Leaky Heart Valve (What are the next steps)?
Greetings! I have a friend in India who is seeking medical help/consultation. She has been in and out of the hospital several times over the past several weeks. This is what she wrote on March 15:
MY DIAGNOSIS: 📈
I took soooo many tests: blood, urine, ecg, ekg, sonography, mri, 24 hour heart monitor. And the only issue they can attribute my episodes to is a leaky heart valve (a condition I was already diagnosed with when I was younger but as I got older it seemed to not hinder my daily activities). After moving to India 8 years ago, my health slowly declined. I think because of different unique stressors, the years of issues exacerbated my condition, and started getting really bad episodes on March 15. When discharged from the hospital, I noticed that even the smallest strain on my heart starts making me feel weak.
This is her Symptom Log Summary:
Known condition: Leaky heart valve Hospitalized recently, cause still undiagnosed
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Key Observations (Across Multiple Dates):
1. Cardiovascular-Related Symptoms: Rapid/increased heartbeat
Heart skipping beats
Slight chest pain
Heart feeling weak
Icy-hot sensation in chest
2. Neurological/Muscular Symptoms:
Uncomfortable and numbness (especially left arm)
Weakness in arms and legs
Pressure behind eyes
Twitching (upper lip)
Shivering episodes
Random bone/muscle pain (arms, legs, hands, feet, back, back of neck)
3. Gastrointestinal Symptoms:
Nausea
Indigestion
Difficulty eating, disinterest in food
Sensation of needing to go motion (but NOT diarrhea. Regular stools) Frequent urination
4. Throat and ENT Symptoms: Dry mouth and lips
Throat feels slightly closed Twitching upper lip
5. Systemic/Generalized Symptoms:
Feeling hot/sweaty episodes (in only hands and feet), sometimes slight temperature in head/neck area
Cold hands and feet
Puffy fingers (left side only) Shivering
Fatigue, general weakness
6. Appetite & Sensory Changes:
No hunger, or hunger without desire to eat Smell and taste changes
7. Mood & Other Sensations:
Anxiety/nervous feeling, especially pelvic area
Difficulty sleeping
New symptoms (Apr.21 while at the hospital after having episodes in the morning waiting to see the cardiologist): tightness around head, pressure behind ears (lasted for over an hour), lower back pain
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Notable Patterns:
Symptoms often worsen when lying down
Flare-ups are episodic
Heat seems to trigger or worsen symptoms
Many episodes include multisystem involvement (cardiac, neuro, digestive)
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Potential Areas for Medical Exploration:
Autonomic Dysfunction (e.g., POTS, dysautonomia)
Thyroid or Adrenal Dysfunction
Electrolyte/Nutrient Deficiencies (Magnesium, Potassium, B12, etc.) Autoimmune Disorders (Lupus, Sjögren's, etc.)
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
Cardiac Monitoring (Holter or event monitor)
Gastrointestinal Function (GERD, IBS, gut microbiome)
**Any help, suggestions, recommendations would be great! Thank you so much for reading this post!
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I really hope your friend finds the correct answer to her issue. I myself was recently diagnosed with leaky heart value regurgitation. By my primary doctor, they performed an echocardiogram that showed this result. He hasn’t said which valve is leaking or valves as yet. This is a scary thing for me to go through, both my parents have had heart attacks and stents placed in their heart. I am 65 years old and I started having issues with lower leg swelling several weeks ago, shortness of breath and fatigue and chest pain off and on for years now, some left arm pain, and a dry cough when I bend over slightly or first lay down for the night. All these symptoms is what lead to this echocardiogram. I’m waiting on my follow up visit with my primary doctor to determine if I proceed with a Cardiologist. Any suggestions as how to deal with this news would be appreciated. Thank you
@dmash3 Valve problems and their repair are close to rocket science still...but we're talking Space Shuttle tech era, not modern era. We have made many great leaps in how we treat many cardiac defects and degrading performance, including how well we can pinpoint the actual problem and exactly where it is located. Improves correction and recovery a great deal instead of doing an unnecessary 'repair' only to find we got the wrong 'repair', and now we know the right one and...um...well...we have to go in again and do it right...this time. Less exposure to radiation and intrusive procedures, less exposure to needles, less exposure to general anesthesia.
A good cardiologist, like a good surgeon or nephrologist, will look after your best interests and suggest ways to keep your heart structurally correct and long-lived. You'll get many more years of quality living if you do what needs correcting NOW...while you and your heart are in the best shape they'll ever be from now on. Yesterday would have been great! 😀
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1 Reaction@gloaming thank you that was very helpful and comforting.