newly diagnosed with aortic regurgitation

[LulOvesu]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading through some old messages and posts and there is a wealth of information from you on here with many people going through challenging circumstances, but I’m not sure what to make of my own situation. I’ve had palpitations for about 5 years, but put them down to hormonal changes. I was at the gp for something unrelated to heart health and they detected a murmur. I had an ecg done which detected some extra beats and an echo done. I found out I have a mild- moderate aortic regurgitation. The letter said that I’d need to have another echo done in 3 years. That was it. I don’t want to Google as I know I’ll end up worrying more than I am already. Could I ask if anyone has any experience of this? I did have an echo done 15 years ago when I started to get migraines and it wasn’t there then. I would be really grateful for any advice or information you can give me. Thank you

[Blackcatsooty]

your result from the echo could be viewed in the context that mild is ok, moderate be aware then severe is when action will be put in place. That could be years away. And your treatment will, even when severe, take many months to put in place.

You are so wise to ignore Dr Google. NHS and BHF sites only !

Best wishes

Sooty

[LulOvesu in reply to Blackcatsooty]

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. Google health sites have caused me no end of stress previously!

Best wishes to you.

[BicuspidBloke in reply to LulOvesu]

Aye, don't Google anything on this! It's a lesson we've all learnt the hard way but it seems like you have too!

Easy to say but don't worry too much as it all seems mild at the moment. You've clearly lived with it a long time so it may never deteriorate to moderate. Have a chat with the docs to see if it will and whether they can start you on any meds to potentially slow this down.

[LulOvesu in reply to BicuspidBloke]

I send you a reply but not in the right place 😩😆

[LulOvesu]

Thanks so much for your reply. Great advice. I will definitely ask them those questions.

Best wishes to you.

[G_Cyclist]

I was diagnosed with mild to moderate aortic regurgitation, following an Echo, in early 2019. I had a follow up Echo in January 2021, which showed no progression of the condition and I was told I'd have a follow up in 3 years. I do quite a lot of fairly intensive exercise - cycling and swimming. The advice from my GP was to just carry on as normal. Other than occasional ectopic beats and palpitations, it doesn't seem to cause me any problems.

So, in short, it might not get any worse and if it's just aortic regurgitation, with no other heart issues, such as arrhythmia, just carry on and try not to worry about. It did take me a while to get used to the palpitations, which I used to find quite disconcerting. Now, I just pause, take a few slow, deep breaths and carry on with what I was doing. Hope this helps.

[LulOvesu in reply to G_Cyclist]

Thank you so much. I really do appreciate the advice and it’s certainly has helped me. Very good to hear that you’ve had no progression and that you’re able to continue with the exercise and it being intensive too. I get palpitations also. They’re uncomfortable and definitely make me stop what I’m doing and take notice. Worse at night too and even after certain foods. I’m going to try to get an appointment with the dr to go through a few things.

Thanks again and all the best to you.

[G_Cyclist in reply to LulOvesu]

you're welcome. All the best to you too. Definitely a good idea to talk to your GP. It's quite a common condition and they should be wble to give you some useful advice

[LulOvesu in reply to G_Cyclist]

I am going to make an appointment. I have a few questions to ask and I’m hoping they’ll be able to help me answer them. Thanks again for your advice. It’s very much appreciated.