anyone else with heart problems?

[samanthajayne]

i had an appointment today with a heart consultant and i have to say it wasn't very nice. definantly a day i'd love to forget.

he made me have an ecg which came back as abnormal then sent me off for a heart scan i had a heart scan 6 years back when the problem was first found but refused to have any check ups since as it all literally scared the hell out of me and the scan i had last time was a really horrible experience so when he mentioned i had to have another i started crying. but he was very nice and quick to reassure me that all is ok so i had no choice today but to have another scan and he says the problem hasn't got any worse from 6 years ago and i should be able to give birth naturally with no problem which is what we needed to know.

all he says is if it did get worse then i'd have to have an operation but that could be 30 years away yet.

the report for my scan is as follows ...

moderate view
chamber sizes normal
sinus tachy and hyperdynamic ventricles
aortic valve appears bicuspid from short axis view. there is mild-moderate aortic regurgitation (fairly narrow jet extending across the anterior mitral leaflet, causing it to buckle slightly but not prolapse)
there is only trivial mitral regurgitation
right sided valves appear normal
there is trivial tricuspid and pulmonary regurgitation
arch and descending thoracic appear normal

if that makes sense to anyone he did write it down in terms i could understand but like with most doctors i can't read his writing

i always thought i inherited this off my mum. she has always said she has the same thing but she had an ecg today too as she mentioned to the consultant about pains she has been having so he let my mum have an ecg today without an appointment and hers came back normal with only slight abnormality on a right sided valve i think it said where mine is all on the left so i don't think i have inherited it from my mum. we won't know anymore until she has a scan too but it seems we have different problems so where have i got it from or is it just something that went wrong when my heart was forming? either way it really scares me but it can't be all that bad if i can have a natural birth. but although he says i'm ok i can't help but feel like i already have heart disease and that i'm going to have all sorts of complications as i get older.

i'm just wondering if anyone else has heart problems and what they are and how it is affecting your pregnancy. he said what i have is quite common but right now i just feel so alone on this one.

 

[Tillytots]

I dont have heart probs hun... YET but wanted to send you hugs

It seems heart prob runs in my family so I think Im prob destined to have a dodgy ticker at some point. I had very high BP when I was 21 and put on Beta-Blockers for 4 years and my Auntie has just had a heart attack and she is only in her 40's.

It is very reassuring that you can have a natural birth though babe because ANY concern they had and you'd be having a C-Section.

Try not to focus on any probs that lay ahead in the VERY distant future, it will only cause you added stress and thats exactly what your heart doesnt need. Like me I dont think about the what ifs, as long as my heart is beating Im happy

 

[Sherlock]

I can understand some of what has been written but I'd not like to comment on it tbh. I'd go see your GP and have him talk you through the results. They should send them to your GP soon. Its what I did when I had all my heart tests earlier in pregnancy. Mind you I also spent 30 minutes with the Doctor after the tests discussing it all and making notes as I didn't trust myself to be able to take it all in, even when he was talking English I could understand

My scans etc were all straightforward and I found them to be dignified and considerate when doing them. End of the day its better to know if something is wrong than bury my head in the sand I reckon. A few hours of mild embarrassment and it was all over

FWIW, if they have given you the all clear for baby and so on I'd not worry overly. If they had any cause for concern in the near future it would have been explained and you'd be aware of it. It seems to me like you have something that will possibly require treatment but not until you are much older and then the chances of needing heart treatment are much higher for most people anyways, not just for yourself. Don't lose sleep over it.

 

[samanthajayne]

thankyou both

i have been trying to look up parts of the diagnosis but none of it makes much sense to me. i do try not to worry and i have been burying my head in the sand about it for the last 6 years. its only because i'm pregnant and i want everything to be alright for me and my baby that i'm pushing myself to go through it and to let them find out if the problem has gotten any worse which thankfully it hasn't yet. sorry to hear about your auntie tillytots i hope she will be ok. heart problems run in my family too on my mums side and my dads side. my grandad died of a heart attack and both my nanas had angina and my mum is convinced she has angina but won't know until she has a scan too. heart problems also run on my bf's side so when baby is born i think i will ask them to have a good look at his heart to make sure he is ok and hasn't inherited what i have. i will be going to see my gp soon anyway as i desperately need something for my spots so yes maybe he can take more time to explain it all properly to me.

i can't help but think about the future though as i'd love to keep going to theme parks and maybe go abroad somewhere on a plane in the future i just hope i can still do all these things. i have another appointment to see the consultant in 6 weeks so fingers crossed all stays ok. i should have known i'd have to face up to these problems sooner or later i'm just rubbish at dealing with these things i'd rather hide away and pretend it doesn't exist

 

[Tillytots]

book that appointment with yor GP asap hun because you'll worery no end until you know what it means.

I think my Auntie is ok, she is having lots of tests done at the moment as it was only 2 weeks ago. The docs originally told her she had heartburn and to go away and take gaviscon The heart probs are on both sides for me too. My Great Nan died of angina, my other Nan of a anyerism and my Grandad on the other side an Anyerism too. Everyone has high BP in my fam
Anyway, book an appointment for as soon as you can get one. Welldone for going though as it cant have been easy

 

[Sherlock]

I doubt there will be any problems in your pregnancy or for a long time beyond if that is what your consultant thinks. If he is talking something that may require an operation as far away as 30 years I think its good odds that in your immediate future no treatment will be needed. And if he not told you to change your lifestyle with regards to travelling and enjoying yourself, exercise etc, then carry on. Really, if he had had any concerns about such things I am sure he would have told you then and there to stop doing them.

The thing to remember is that by having it checked and keeping appointments over the coming years it means they can monitor you and act if need be and prevent any serious damage to you. If you don't have it kept an eye on etc, you run a far greater risk of problems because its being ignored. So you are doing the right thing by having these tests, so keep up with them if they suggest them I know its not nice, but scans and ECG's are non invasive and tbh, childbirth is IMHO a far more personal thing and look at whats on show there

FWIW I flew with an under investigation heart medical condition and went for a long trip to Australia a few years back. I was fine My GP said it was ok to go as the consultant had no problem with it. I'm sure your life does not have to stop right now or anytime in the near future. Enjoy yourself and your pregnancy

 

[samanthajayne]

thankyou again to you both i feel so much better now thankyou

 

[peach]

hi x
I have a heart murmer
i didnt no i had it till i was pregnant with my first who is 5.
I had a heart scan then and i had a heart scan this time round and there is no change x
I agree the heart scan wasnt very nice hun at all x

ope its not serious hun xx tc ss xx