WORRIED.....

[ITSINTHEBAG9]

Having major anxiety over echo tomorrow. I know I've got moderate/severe aortic valve stenosis. I'm really worried all hell will break loose and they will keep me in. Only having echo at local hospital so I know nothing can be done there. If the news is awful I'd rather have an urgent outpatient appointment as I have a daughter, sick husband and flock of sheep to look after.

I'm trying to pull myself together with the fact that I did the Ram's hoof yesterday and had no problems so things can't be that bad...

Sorry to rant.

[Calliope153]

You;re not ranting you are understandably uptight. Just remember as long as you display mental competence they can advise you to stay in but you are free to decline to stay, after telling them of your particular circumstances and explaining why you can;t. Actually it;s unlikely that they will give you any results- someone (usually a cardiologist) has to interpret the screeen. Even though one of my echos was done as an emergency it was over three months later before anyone even mentioned the result (and no, it wasn;t that good). You;ll take it in your stride but we all look to the worst possible scenario - it's called being human when you feel vulnerable. Best of luck.

[ITSINTHEBAG9 in reply to Calliope153]

Thanks so much... I work as a medical receptionist/secretary the GP here has been very kind also and said that to look at me you would never believe I've got this....

[Calliope153 in reply to ITSINTHEBAG9]

I have the same problem - completely out of the blue I had a heart attack - STEMI 100% blockage - and whilst they were saving my life they noticed four other things wrong. I got to the stage of wanting to smack someone really, really hard as every doctor said "you must have known your heart was not right as a child" guess what? No I didn;t. Initially when you know you have something wrong you sort of creep about (psychologically I mean, well at least I did) your life and have gloomy thoughts. When I went back for the second stent and they couldn;t fit it and it;s wait for the nexxt heart attack I retreated into myself and then thought eat well, exercise and see what happens.... so far so good. But I look amazingly well (so everyone says) unfortunately I seem to have developed a swearing response whenever anyone says that. ..... What sort of sheep? I mean breed not as one one of my ex students responded to a professor at her interview for vet school when he asked her what sort of sheep she had been lambing with and she replied "white ones". Hope that;s lifted you al little. Others will be along later I have no doubt to offer wise words - this forum is so good at getting people through the blips of being a "cardiac case".

[Amikatari in reply to Calliope153]

I feel your pain! I felt like hitting someone too, when they assumed there couldn't possibly be any congenital problem with my heart, or I would have known about it as a child, and from that, drew the bizarre conclusion that I must have caused my Endocarditis by injecting myself with drugs, and insisted quite aggressively that I must be lying as there was no possible other cause, (there are many possible causes) while I was in acute distress and nearly dying! Once they actually got around to doing the scans it turned out that I had been born with a bicuspid aortic valve which had made me vulnerable to infection. The doctor didn't even apologise and I'm considering making a complaint.

[Calliope153 in reply to Amikatari]

and I know your surprise when they finally got around to really looking - I have the bicuspid valve too and a whacking great aneurysm.....

[Amikatari in reply to Calliope153]

I had the valve replaced with a mechanical one a few weeks ago, as it had been shredded by the endocarditis and was regurgitating. It had probably been functioning badly for years before I got acutely ill, given my total lack of energy and various other symptoms that doctors assumed were depression and anxiety.

Are you going to have your valve replaced too, and have they got a treatment plan for the aneurysm? I hope they get something sorted for you soon X

[Calliope153 in reply to Amikatari]

I am on watch and wait - the follow up care has been non existent (heart attack Dec 2017) - I am supposed to have an annual checkup - due last Feb - I have chased but even the cardiologist letter saying I need an appointment "within six weeks" sent nearly three months ago has had no effect. The consultant's secretary passed me onto the clinic appointment coordinator who told me she had the letter but I was not likely to get an appointment before September. I've gone on the wait list for a cancellation but "not much hope of getting one" she told me. I expect something really bad to happen (SCAD probably as the aneurysm is within 1 mm of being at the point they have to operate) as I also have other blocked arteries that needed stenting but because they are twisted the cath lab will only attempt it should I have another heart attack. The GP says I need the review but there is nothing he can do to get me one and I certainly need a scan. To say I feel let down by the system is an understatement. Emergency care was beyond excellent but the rest of it is total pants.

