Surgery to feel better?

[Katesmom1007]

I am quickly starting to have worsening symptoms. I am so tired all of the time and light headed a lot. I get short of breath when doing normal activities. It's really bad when I'm working ( I'm a server). I also experience some chest pain. But the biggest symptom that bothers me is the extreme fatigue, I just can't keep up!
Has anyone had these symptoms and surgery corrected them?? I just want to feel better! I have BAV moderate regurgitation and ascending aneurysm 4.7 cm.

 

[joanpieroni]

I was sleeping at least 10 hours a night, I found out I had a bicuspid aortic valve with severe stenosis. I had it replaced in March, I feel good now & back to work full time. Ascending Aneurysm is not anything to mess with!

 

[ski girl]

These are *precisely* the symptoms that a functioning heart valve will correct! In fact once you get to these symptoms, you NEED to have the surgery!

 

[Cooker]

Putting off surgery can cause pertinent damage to the heart muscle. I was told the time for valve replacement is before symptoms begin to show up. When I told my cardiologist I was have slight shortness of breath I was in surgery in two weeks. Eight years later all is well and I feel great.

 

[Lisa2]

I slept a lot before my surgery. I was exhausted all of the time. I yawned on my way to work in the mornings, drank about a pot of coffee during the day, and went to the couch when I got home in the evenings. All of that went away after I had my surgery. I could not believe how much energy I had once I got a new valve!!

 

[river-wear]

I was tired too. But I'm only five weeks post-surgery so I'm still pretty tired! I did take a long (hour) walk this evening though, and it's feeling good. I expect to be feeling much better - and more well-rested soon. Especially once I can sleep on my side again.

 

[epstns]

The primary reason my cardio and I decided it was time for my surgery, after monitoring my valve for nearly 10 years, was that I complained of "Being tired of being tired." I was still active, working out 5 days a week, but I was just exhausted all too often. That was a strong indication for me.

Now 3 years post op, and I'm back to it all, even though I'm older now.

 

[Freddie]

You will feel better!
I didn't feel that I had any symptoms.
It used to take me 2 days to clean up one side of my house in the spring, now that part of the yard is a snap
and I can continue doing yard work. I can out work my S/O with no problem and my fellow co-workers lol

For me, that's how I can judge the difference of before and after surgery.

 

[MrsBray]

"Yawning my way to work and straight to the couch" EXACTLY!

Now I only yawn after 10pm. I have the energy to exercise, to keep up on the kayak, to NOT take a nap at lunchtime on my desk!

After surgery I was tired for many weeks, but it's a different kind of tired. When I returned to work, I was tired at the end of the day, but it's even a different kind of tired.

The longer you wait, the harder your heart works. Your heart is a muscle, and the harder it works the bigger it gets. Usually when someone says. "She has a big heart!" it's a compliment, right? Not here

Talk to your cardiologist, have an echo/angio, talk to a surgeon.

It's worth your life!

 

[Katesmom1007]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I am having a MRI in two days. And then follow up with cardiologist the following week. I'm very nervous to what they might say.
I just had an appointment three weeks ago where I told the Nurse Practitioner about my symptoms. She said she wasn't convinced that the symptoms were heart related or that surgery would make me feel much better. So I wore a Holter moniter for two days and they did a thyroid blood test. Holter showed slow heart beats with lots PVCs and PACs. And thyroid was normal.

She also said she wanted me to wait to have surgery since I have an 18 month old. And wants me to lose some weight. Which I'm doing.

So they said to give it a couple weeks to see if I felt better, which of course I didn't. That's when they decided to move my MRI from October till this week.
I'm so frustrated! I'm tired of being tired!

Can I request to see the surgeon even if they don't recommend it yet?

 

[river-wear]

Funny you should mention thyroid. I was convinced that all I needed was a boost in my thyroid medication. (Mine kind of went kaput about eight years ago.) I was feeling a similar kind of fatigue. Turns out I tested fine, as you might have guessed.

Check with your insurance regarding a surgeon's visit. If you have a PPO then you shouldn't have any problem going to see one of your choice. HMOs are trickier.

 

[epstns]

Hmmm. . . Holter shows slow heart beats?

Just how slow? What about your blood pressure?

If your heart rate is too slow and/or your blood pressure is too low, you could have symptoms similar to those you describe. This could be your current problem, rather than a valve problem needing surgery. Do have it checked out and have a consult with a good cardiologist (not your internist or NP).

Are you taking any heart or blood pressure meds? These, too, can cause havoc if dosages are not appropriate for you.

Just some thoughts. . .

 

[Katesmom1007]

Steve-
Bp has dropped dramatically. It's usually around 95/45 to 105/55. My resting heart rate is between 40-60. And the weird thing is when I become the least bit active it jumps up in the 110-130 range.
I've always had normal bp until a few months ago it was a bit high. Now it's low....I was taking a very low dose of
bp meds but when my readings started being so low, I stopped taking it.

I have an appointment with cardio next week to go over MRI results (it's tomorrow).

 

[clay_from_nj]

Bp has dropped dramatically. It's usually around 95/45 to 105/55. My resting heart rate is between 40-60. And the weird thing is when I become the least bit active it jumps up in the 110-130 range.

That really does sound like heart failure, especially with your other symptoms. An interesting thing to note is your low diastolic pressure (bottom number). This can be a sign of diastolic heart failure or diastolic dysfunction. Right before and right after my AVR, my bp was similar to yours. Now, after the surgery and some recovery time, it runs about 105-130/65-75, spot on normal (taking my meds into consideration). I would definitely see about getting it fixed soon so as to avoid (further) permanent damage.

BTW - It seems that MRI is getting quite popular for diagnosing these issues lately. Is it just a matter of "non-invasiveness"? I would think that directly measuring the pressures via catheter would still be the more accurate method for determining the exact situation.

 

[river-wear]

Clay, I never had an MRI or catheterization before my surgery. They worked off of a TEE, and then did a CT angiogram when surgery was scheduled.

My diastolic BP was always around 55 for as long as I can remember (15-20 years). The first surgeon I talked to attributed it to the leak across my valve. Post-surgery its around 70. The systolic pressure is unchanged at 100-110.

"mom" - good luck with your cardiologist appointment! I hope you get answers to all of your questions.