Valve infection symtoms (Endocarditis)

[coryp]

Hello All,

I have been feeling poorly for the last 6 days. Low grade fever (100 max) joint and muscle pain, Heart pounding, just an overall feeling of flu or infection but I am not sick (feels like the infection is witin if you get what I mean) ? No runny nose, cough, sore throat. I have not had to stop anything routine (work, kids etc ).


Have any of you experienced these symtoms and did they lead to bacterial Endocarditis? Who has gone through Endocarditis? Any info would be helpful. I guess I will go to the doc tomorrow because the fever doesn't giveup.

Thanks

Cory

 

[ClickerTicker]

A few of us have been through endocarditis. I suggest you take a look at this thread:
http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12731&highlight=endocarditis

 

[Lanky Lad]

I had BE for 3 months before it was finally diagnosed and then treated.The main symptoms are as you describe...lethargy,flu like(but you are still mobile),later symptoms are acute night sweats and lack of appetite,you may also present symptoms on your hands which are like little pimples that come and go in a few days,these are called Janeway lesions and are a result of small clots breaking away from the heart and lodging in the extremeties.Ask your GP if he will refer you to the blood clinic where they can draw blood and grow cultures from it.....this will identify any infection you may or may not have.
Hope everything goes well for you,please keep us posted of your progress and I'm sure a lot more people on here will post offering support.

 

[coryp]

I had BE for 3 months before it was finally diagnosed and then treated.The main symptoms are as you describe...lethargy,flu like(but you are still mobile),later symptoms are acute night sweats and lack of appetite,you may also present symptoms on your hands which are like little pimples that come and go in a few days,these are called Janeway lesions and are a result of small clots breaking away from the heart and lodging in the extremeties.Ask your GP if he will refer you to the blood clinic where they can draw blood and grow cultures from it.....this will identify any infection you may or may not have.
Hope everything goes well for you,please keep us posted of your progress and I'm sure a lot more people on here will post offering support.

Thank you for the info. I have not had these symtoms as of yet so maybe it is just a Sinus infection have to hope.

 

[traig]

My wife had sub-acute endocarditis. She might have had it for many months, and the sub-acute variety can take as much as a year to be fatal. Check out this link for a good breakdown. I wish I had seen that page back in May or June because we might've been able to avoid her suffering and embolic stroke, and might have been able to save at least her mitral valve before the vegetation ravaged it.

Look at the list of symptoms and if you are at all suspicious of an infection ask your doc to order blood cultures. They will indicate if you have bacteria in your bloodstream and will type it.

My wife has to be even more careful now about infection with the mechanical valves, and the rule of thumb that we got from an infectious disease doc was to watch out for fevers that last four days or more without a directly attributable cause, e.g. getting the same flu your spouse had, etc. Frankly, because of what happened to us, if Rebecca had a fever go more than a couple of days we'd definitely have a culture done, to be safe.

Be careful, I read a summary online of a successful malpractice lawsuit against a doctor that was filed because endocarditis was misdiagnosed as sinusitis and it ended up being fatal.

 

[Lanky Lad]

I would still recommend getting a blood sample for culturing taken as the initial symptoms are very subtle,although from the onset I was getting uncontrollable shivers (rigours) and could not get warm no matter what I did plus I did not feel ill all the time.It wont do any harm to get it checked and it will put your mind at rest if nothing else.
Good luck....

 

[Nancy]

My husband just had a near miss with endocarditis. He was in the hospital for a series of splenic infarctions and was being treated for that when he came down with horrible shaking chills that shook the entire hospital bed and spiked an immediate temp. Fortunately this happened in the hospital and he was cultured immediately. He had bacteremia and was started right away on antibiotics. I cannot imagine what would have happened if this occurred at home. I think even a small delay could have been big trouble for him.

He's still not out of the woods, according to his cards. even though he is on a 6 week treatment with Cipro. I guess damage could show up at a later time.

They did a TEE in the hospital and so far, so good, no vegetation.

It's scary, especially the fact that it could still be in there lurking about. Please don't assume anything with what you might have. Get it checked out asap.

 

[Mary]

Cory,
I hate to hear you're having problems. Please let us know what the doctor says.
Mary

 

[liza]

I'm sorry to hear you don't feel well. You aren't that far along since your surgery are you? Bacterial endocarditis was a HORRIBLE experience. The onset of mine was pretty insidious. It started a few months before I was diagnosed, and it took them awhile to figure out what was wrong. I lost alot of weight, had night sweats, chills (on hot days), joint pain and all that. I do remember my heart seemed to be pounding alot too. I hope you don't have it! Let us know what the doctor says!

Liza