surgery was cancelled...

[myheartsafluttering]

Hi all, as you know i was scheduled for surgery on wed., the 18.....i went in on tues the 17th for what was to be my Angio, checkin, pre-surg tests, etc.
well, got to the hospital at 7.a.m got prepped and went in for my angio..no clogs or calcifications present which is great, then the doc saw that my aortic stenosis was no where near needed surgery yet...yes i was relieved, but also upset..he blames the last ecchocardiogram, which was done at another facility, not the hospital, for having the wrong readings. apparently whoever read, interpreted the damn thing greatly overestimated the numbers, gradient, etc. of the valve deterioration...i had finally come to terms with having surgery and soo looking forward to finally feeling better....now my cardio wants me back next week for an ecchocardiogram stress test (whatever it's called) so he can watch the valve as i do the treadmill. well, that should last all of 3 minutes....i run out of breath almost immediatley....he says that my symptons shouldn't be as bad as they are considering that my valve is not as bad as first thought...now i may have to persue the pulmonary end of all of this...more to be afraid of....

 

[Duff Man]

That sounds VERY frustrating. I'm so sorry.

Can I ask what your echo said was your valve measurements?

 

[epstns]

Might it be time for a second opinion? When discussing my stenosis with my cardio, he always says that there are two sets of things they watch to decide when to perform surgery -- the numbers/measurements from the echo's and symptoms. He tells me that the onset of symptoms is a positive indicator, even if the numbers don't agree. YMMV, but I would ask, if I were you.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

It's GOOD to be SURE before going through surgery.

Hopefully your Cardio will learn more from your Stress Echo.

You may also want to get the opinion and perspective of your Surgeon.

Did you get a copy of the Echocardiogram TAPE for your Cardio & Surgeon to review the actual test (vs. the report and interpretation of that test)?

'AL Capshaw'

 

[WayneGM]

Ditto what Al said. I'm sure it's frustrating since you had prepared yourself for it, but it's best to be sure before having OHS. As I understand it, the Angio is much more accurate than the echo.

 

[Phyllis]

So sorry that you have had to go through all this, but you have gotten good advice from Al- get your cardio and your surgeon involved in this.

 

[Superbob]

I am very sorry that you've had to go through this. I think Al hit the nail on the head with his perspective and advice. Wish you well as you go forward.

 

[Curtsmum]

You must be very frustrated, sending hugs and prayers. You may feel better when the shock wears off, all the best.

 

[Jkm7]

So sorry to hear all you are coping with. I agree another opinion would be a good idea.
Did you have a TEE? Get a copy of your tests and have them evaluated by someone else just for peace of mind. Good luck.

 

[Karlynn]

So sorry for your rollercoaster ride. It's a good thing to absolutely sure.

Red flags always go up for me when a doctor says "Your valve or test or measurements (etc) aren't bad enough for the symptoms you are having." I had debilitating symptoms for 5 years and kept getting that line. Most doctors were sure it was caused by something else. Other test showed nothing to explain it. My regurg was moderate and I was having life altering palpitations and SOB and no Rx could control it. Finally my valve did progress to the point where they said it was time to replace it. However, they were cautioning me that the replacement may not relieve me of my symptoms, since I'd had them before my valve got really bad. I had the replacment and ..... symptoms gone. It took me a longer time than normal to recuperate because my symptoms had severely limited my ability to function normally.

There are some of us who do get symptoms at levels of moderate deterioration, a level at which the valve itself is not showing it needs replacing. But it's my humble opinion that if they can't determine your symptoms are caused by something else, it's most likely the valve, and regardless of level of deterioration, should probably be replaced. I guess some hearts and bodies act normally with really bad valves, and some act poorly with moderately bad valves. A point in time comes when it also needs to be about quality of life and not just the physical attributes of the valve.

Best wishes.

 

[erica688]

sorry to hear that...must be aggravating. I definitely would look into a second opinion. Good luck.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Karlynn -

You raised some very good points....
and expressed them eloquently.
Good Job!

 

[catwoman]

I'm puzzled:

Did the surgeon not see a copy of the echo when you set up your surgery date?
Before surgeons would see my husband last spring for consults on his MV problem, he had to take them copies of his TEE and heart cath. Not just the written reports, but also videos/tapes. Each of the two surgeons we saw reviewed them, either before talking to us, or while we were in the office. That gave each a better idea of what he was facing, should he be the surgeon we chose.

 

[tobagotwo]

How do they suggest you have aortic stenosis without calcification? Or was that only referring to your other arteries?

It may be that you're not ready for surgery. There's not enough information to hazard a guess.

However...

The AMA and ACC advise their members not to give patients with aortic stenosis stress echos for two reasons: potential harm to the patient and notably unreliable/inaccurate results. It's in the guidelines, and has been published before on this site. I am not a medical professionsal, but I heartily recommend you consider ditching both the stress test and the cardiologist. Find a new one. there are plenty of good ones out there.

Best wishes,