79yr old father become more brethless when walking etc over the past year, finally agreed to see GP, ( he has concerns that sometimes cures/ treatments are worse than condition hence his hesitancy!),
Had chest xray and ECG on same day as seeing GP, should we be concerned?
Blood tests boooked for Thursday and review a week later with GP. she thinks it is aortic stenosis, any info would be very appreciated.
It may be he needs a replacement aortic valve. I read on here that Mick Jagger had one by minimally invasive surgery and was back touring s few months later. It's probably good it had been caught now. Best wishes!
Hi footyfan, I need to stress I am not medically trained whatsoever. At your fathers age, it could well be aortic stenosis, however it could also be a number of other things and I understand both you and your fathers concerns. From my own experiences the only advice I can offer is to keep pressing for all the tests. An echocardiogram and/or ct scan can be very useful. With waiting times, expenses for tests and NHS budgets the level of service does appear to vary from area to area. From my own experiences though, once the cause of the breathlessness is identified, if it is heart related I have nothing but praise for service provided by the NHS.
Thanks, although concerned the biggest issue for him is the repeated to and froing from hospital, whilst having to weigh up the benefits of any possible surgery , at his age you also have to weigh up the effort and upset extensive treatment can cause, I suppose until we know for sure I just wanted some reassurance that at his age it is possible and worthwhile treating as many people I have heard report it all seem to be about 20 years younger!
I was quite amazed at the general average age while I was in hospital both pre-op and post-op surgery. At a guess I would say the majority of patients were at least 65/70+. While waiting for my angiogram (pre-op) I got chatting to a young lady of 92 years who was there to have her pacemaker replaced. She had been originally fitted with one over 25 years earlier. I think the lack of comments from older people could well be down to them being less tech savvy without sounding condescending.
My husband has had aortic incompetence/ stenosis for years controlled by meds he's 75. He has a yearly echo and last year had meds adjusted.
If and it's a big if, surgery is suggested, these days there is a less invasive op called a TAVI where a new valve is inserted on top of the old one.
This does not involve opening the heart.
I can understand you wanting info but stick to BHF website for accurate up to date info
Age is no barrier if there will be a gain in QOL
Hi, can understand you and your father being concerned. I had aortic valve replaced and bypass 3 years ago age 69. When I was doing my cardio rehab there were others in their 70s who had had the same or similar.
When you find out the out come of the tests you can move on. If it’s a replacement valve please be reassured, of course it’s a major operation but the quality of life after is so much better.
When you know what needs doing come back and ask as many questions as you like there are so many of us here that have been through various experiences.
I wish your Father the very best,
Hi footyfan, good luck with your dad; these things are always worrying, but I'm sure he'll be in good hands. I had aortic stenosis for many years until having an aortic valve replacement at age 50 at the end of 2018.
If you want to know more about the condition this may help
uhs.nhs.uk/OurServices/Bloo...
But essentially, as it says, it's when the aortic valve has thickened. In my case it was because my valve was what is known as bicuspid, in other words it only had two flaps instead of three. That meant the heart had to pump harder to get the blood through, which meant the muscle thickened, which meant it had to push harder and so on. In my case it was a congenital thing but it is a common condition that also often just comes on with age.
As I say, I had it for many many years (more than 30) and it gradually got worse, going from moderate to severe over time. I didn't feel I was experiencing symptoms until the very end though, once I had had the new valve, I realised that in fact I had been; they'd just come on me very slowly. If your dad is getting symptoms of breathlessness already they may well look to move much faster than they did with me!
In terms of the TAVI procedure that a few people have mentioned here, and the link also talks about, it is an alternative to open-heart surgery and, obviously, his cardiologist and/or any surgeon (if and when he gets to that point) will have the final say on what's best for him. But my understanding is that, while it is becoming more common as an option, on the NHS at least it is predominantly used for when a patient is physically so unwell it is deemed they may be unable to cope with open-heart surgery. So it is not a given that it may be an option. But, clearly, if it comes to surgery it is something you and he may want to discuss.
If it does come down to him needing open-heart valve replacement surgery, it is big operation of course but it is also one that is very standard these days and has good recovery rates, even in older patients. It'll take him a while to get back on his feet, depending on how his health is generally, and there will be a recovery period, primarily for the breastbone to heal, but in terms of heart function people do normally/often make a full recovery.
One of the unusual things about valve replacement surgery is he may get a choice as to whether to have a mechanical or a tissue valve (he also may not depending on any other health and age factors) - even though it is the sort of thing you normally expect to be decided for you!
Basically a mechanical valve is for-life but you do have to take blood thinning Warfarin to ensure clots do not form on the valve. With a tissue valve you don't need to do that but it will need replacing at some point, 10-15 years in standard valves, 20-25 in the new generation of valves that is coming through called the Edwards Inspiris Resilia (which is what I had).
However, hopefully you and he are a long way off needing to sit down and make those decisions. It could well be there is a period of monitoring (mostly ECGs and echocardiograms in my experience) and, probably, referral to a cardiologist in the first instance.
But, as I say, good luck. It's only natural to be worried, but aortic stenosis is a very common condition with common, well-trodden treatment pathways.
So I hope this helps even if just a bit! And any specific questions you want to ask do fire away of course.
Nic x
Thanks for response, however if if turns out to be stenosis, from what GP says likely surgery a foregone conclusion, one of the issues is his ability and desire to cope with , in his words, " being messed around with".
After long history of health care efforts for mum who died 3 yrs ago, not sure what faith he has in hospitals!
Really have to wait and see af least hd can make an informed decision.
Thanks for your response and the info you have shared.
This has been really informative for me as I was diagnosed last year with moderate BAS no symptoms. (Went to the docs for something else). I am due a yearly Echo 24/6. For me nothing seems to have changed so hoping thats what will show on the Echo. The Doctor last year said to me you were born with it, it will be monitored yearly just forget about it and carry on as before, but easily said than done. I worry constantly sometimes I wish I didn’t know.
I had a replacement valve for aortic stenosis by TAVI four weeks ago (I am 61) This was done through my groin under a heavy sedative and I was home the next day. I now feel much better than I have for years. I really think this is worth doing for anyone rather than open heart surgery but especially at your dad’s age. I think you can reassure him if this is offered that the staff are amazing, the process is relatively straightforward and recovery is quick.
Hanks for you reassurance, I suppose one issue is not knowing what they will offer, or how they decide whether open or less invasive such as Tavi.
Did you get a choice as to what type of surgery? Where did you go for your surgery?
Yes I was offered the choice. They have only recently approved TAVI for ‘younger’ people so I was lucky to be able to do it this way. I suspect that for your dad they’ll recommend TAVI because of his age. I had it done in Newcastle Freeman hospital which is a specialist centre but was also offered the treatment in Sheffield Northern General hospital prior to moving to Northumberland last year. Good luck I know you’ll both be worried.
Hi how long does the TAVI valve last before it would have to be replaced?
Mild aortic stenosis
Aortic stenosis moderate to severe
Severe aortic stenosis
mild aortic stenosis 
Severe Aortic Stenosis
