transpotion

okay!!! well i am in the process of having more testing done. and i am very worried. the older i have gotten, the worse my heart has got. (go figure) my mother and i have asked about transplants my whole life. the drs always recomended that it wouldnt be a good thing to do for me. is this some thing new? the problems that i am having now is very LOW pulse, very LOW blood preasure, ALOT of  sharp chest pain that at times will dull going down my arm (s), what they think are pace maker misfires, blockage, and extreme light headedness and fatigue. is all of this common for my diagnosis and age? as ive stated the drs in the town i live arent to knowledgeable. and it does scare me.

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Mindikay,

Unfortunately, the concept of cardiac transplantation for failing surgical intervention for prior congenital cardiac disease is not something new.  It may be new to you because you are not being seen by an adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) specialist.  You may need to travel to see an ACHD specialist, but it will be very important that you do so.  You can find a list of them through the Adult Congenital Heart Association’s website (www.achaheart.org) .

In regards to your symptoms, I cannot say whether these are associated with your cardiac defect, repair, or status, or not, without evaluating you.  Certainly, it is likely that you have some significant sinus node dysfunction, which caused you to need the pacemaker.  It sounds like it should be more completely evaluated at the ACHD center, which should include an electrophysiologist, a specialist in the cardiac electrical system.