Heart Valve Regurgitation

[Salvatore_21]

Hi All, I’m a 30 year old female and have just been diagnosed with heart valve disease. Some of my valves are leaking so I’ve been referred to the Cardiologist for further assessment. Can anyone tell me what I should expect from this? I’m feeling quite shocked, I had chest pain and palpitations and extreme fatigue but I wasn’t expecting this diagnosis, and I feel I haven’t really been told anything - all I got was a call from my GP following a 24 hour ECG and a heart ultrasound scan to tell me I have this valve issue and I’m being referred to cardiology… I’ve no idea what to expect?

[Yumz199725]

Ahh it must be such a shock to have this diagnosis! Alot of us on here know what having valve disease is like so don't worry your not alone ❤️. I was born with these issues so haven't really known a life with out cardiologist appointments, but I do know what you can expect 😉. You get your vitals checked like hight, weight, and BP, then you have an ecg and an echo and speak with your cardiologist after x you will find out how advanced your valve regurgitation is aswell and what there plan is for you wether that be surgery or just watch and wait with check ups every year? I have mixed valve disease ( regurgitation and stenosis. I have severe aortic regurgitation and moderate stenosis so eventually will need valve replacement surgery x let us know how you get on with your appointment ❤️.

[Salvatore_21 in reply to Yumz199725]

Thank you for replying, that’s really helpful and informative. I hope that you’re feeling ok! I had an ecg and a heart ultrasound scan from the GP which found my leaky valve, is it likely the cardiologist would do it again themselves?

[Yumz199725 in reply to Salvatore_21]

Yeah I think they would want to repeat the tests to check the gp isn't missing anything??? Hope everything goes well xx

[dnsblr]

It's understandable to feel shocked and uncertain after receiving a diagnosis of heart valve disease. It's important to remember that you're not alone, and many people with heart valve disease live long and healthy lives with proper treatment and management.

During your cardiology appointment, the cardiologist will likely:

Review your medical history and symptoms: They will ask about your chest pain, palpitations, fatigue, and any other symptoms you've been experiencing.

Perform a physical exam: They will listen to your heart and lungs, check your blood pressure, and examine your overall health.

Order additional tests:

They may order further tests, such as an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) or a cardiac catheterization (a procedure to directly examine the heart's valves and chambers).

Discuss treatment options:

Based on the severity of your valve leakage and your overall health, they will discuss treatment options. Treatment may involve medication, lifestyle changes, or surgery to repair or replace the affected valve.

Provide ongoing monitoring:

They will likely schedule regular follow-up appointments to monitor your condition and make adjustments to your treatment plan as needed.

Here are some questions you can ask your cardiologist:

What type of heart valve disease do I have?

What is the severity of my valve leakage?

What are my treatment options?

What are the risks and benefits of each treatment option?

What lifestyle changes should I make?

How often will I need follow-up appointments?

What symptoms should I watch out for?

Are there any support groups or resources available for people with heart valve disease?

Remember, your cardiologist is there to help you understand your condition and make informed decisions about your treatment. Don't hesitate to ask questions and express your concerns.

Be strong. Wish you Good Luck and speedy recovery.

[Salvatore_21 in reply to dnsblr]

Thank you, I really appreciate your reply! I’ve taken a note of what to expect and also of those example questions to write them down and take them with me. It’s a bit overwhelming so I probably won’t be able to think of any on the spot!

[Squeaky-heart]

I have the same as you, you will be under cardiology to monitor your leak. Mines was fine for years and only recently I had symptoms like your self. I have now been started on medication for the palpitations which has made a huge difference. Also with fatigue I would get your GP to do bloods for low vitamin/mineral count.

I recently had my bloods done and need folic acid which has improved me fatigue.

[Salvatore_21 in reply to Squeaky-heart]

I’ve had my bloods done a lot recently as I always felt fatigued but other than iron, everything else was normal and I’m now taking iron supplements. I’m thinking the fatigue is down to my heart issue, which I didn’t know about at the time. Hopefully treatment won’t be too invasive

[Traveldreams]

I’m older than you, 54. I went for a routine checkup last year and received a phone call at work to tell me that I had heart failure. I’d put all my symptoms down to the menopause so like you I had a shock!

My local hospital did an echocardiogram, which was time consuming but not at all an issue, about three months later and the cardiologist diagnosed severe mitral valve regurgitation requiring surgery. I then had an angiogram about a month later.

