Aortic Valve

Got your note and have mailed a contribution.  (Pls ignore my spelling - Missile Test Engineers are normally poor spellers).   Feel free to edit this as you wish. I live in Arlington, TX (Dallas/Ft Worth Area)

I used your site to learn information re a condition that I have. Your site was most informative.  I have an aortic valve that doesn't always close.  I have a great sonogram video of the condition showing one side flaying about.  Also, a good scene showing blood flow which sometimes makes a full circle in that chamber of my heart.

FYI:I am a 64 year old, white male,runner/biker/skier/diver/etc. I have a controlled Blood Pressure of 120/80.  I Got second in my age group in the last two 5K races.  My 42 year old wife and I run almost every day and race most weekends.  She works out more than I and,recently, can run faster than I, but I can still beat her biking. Probably, because when we workout in our home, I ride a stationary bike while she uses the stairstepper or the Nortitrac. I usually keep my pulse at 130 -140 for at least 10 minutes of a 20 minute in-home workout.  We also have sex virtually every day (a day without sex is like a day without sunshine or is that without wine/beer - We also do that and have two or three glasses of beer or wine every day.)  I don't have any other symptoms of the valve problem.  No headaches, chest pain,or swollen ankles, only the missed pulses when resting, never when running or biking. My daughter-in-law, a Cardiac care nurse, said that the one side of my heart looks slightly enlarged. The only time I have shortness of breath is when I am racing to beat somebody to the finish line.   The Cardiologist wants to me to have surgery.  My family doctor doesn't think it is necessary at this time, and I think it might degrade my lifestyle.  Needless to say, I plan to put it off for the immediate future.  Just hoping that someone comes up with a simple way to fix my valve problem. Got any good ideas.

>>Side note: my Mom died of an Anorsim (sp) at age 80 and my dad of a series of strokes that started at age 94.

>>Note: I had a 4 lb Pheo removed 1977 (My resting pulse was and still is about 80, but when the adreanal gland did its thing, my pulse would slow down to 60 and I would miss beats.  My blood pressure would go over 300 at these times - since the scale only goes to 300 - we would list it as "something" over the low reading of 280.<<

Bob G.

[CCF CARDIO MD JMF]

Dear Bob g,

the appropriate time to consider surgery is when the left ventricular function starts to slowly deteriorate.  This does not seem to be your case at present.  Your internist or cardiologist will follow this via examination and echocardiogram to determine the timing for surgery.