain Carpentier in Paris, "the French correction" and carried to a high art by our own Dr. Delos Cosgrove in Cleveland. Actually in every heart center in this country they have young guys who can do great repairs. My advice to anybody who has a floppy valve or a child with one. See a good cardiologist and get an expert echocardiogram every year.

 

[Georgia]

For about the bazillionth time, I repeat myself: it's time to quit telling everyone that mvp's benign and insist on an echo every few years (at least). I went 12 years without an echo, had significant damage to the heart and they couldn't do a repair (although they attempted one).

Even tho I was diagnosed 20 years ago, no one ever said to have echos or even sent me to a cardio, in spite of having mid-sternum radiation treatments AND phenfen.

DUH.

 

[medtronic of borg]

heeding murmurs

heeding murmurs

Yes !!!