Heart Enlargement due to MVP / Surgery in a month

[thai-bogirl]

My Husband is 34 and was diagnosed with MVP, severe regurd and an enlarged left side of his heart 6 months ago.  He had palps and was tired all the time.  He is having sugery in a months time, and is now suffering from a swollen feeling in his left side, although this is not painful, only uncomfortable.
My question is, will the heart reduce in size once surgery is complete? and does this feeling in the side of the chest go?  

Kind Regards

Amanda

[Cleveland Clinic]

tbg,

thanks for the post.

Mitral regurgitation can be caused by a number of different mechanisms.  Somtimes it is the primary process and leads to the enlargment of the heart due to the overload on the heart muscle from pumping blood inefficiently.  Over time, the heart muscle fatigues and becomes damaged. We try to repair the valve before this process begins. Sometimes regurgitation can be due to a primary process with the heart muscle itself and when the hear enlarges the valves leak.

Either way, with the heart already being enlarged, it is difficult to say exactly how he will do after the procedure. Somtimes, if the valves were the primary cause of the porblem, the heart can revert over time.  It will be very important for him to be followed after the procedure by a heart failure specialist, as there are many medications that can potentially help him in the long run such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.  

Im not sure as to the cause of his symtoms. Hopefully they will also abate.

Best of luck

[Konopka1955]

Hi, Sorry to hear about your husband.  Its a very hard time to digest all this and then there is so much to learn and what works well for you.  After my OHS for my Mechanical Mitral Valve - my enlargement got bigger. I now see a CHF specialist.  He's been tremendously helpful. I just hate taking drugs - the side effects are awful for me.  :-(   But it has helped my heart to function better.  For how long who knows.  But I"ll take whatever I can get and hope the side effects go away in time..  

Good Luck
Marilyn

[Konopka1955]

Hi, Sorry to hear about your husband.  Its a very hard time to digest all this and then there is so much to learn and what works well for you.  After my OHS for my Mechanical Mitral Valve - my enlargement got bigger. I now see a CHF specialist.  He's been tremendously helpful. I just hate taking drugs - the side effects are awful for me.  :-(   But it has helped my heart to function better.  For how long who knows.  But I"ll take whatever I can get and hope the side effects go away in time..  

Good Luck
Marilyn