this may sound silly

[bird lady50]

I know this may sound a bit silly . I have looked this up on the net. it says that people like me who have a biscudip heart have to be carefull of infections. it can cause endocardtis I have now got a really chesty cough with a cold Can any infection lead to the infection of the valve . The info i have had read says i can be at risk because of my bicuspid valve. Or I am being parnoid and silly about this one A point on this Mum died of endocardtis.

 

[Duff Man]

Now that I'm aware of my aorta issues I'm way more alert to any pain or unusual sensations in my chest. I definitely recognize more "paranoia" in myself as you put it, but I feel like we need to have a very healthy respect for the risks we face with a BAV.

 

[bird lady50]

so I am not being silly

so I am not being silly

thanks so i am not being sily then with bav Am at risk with infections I could get endocardttis I am like you. I am very aware of any chest pains sob and so on.

 

[sue943]

The common cold is a virus but you will need to be careful that bacterial infection isn't secondary to it, that can happen.

I have had endocarditis and now have artificial valve and if I had a 'chesty' cough following a cold I would certainly be paying my doctor a visit to be on the safe side, to see if I needed some antibiotics to clear secondary infection.

 

[jjay32]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I found out I had a bi-cuspid valve many years ago. When medical procedures are done that involve blood, then you generally have to take a dose of antibiotics beforehand. For example dental cleanings I take antibiotics, but for my knee surgery's I did not. So for upper respiratory infections, colds, etc- you do not need antibiotics for the valve. (you might get them for a bacterial respiratory infection though!)

 

[mrwjd]

I don't know about other cardiologists, but when I asked at my last regularly scheduled appointment after AVR--until next year, that is--how much I could safely ignore my medical situation, his two priorities were: Don't get strep/bacterial infection, and Take antibiotics to go to the dentist, even just for cleaning. Oh, yes, come back in January for an echo.

I'm guessing from the shortness of the list that the items on it are very important. It is my understanding that a bacterial pericarditis or endocarditis is very hard to cure--maybe systemic antibiotics don't flow through the heart sac very well--and I have heard of cases where the chest was opened again to get to such an infection. So when I got yellow ****, I called him stat!

 

[Marguerite53]

I think it is good to be thinking about how our bodies are adjusting to ongoing colds and such. To be overly wrought about the potential for endocarditis is probably unnecessary. If anyone thinks they have had chest congestion, or sinus congestions for too long, a physician should be called in to assess. If we let a low level infection linger in our bodies too long, the infection can get to the diseased valve. There are many here who have had endocarditis, before and after surgery. I did not. I once had a long conversation with a woman who was very tired for a very long time, and whose husband (a psychiatrist) thought she was just depressed. Well, it turned out to have been endocarditis and she had emergency surgery and was very ill for a very long time. Because you lost your mother (I'm so sorry, by the way...just lost my dad for other reasons) over this infection, your "antennae" are out for yourself. This is good. You should honor each and every concern with a phone call to the doctor. You should insist that they be certain there is no infection. Antibiotics should not be abused. If you do not have an infection, you should not really use them for colds. We don't want to become desensitized to the medicines we may desperately need someday by using them randomly.

I do believe it is important to pre-medicate as others have mentioned, for certain types of procedures. I don't care if they do change the rules. I will always pre-medicate for the dentist and for colonoscopy and stomach things.

Nothing you can ask here will be silly. Nothing. Ask anything. That's what this community is for.

Work to lead a healthy life. Small infections should do you no harm if they are watched and you are resilient. Not every sinus or chest infection leads to endocarditis. It is the rare one, actually. Keep your dentist visits regular. Keep your teeth clean. That is one very healthy thing you can do.

Best wishes.

Marguerite

 

[mrwjd]

And, of course, not all pericarditis or endocarditis is the same. The dangerous form is bacterial. Noninfectious and viral forms are generally treated symptomatically, for pain and edema, and run their course.

 

[Susan BAV]

...You should honor each and every concern with a phone call to the doctor. You should insist that they be certain there is no infection. Antibiotics should not be abused. If you do not have an infection, you should not really use them for colds. We don't want to become desensitized to the medicines we may desperately need someday by using them randomly.

I do believe it is important to pre-medicate as others have mentioned, for certain types of procedures. I don't care if they do change the rules. I will always pre-medicate for the dentist and for colonoscopy and stomach things.

Nothing you can ask here will be silly. Nothing. Ask anything. That's what this community is for.

Work to lead a healthy life. Small infections should do you no harm if they are watched and you are resilient. Not every sinus or chest infection leads to endocarditis. It is the rare one, actually. Keep your dentist visits regular. Keep your teeth clean. That is one very healthy thing you can do...

Bird Lady, I'm just going to add my "ditto" to this because it's very important information for you.

 

[bird lady50]

how do i

how do i

thank you for the replies

 

[Elcarim]

My cardiologist sends me off every year with a reminder to look after my teeth and look after my feet Basically to keep my blood on the inside and my skin intact where possible. I get vaccinated for 'flu every year and have a pneumonia shot every three years.

 

[Petros]

This may sound silly.

This may sound silly.

Not a silly question at all.
Lsst year my malformed and mild stenotic aortic valve was destroyed in a period of 30-40days due to Endocarditis. It all suddenly started with fever, fatigue and rigors. My ex-cardiologist informed only to be carefull and to take antibiotics before any surgery, etc. That was only the half story. Bacteria can enter your blood stream also through other ways.
I never came to know the way that bacteria (still undentified) entered my blood stream, etc.
Please be carefull especially with fever and flu-like symptoms, etc. In my case, the very initial diagnosis was that of a sore throat. I am now the owner of a Mechanical Aortic valve and I only feel sorry to understand that all this bad luck could have been avoided if I knew more.....
Lately, I was ill with sore throat symptoms again, but my doctor prescribed me antibiotics saying that despite this is probably a virus we have to be carefull due to my mechanical valve.
Now I am OK.

 

[perrypiratesdad]

Not silly at all. Other things you want to be careful of with BAV is when you have dental work done, you MUST premedicate to prevent endo. Same with any GI work.

Keep those teeth clean is the one thing my cardio doc always tells me.

 

[AgilityDog]

Yep, premedicate and floss, floss, floss.
I'm another victim of a nasty upper respiratory infection that in a matter of 3 weeks lead to my slightly insufficient mitral valve "blowing its little flaps," though I was never diagnosed with endocarditis. I even know the exact date the sucker went, based on my symptoms and 20/20 hindsight.

 

[bird lady50]

thanks

thanks

I think I am more scarced of getting enocardtitis than having the valve replaced. . I know that I will have to have it replaced at some time. Mum died of encardtitis and is what is so scarcry about it. If I do get it they will replace the valve quicker I guess.

 

[perrypiratesdad]

Don't be scared. I BAV from birth until the age of 27. Even after the valve replacement I need to be concerned about endocarditis. Heck, I think even healthy people have to worry about it to some degree too.

If you do get it, well, there are ways to treat it and get you all fixed up. The best bet though is just to stay as healthy as you can. The only time I get worried when I am sick is when I start to have a fever. When that happens I go to my doc and say "what's up doc" and he fixes me all up.

Just keep a positive outlook and use good common sense and you will do just fine. I promise. Okay?

 

[bird lady50]

thanks

thanks

I have had my bav since birth . Will i know when it time to have it replaced. It was quite a shock to find out that I have a bav and I will need it replaced some day

 

[perrypiratesdad]

You may or may not notice when it needs to be replaced. With me, I went for yearly visits to my Cardio doc. But in reality, I started just getting very tired easily. That was a great indicator for me that my heart was not working efficiently.

Again, don't worry about it too much. As a friend of mine always said, there are many things to think about, but nothing to worry about. Just listen to your body and you should be okay.

 

[rhino19]

Always remember no question is a silly question especially when you have know somebody with it. From what I have seen in the last couple of months with endocardinitis (my husband was diog. with it) is that is usually caused by a bacterial infection, regular antibiotics wont get rid of it. (been there) The doctors specifically need to check for a bacterial infection and that is done through a blood culture. A regular blood test only checks the white cell count which is usually viral.

You can never be too safe................sometimes medicine is just a gamble and that is how they test. try this, try this, try this...............good luck and ask away. We all have experiences to share.