Again, I didn’t find this painful just uncomfortable and I was surprised how tired I felt for the following week. This is done under local anaesthetic. It showed that thankfully my arteries were clear.

My condition required ‘urgent treatment’ to ensure that repair rather than replacement could be performed but it was too complex for my local hospital so I was referred to a specialist hospital.

That was in March. Still waiting but I’ve only had a 24 hour heart monitor in the meantime, no other invasive tests.

Hope that helps. More than happy to answer any other questions.

Good luck x

[Salvatore_21 in reply to Traveldreams]

Thank you for your reply. I’m just feeling a bit lost as I’ve no idea what to expect, my appointment is relatively soon, the 2nd November! So I’m hoping I come away with more answers rather than questions.

[Traveldreams in reply to Salvatore_21]

I hope you do too. Very stressful for you. Take care.

[Survivor1952]

The symptoms you describe are almost the same as mine were, I didn’t have the palpitations. It isn’t the end of normal life but merely a new chapter. It is amazing what the doctors can do now. What is important is to try and be positive about things, difficult I know but it really helps.

What motivated me was being told I’d only get back to 75-90% of my fitness level prior to my issues, well I reckon I’m a lot better than that.

I’d been to A&E with chest pains and unable to breathe. I had a precautionary echocardiogram 6 months later as nothing was found. At that point I was told I’d had a heart attack in the previous week. I was kept in hospital and had angioplasty within a week. My valve problem was only found when they wanted to discharge me.

As a result I’ve had AVR 4 months ago due to severe regurgitation, my EF was down below 30. I was in hospital for 3 weeks in between procedures. They did a precautionary CABG whilst in there. I was concerned about the OHS but then thought about the alternative, possibly not seeing Christmas or my grandchildren again …

As part of my rehab I’ve been taking a lot more exercise, completed my 5th park run yesterday with an age grade of 40%, I’m not an athletic person but at 71 I’m faster than some 40 year olds already. Prior to my ‘problem’ I’d never have considered starting one 5k run let alone finishing one weekly. I’m also doing a couple of 3k runs during the week as well.

[Salvatore_21 in reply to Survivor1952]

Wow, it sounds like you’re doing amazingly! That’s great news that you’re feeling so well. Thank you for your reply x

[MummaSoap]

Hi Salvatore

I don’t have valve issues but I empathise with the shock around receiving such a diagnosis.

My diagnosis came after I attended A&E with ongoing palpitations and breathlessness, went up to AMIA (which is essentially a minor illness day unit), was told that they were waiting for a bed on cardiology and rather naively spent the night on the ward to have a cardiologist deliver the news that I had heart failure the next morning as though he was letting me know that all they had to eat was toast!

I still have days where I can’t quite wrap my head around that delivery - I acknowledge for them that these conversations happen every day and he was unsympathetic but it felt like there was a bit of an emotional disconnect (which I suppose they need really to be able to do what they do every day).

I hope that you get some answers to your questions and start feeling better soon 💛

Best wishes

Soap 🧼

[Salvatore_21 in reply to MummaSoap]

That sounds like a shocking diagnosis! Definitely not what you expect to hear. Apparently there’s heart issues in my family history, but this was all before my time so my mum only mentioned it once I received my diagnosis!

[Gladiator1951]

I'm sorry you've been given this diagnosis, Salvatore_21. I encourage you to be your own advocate and seek answers to your questions and follow the road to solutions so that you can live a long life.

Here is an excellent web forum which focuses on heart valve issues. Many people sharing their experiences and outcomes... valvereplacement.org/

[Salvatore_21 in reply to Gladiator1951]

Thank you, that’s really helpful! I’ll take a look

[Bobkins99]

I was diagnosed with mild regurgitation at 40. It didn't get too much worse until I was 62 when my mitral valve failed. Someone has given you a great list of questions for the cardiologist. My only other advice is to maintain a health lifestyle as much as possible and keep active. Know your own body and don't hesitate to go back to them if things change. I started getting short of breath when I exercised. It got worse but I put out down to the fact I was in my 60s. Eventually I went to the GP who listened to my chest and asked if I knew I had a heart murmur. I said yes. I'd had it since I was 40, he said it sounded bad and packed me off to the hospital for blood tests. Turned out I not only had a failed mitral but also endocarditis and was in hospital for 6 weeks, so don't hesitate to go back if things don't feel right

[filorera]

Sorry to hear that you have this at such a young age. First don't despair, have they told you how severe it is? You may not need anything done yet depending on how bad it is.

[Yumz199725]

How was your appointment on the 2nd? X