Alma's Posts

My mitral regurgitation shows up as severe on the echos my cardiologist has done, but as mild-moderate on the surgeon's angiogram and TEE. My cardiologist thinks that something is atypical about my presentation. Since I was sedated for both the angio and the TEE, perhaps that caused a difference in the way my heart functions. Certainly my symptoms are a lot better when I am at rest, so maybe the sedation was a factor. He is sending me for a second opinion from the Heart Institute in Ottawa. Besides redoing the TEE, I will be doing a bicycle echo, which will look at my heart while it is under stress. They just called to move up the tests. The bike echo is on Wednesday 28th, the TEE on Friday the 30th. I am praying that they find something definitive, so that they can fix my problem.

In hospital as inpatient. Did tee yesterday. Surgeon does not want to operate! Says I have only moderate regurg, not what is causing my symptoms! Heart is enlarged on left side, some enlargement on right, but not worried about muscle damage. Regurg may need surgery someday but not today. My cardiologist disagrees. He wants me sent to Ottawa or Toronto for 2nd opinion. I have not spoken to him yet, but apparently the cardiologists here have been in conversation with him repeatedly. They have nothing but good to say of him as cardiologist and 'echo guy' but they disagree. I haven't spoken to him since all this, but he has told me in office several times that this is severe, will need fixing in the year, then that it will need fixing now, and that he is seeing muscle damage beginning.he has done several echoes over time. I just am so confused! As for my symptoms, I have tachycardia when standing. Heart rate goes from 60 lying down or reclining, 120 when sitting up straight, and 160 when standing up. Blood pressure goes from normal when lying to 90 over 60 when standing. Oxygen plummets from 100 lying down to 82 standing up. I have about 3 minutes of standing up before I start to wilt, then black out. It has happened right in front of them, and when I lie down, I get better right away. The last time, they hooked me up to monitors and got readings while I purposely stood there and they videoed it and got my vitals. When I lay down recovering, I felt my hands from elbows down tingling and numb and they saw that my skin was weird and mottled. My lips and earlobes were also tingling. They see there is a problem, but say it is not related to valve. What on earth is going on?