[ITSINTHEBAG9 in reply to Calliope153]

That is bloody terrible. Have you contacted PALS

[Calliope153 in reply to ITSINTHEBAG9]

I am continuing to ring to remind them I would take a cancellation regularly (working on the beinng a nuisance caller might make them do something to get rid of me). My dentist won't treat me until I have had the review even the consultant has written to him to say treat with antibiotics before anything invasive. So that;s another problem. PALS will be my next step but frankly I don;t expect much help from anywhere; everyone very sympathetic but no progress to get an appointment. I appreciate my GP can;t do anything more than he has done but even my phlegmatic very pro NHS husband says it has become apparent it;s an elaborate game of pass the parcel, we both know things are looking pretty bleak. Thanks for your reply though - I sometimes think I am being unreasonable in having paid for 42 full working years and never used the system to expect some support the first time I have needed to use it......

[Amikatari in reply to Calliope153]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that, Calliope, it must be so frustrating and scary. I agree that it might help to contact PALS, or perhaps threaten to make a complaint to the CCG - perhaps that would make them take notice. X

[Chappychap]

When I was in hospital for a bypass there was a dairy farmer on the same cardiac ward. He'd had to arrange emergency cover to look after his herd at short notice, it might be worth constructing a plan, or at least thinking through the practicalities in advance, just in case.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Chappychap]

Definitely good advice from Chappychap. A friend went for a rigorous company medical prior to working overseas, ended up being admitted to hospital and had a triple bypass five days later. With the pressures on hospitals these days if they want to keep someone in they have good reason!

[Nic25]

It's not a rant! You're scared and worried! Good luck and fingers crossed - and it's better to know I guess and be getting treated than to not and not, as it were, in my book. Having said that, before I read this properly I thought 'Ram's hoof' must be some sort of cardiac investigation! So glad you're 'only' having an echo. But best to luck and fingers us posted how it goes. Nic x

[shopman]

Just to add to the above. Realise you may already know about The Farming Community Network - details @ fcn.org.uk/

[ITSINTHEBAG9 in reply to shopman]

No I didn't but am going to look that up...

[ITSINTHEBAG9 in reply to shopman]

It's added on my Facebook x

[Sunnie2day]

I'm late to this but in case you're booked for later in the day today, this might help a little - you'll probably be fine and the worst part of it all (besides the normal anxiety nothing but getting it over with will 'cure') will be cleaning the gel off you when it's finished. (Advice: go straight home for a good soapy shower, that blasted gel finds its way to parts of your upper body you really don't expect it to!)

But - if the tech sees something 'serious' on the screen, he/she will tell you straight away you're being admitted and give you a brief explanation of why - and if there is something serious requiring admittance, you've already 'won' as the problem was discovered in a hospital setting (the echo lab) and didn't cause a HA while you were out there doing the ram's hoof. That's a win right there

You'll be told the consultant will give you a more full explanation but the tech will give you a brief 'reason for...' on the spot so you can ring family/friends to do the sheep until you're home.

[seasider18]

They wont keep you in as the waiting lists are too long ! My valve was 75% closed when diagnosed and it took nearly 16 months to have my valve replacement. I actually had a stress echocardiogram that gave a false positive for blocked arteries and then an angiogram prior to surgery. They involved 17 and 10 week waits.

[dazm50]

hi I went to my doctor on a thurrsday because I was getting out of breath, he said I had severe aortic stenosis, on the Monday night before work I collapsed at home got took to a&e kept me in, also had the flu put me in isolation for five days.

I was in hospital for two months because I had broken teeth and they cause problems for

a new valve.

I had my op three months ago, oh by the way iam only 51 years old ,iam going back to work next weeki,can,t thank my doctor and all the staff enough for all there compassion and help to me and my family

I have bad days and good can,t get used to my new valve it makes a ticking sound at

night it is a mechanical one , also have to take blood thinners for the rest of my life

that is my story and why iam still here,if anybody needs to talk about it please get in touch.