Roger's Posts

Saw 2 cardiologists today at OHSU (Portland) who both said that they don't think that I currently need another surgery at this time. They both said that they don't see moderate leakage from the aortic - and that they would only suggest a 3rd surgery if things got really-really bad. Regarding my EF, she said that it's not normal, but that there's a 5% variable in readings of EF. They added low dosage lisinopril to my meds & agreed that I should also remain on carvedilol. They told me to back off the weights. They both said that moderate weight lifting is okay, but not straining since it places pressure on the heart valves. They encouraged cycling, jogging, or stair master - but even then to not keep my HR too high for too long. I will go back for a more detailed echo in 4 months. She said they use a high contrast that gives a perfect picture of the heart at the university. They really are on top of their game there. She also okayed me to take supplements designed to raise EF (see here: https://www.drsinatra.com/best-heart...ts-to-consider). She said there's not a lot of clinical data on these supplements (e.g., CoQ10), but that she didn't think they would harm me. Not sure just yet if I will try these or not inasmuch as I realize that supplements can be dicey. Concerning potential auto-immune disease, she said that she thought that I would be having more symptoms if this was indeed the case. I did inform her about a timeline of infections (e.g., staph, gum infection, etc.). What really impressed me was that she actually inquired about my time line. She was truly probing for clues & took time to answer my questions. Curious about the side-effects of lisinopril (I understand that it lowers blood pressure)? Just wanted to post a quick update - and thank everyone for all of the input. I even referenced the forum to them!