If they do find that you need a valve repair or replacement, check back in with me and I can give you a detailed description of what you can expect. My dad aged 85 and my brother aged 50 both had valve problems that were fixed with surgery in the last year (my brother was diagnosed 6 months after my Dad, only with a completely different problem). Dad had to have an aortic valve replacement, something common amongst people his age. My brother had a congenital defect that was discovered when they were treating or rather trying to diagnose him for a completely un-related condition.
Many people have valve heart murmurs, and this is caused by a valve that is not opening and closing properly, so when the doctor listens to your heart on the stethescope they can hear a different fluttery or flappy sound instead of the regular lub dub sound. It can be perfectly fine, or it might cause you to not get enough blood, and therefore oxygen to your brain or extremities, and that would be a cause of concern.
Valves may need to be replaced or repaired if the valve itself isn’t functioning properly (which could cause the sound of the murmur) or if the valve has calcified over time (as was the case with my Dad) or it could have another type of problem such as a tear or other defect, which could possibly be fixed with surgery, but wouldn’t necessarily have to be replaced.
When you go in for your tests and diagnosis, write down a list of questions that you would like to have answered, and if you can, bring along a friend or relative, who can help you to write down the answers and remember what was said (sometimes the patient can be a little anxious and not recall everything).
Some questions for your list include:
What condition(s) do I have?
What is the prognosis for my condition?
Will I need surgery or medication or other treatments for this condition?
Do you know what caused this condition? Should I make any lifestyle changes to avoid making it worse?
If I need to have surgery, when will the surgery be scheduled? Do I need surgery immediately or can I wait?
If I need surgery, who will be performing the surgery? And in what facility will the surgery take place?
May I get a second opinion?
Will my insurance pay for the surgery and other treatments that I need for this condition?
If I have to get surgery, how long will I need to be in the hospital and/or at home to recover and go back to my normal routine?
What can I expect during the surgery? How long will it take, what kind of procedure will be happening?
Will I need to change my lifestyle (exercise, diet, frequency of sex etc.) after the surgery?
Are there any alternative treatments to having this type of treatment or surgery for my condition?
What will happen if I choose not to have the treatment or surgery?
If I choose to have surgery, will I be on certain medications (such as Coumadin which causes the blood to be very thin and puts you at risk for serious bleeding problems, like my Dad experienced) for the rest of my life?
Hope all goes well at your exam. Let me know if you need any info about heart surgery from a caretaker’s point of view : ) Below is a short (for me) blurb on what I did to help my Dad and brother after they came home from the hospital.
A bell should be put by the bed so you can call your caregiver, so you won’t have to yell out. Also, have a water bottle with a sports top or fold down straw on it next to the bed so that if you accidentally knock it over it won’t spill. Caregivers should use room temperature water at first, sometimes ice water can hurt going down. The caregiver should make sure to check the water bottle to see that it’s full. The caregiver sure that her blankets or comforter are warm/cool enough and also not too physically heavy. Any kind of extra weight can really hurt if you’ve been injured or had surgery. Your caregiver might want to get one of those bedpillows that is especially for sitting up in bed, they have armrests on the side. The caregiver will want to check the position of the pillows often, it’s very painful to have to move around and try to scrunch up pillows by yourself when you are in pain. If you doesn’t want to listen to music, you might enjoy the soothing sounds of rain or crickets. I’ve downloaded some of those off I-tunes and they’re very relaxing (look under ambient sounds or nature sounds and choose some that don’t also have music in the background). Your care giver should make sure that there is lip balm that you can reach (and put it in a little box or container so that it doesn’t roll off the bed) and maybe put a very dim nightlight can be put in your room. Also, the caregiver can put a wet wash cloth in a ziplock bag on the bedside table so that it’s in reach if you need to put it on your brow. Your caregiver will probably need to help you to the bathroom. In addition to super soft toilet paper, have moist baby wipes on hand. Sometimes even toilet paper is too painful. Your caregiver might also want to put a hospital pad under your bottom when you’re in bed just in case she you have an accident. Your caregiver should get a big bottle of hand sanitizer and use it often. Hand sanitizer should be used before anyone touches you or handles any of your food or medications. Make visitors use hand sanitzer too. You will need to avoid infection. And last, but not least, it would be nice if your friends or family members can whip up little photo album of 4X6 prints of your loved ones, best friends and pets to keep by your bedside.
Good luck and keep us updated : )
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