Hi all. After severe chest pain recently my 75 y old father was diagnosed with aortic stenosis today after lots of tests.
He’s been fit as a fiddle all his life but this knocked him for 6 last month when we thought it was a heart attack
He’s got to have surgery to widen the valve. Apparently his brother and sister have the same condition
Anyone on here have experience or knowledge of this condition?
Cheers Andy
Sorry to hear that Andy
It is a very common heart murmur though and increasingly common in older age.
Keep an eye on him for breathlessness, chest pain, palpitations.
If it was my old man I'd strap an Apple Watch on him that could detect an irregular heart rate!
Might be worth him monitoring his blood pressure regularly too.
No personal experience but my go to site may have something to offer, although it is directed at parents of children with a diagnosis of aortic stenosis...pdf link. The section on 'Balloon valvuloplasty and valvotomy' describes the procedure your dad may be having. I have experience of a similar procedure (x2) having had stents put in my heart's blood vessels following a heart attack. They did it using a local anaesthetic rather than a general...as is probably necessary for children.
If other members of the family have been treated successfully I'd say there is every hope that the same will be true for your dad.
The good news is that is seems they can try balloon valvuloplasty several times before they resort to surgery and / or valve replacement...Aortic valve replacement.
Thanks guys. Much appreciated
The BHF website is useful for all ticker related issues.
Hi all my dad just had the tests where the dye is pushed into the veins. He’s got to have open heart surgery now
Severe aortic synosis Put a new valve in. I’m worried now
Not good news, but they are pretty good at such things nowadays. Keep looking on the bright side for your dad's sake.
Hope all goes well.
Not the best news. However, my 'route' into the hospital was the same: stents and ultimately open heart surgery with 3 bypasses. I was 53 at that time. Now, almost 9 yrs later, I've never felt better. Shortly after the surgery I felt like sh*t and must have looked the same. But within a week I was at home and two weeks later, I raced my youngest back from the film theatre: who would be at home first! Sprinting on my bike. When I parked my bike in the garage I realised that I had a open heart surgery less than a month earlier.Originally Posted by lenlec
I only remember my operation on moments like this. The scar is more or less gone. Only a white line on my chest with small marks where the stitches were. As I've been attacked by a 'zipper shark' like my youngest put it (surprisingly well-chosen words).
A friend (67) had three bypasses and a new valve last year. It took him 6 months to recover. But now he's doing 10 kms run twice a week again. When I visited him shortly after the operation, he was wearing a special vest. Coughing and sneezing is pretty bad when you have a chest with a 20cm wound with stitches. Every time he felt something like coughing, he had to strap the vest tightly by pulling two lines, like the way you're demonstrated how to blow a life-vest in an airplane. That vest is an awesome development. Back then, we didn't get one. A new development.
It is and looks like a very difficult operation. But the results and recoveries are amazing.
All the best to your dad!
Last edited by thieuster; 29th January 2020 at 20:50.
Cheers guys
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote