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I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Regurgitation and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Dec 4, 2018 | Replies (16)Comment receiving replies
After a regular check up my family doctor suggested an EKG. Many years I have dealt with high blood pressure and a little high stats on the cholesterol.I have suffered with panic attacks for more than 30 years and currently valium has helped the pulse rate. There has been MUCH stress over the last 4 years with my young daughter,now 20 years old, having an addiction to drugs and thirteen times in the ER for her condition. The stress has been overwhelming but have never had any effects on the heart, except for the pulse rate. Anyway, after the EKG my doctor suggested I see a cardiologist . No recommendations, so I looked on line for a cardiologist that was nearby. I saw him July 21st, 2017...I did not have any symptoms nor did I feel "bad". I had a series of tests and on August 18th he diagnosed me with mitral regurgitation murmur.He scared the heck out of me and said I was between severe and critical and would start to pass out and have severe chest pains, etc. I am sure my pressure sky-rocketed after his visit. He wanted me to go a surgeon connected to his "heart group" and suggested a new procedure called TAVR. This same cardiologist, despite being on 20 mg. of Lisinopril twice a day added 25 mg of metoprolol succinate. The doctor he was sending me to planned to schedule a battery of more tests. I did not go to HIS chosen doctor. On August 29th I saw a cardiologist from Northwestern Hospital. He diagnosed me with nonrheumatic aortic valve stenosis and scheduled a return visit in three months after another echo gram. He told me that I at one point I will need surgery to replace the valve but I was too young for that TAVR procedure and that TAVR is still being tested ! He calmed me down some but the stress caused by the first cardiologist can not get out of my mind. I had another echo gram and on December 7th I saw the doc and he said that the test showed a slight change. He also said I do not have the symptoms I should have from the tests. He said my pressure was too low and suggested to cut the blood pressure meds.......I told him for 30 plus years I have been on 40 mg. of Lisinopril and maybe cutting that metopolol to 12.5 gm would be better. After the LOW pressure continued I removed myself from that pill completely....I suffered all the negative side effects from that pill including vision problems. It is hard for him to determine any real physical symptoms to match the test results because I have spent most of the last 3 months doing NOTHING.....he suggested I start to live and do things I did before so we can see the true damage. I do not have to return to him for 6 months unless I have "problems". I still do not have a normal life because the mental images from the first cardiologist has caused me many physical issues...worrying constantly. I have been told by two of my friends that chelation therapy might help me since it is calcification of the valve. Has anyone tried that ? I know it is not covered by insurance and expensive. I also thought that there was medication that would help with calcification .Needless to say I am scared and my life has been turned upside down. I wish I lived near Mayo Clinic. On a brighter note my daughter has been "clean" for awhile but she moved out of state this past Monday so I am alone and that scares me too . Although I have a young daughter I will be 68 this month. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post.... I wish all of you the happiest of holidays and a healthy and happy 2018.
Replies to "After a regular check up my family doctor suggested an EKG. Many years I have dealt..."
Thank you for your kind words. Congrats on a successful recovery! Regarding chelation therapy : I too am most interested in answers or info from the group. I do know that Medicare will not cover this treatment and I called Blue Cross that is my secondary insurer, but they are not familiar with the treatment either but said I could gather the info from the cardiologists and the doctor involved with the chelation and they will review what if any amount would be covered. I called my cardiologist's office earlier today regarding all the negative side effects from stopping metoprolol and also asked about taking K2 vitamins which is suppose to help coronary issues. I purchased the vitamins but it was suggested to have doctor approve adding K2 . There is a center 5 minutes from me that offers chelation therapy but without some help from insurance the cost for me would be impossible. Have a great afternoon and hope to hear from you again.
@thankful and @hazelnut
Here are a couple of Mayo Clinic articles written about the effectiveness of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelation therapy.
- Chelation therapy for heart disease: Does it work? http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/expert-answers/chelation-therapy/faq-20157449
- Results of trial to assess chelation therapy (TACT) study presented http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/cardiovascular/results-trial-assess-chelation-therapy-tact-study-presented
The conclusions in these articles state that the effectiveness of chelation therapy for heart disease has not been established, even after a large clinical trial (TACT). Furthermore, there are serious concern about the safety of this treatment for patients with heart disease.
To date, there hasn't been a discussion dedicated to chelation therapy on Connect. I encourage you to start a new discussion with chelation therapy in the title to get the conversation started.
Thank you! I appreciate the info.
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@hazelnut . Although I to am a bit of a worrier, I wanted to chime in to thank you for your transparency on your life. I to have had to deal with panic attacks for many years and after going on a small dose of klonopin many years back I have regained much of that ground lost to fear and live a pretty normal life these days. Back in may of 2014 I had a major heart attack without any prior symptoms and fortunately only needed a single stent to correct and the cardiologist has told me that I am doing well enough that he does not need to see me for another year. I feel really great about that, but I would never had realized how taking a hit like that plays upon my emotions. It is hard to shake the reality that my health has taken a big hit and I had to fight through the mental images of not being "damaged goods". I make an effort each day to exercise and go for long walks and try to be thankful for so much.
Your worries or concerns are part of the life we have here and I want to encourage you today to not try to internalize them, but rather control the things you can control about your life and be thankful for the lives we share in. My hope is that your daughter stays clean and gets the help she needs to take her life back and release you of your worries.
I have been doing some research on Chelation Therapy and was recently wondering what the Mayo Connect group would offer on this subject? From my research it sounds like the medical community for the most part has been supposedly down on this due to the great results (and therefore decrease in revenue) to them as a whole? There is a MD named Dr. Gary Gordon MD, DO who is called "the father of Chelation Therapy" who is involved with the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) who has written extensively on this therapy and has a lot to say of its efficacy as it relates to so many health issues. There seems to be more of a push on this therapy and the use of EDTA as a oral supplement has been gaining quite a bit of attention. I would love to hear more from the Mayo Connect group on this subject.