Pulmonary hypertension

[Pobbu]

Diagnosed yesterday with pulmonary hypertension. I had AFib corrected by ablation in 2018. They found ASD. Non sympathetic so nothing done. On eliquis. Annual echos. Last year 65 EF, mild RVSP 34, slightly dilated RV.
Yesterday… 55-60 EF, high RVSP 63, enlarged RV. Appointment scheduled with cardiac surgeon concerning closure of asd. Worried about irreversible nature of PH. Is it true it cannot be reversed or healed? How can it deteriorate so much in one year with no changes in lifestyle, diet  and no symptoms? Is my mortality shortened for sure now? Any encouragement or help would be appreciated.

[specialmom]

Hi there. I'm really sorry that you have gotten this diagnosis. I'm sure that is scary and we start to think about what this really means. Were you having symptoms? Do you get annual testing and this showed up then? I think PH is often diagnosed a bit later as it is hard to catch early. There are stages to PH, from 1 to 5. Do you have symptoms and then if you do, are they when exerting, also when resting, etc.

There are medications that help!  While there is no cure, medications help with symptoms if you have them and prolong your life. Vasodilators, another type that relaxes pulmonary arteries and lowers the pressure, another that widens blood vessels  alled endothelin receptor antagonists reverse the effect of a substance in the walls of blood vessels that causes them to narrow, erectile dysfunction meds (believe it or not which started out as cardiac medications) which help to increase blood flow through the lungs, calcium channel blockers, blood thinners, digoxin, diuretics and oxygen therapy.

That's a super SUPER long list. While you may not be able to cure your PH, think in terms of so much these days to manage it. To hold it where it is at.

It probably was there but they couldn't yet detect it for why it seems like it developed so quickly. What lifestyle guidelines did your doctor give you?

[Pobbu]

Thanks for responding. I am asymptomatic currently with only mild fatigue that honestly could just be normal life. Should I ask for a heart cath to confirm the diagnosis or is an echo flawless? There is so much I don’t know or understand about it all and much of what I read would indicate a short lifespan as a possibility. Hard to get my head around that.