Hey I was diagnosed with this and was wondering if anyone else has it. I looked into it a bit on the net and can't really tell how how bad it is. Of course my doctor leaves this info on a message when I'm sleeping this morning and I can't talk with him till Tuesday. So I'd appreciate this not being moved to the Health forum simply b/c there are so many more eyeballs in here and I have to believe somebody in here has this. Thanks, Vaulted
VT - you may have already read this information, but I will link it anyway. Personally I have never heard of this condition.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4448
wil.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4448
wil.
I have this VT. I had rheumatic fever when I was a kid and it slightly damaged the aortic valve. It caused what is known as "mitral valve prolapse". A prolapse is where something doesn't close all the way. As a result, some of the blood pumped from my heart flows back into the chamber causing a murmur.
I ran in track and cross country in high school so it doesn't affect me. I recently had a checkup and my doctor said she can't hear the murmur. That doesn't mean the prolapse isn't there. She may not be able to hear it for other reasons.
I have an appointment for an echo-cardiogram. It's like an ultra-sound for your heart. They use this to see what kind of shape the valve is in. Perhaps your doctor will schedule one for you to see the extent of the situation.
I ran in track and cross country in high school so it doesn't affect me. I recently had a checkup and my doctor said she can't hear the murmur. That doesn't mean the prolapse isn't there. She may not be able to hear it for other reasons.
I have an appointment for an echo-cardiogram. It's like an ultra-sound for your heart. They use this to see what kind of shape the valve is in. Perhaps your doctor will schedule one for you to see the extent of the situation.
Basically, your aorta forces a certain amount of blood into your left ventricle every time your heart beats. If your left ventricle becomes enlarged either due to rheuamatic fever or congenitally it causes the heart to work harder than it should. To compensate for this enlargening of your left ventricle, over the years your heart has had to pump harder so that all that blood from your aorta gets into your left ventricle. Eventually just like any muscle (your heart is a muscle), the heart gets tired and doesn't pump as hard, so instead it pumps faster to further try and compensate by getting the needed amount of blood into your left ventricle. Your heart muscle is starting not to compensate as well as it used to, so now there is blood remaining in your aorta and not going into your left ventricle. Be aware if you start having difficulty breathing during minimal exertion (exertional dyspnea) or chest pain (angina) at rest or during exertion. These are not good signs for the long term. You are probably going to have a cardiac catheterization scheduled to determine the severity of this disease. I would not rule out having a valve replacement surgery down the road, but controlling your blood pressure through medications, stop smoking now if you do it, start exercising after you see your cardiologist, and watch your diet. Not gonna lie, it's something that can be controlled but it is serious.
Quantumleap -- your medical history and mine sound the same. I had the fever and the murmer from back when I was 9 or 10 years old. The murmer thing scared the hell out of me but I sure played a lot of football with no problems related to this. Today they can't hear it.
If it was a very serious condition surely he wouldn't have just left you a message.
If it was a very serious condition surely he wouldn't have just left you a message.
