Mitral Valve regurgitation

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beth1954

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I found out a couple of years ago that I have a very mild form of mitral valve regurgitation.
The only thing my doctor said was to take antibiotics before I go to the dentist.
Do you think my doctor is going to freak out when he finds that out?
 
I'm not completely sure which doctor you think might freak out....your heart doctor because you want to have knee surgery or your knee surgeon because you were diagnosed with a heart problem. (smile) In any case, I'm betting that both doctors have heard of or seen cases just like yours, so don't be afraid to tell them everything. I have arrythmia (irregular heart beats) and my surgery went just fine. When I signed up for a knee surgery, my surgeon required clearances from ALL the doctors I had been seeing.....my family doctor (who took the needed blood tests and provided them to the surgeon) as well as my heart doctor (who took some of his own blood work and also gave that to the surgeon). Just be sure that your surgeon has ALL the information - past and current - regarding your health. That way they are aware of what specific monitoring they should do.
 
Hi,

I'm not trying to scare the living **** out of you, but my mom did get an infection from going to the dentist and darn near died. She ended up with mitral valve prolapse. She was in the hospital twice, the first time for 1 month, the 2nd time for another month.

The doctor told her EVERYTIME she visits the dentist to take antibiotics.....even for a cleaning. My mom has since told me to do the same as a precautionary measure.

If I remember correctly, she visited the dentist about 4 weeks prior to all her symptoms (don't quote me on the time frame), but we did some rough calculations while she was in the hospital, and I believe that's what we came up with.

Be cautious, and take the antibiotics........make sure you tell both your doctor & the dentist. Best be safe than sorry!
 
I know--I didn't make myself clear. I was thinking that my OS would freak out when he found out about the mitral valve regurgitation.

Yes, I take antibiotics every time I go to the dentist, prescribed by the doctor who found out I have MVR. I have to take them about an hour before I go. The doctor that found the MVR didn't seem concerned at all, didn't refer me to a cardiologist or anything like that.

I just don't want any "bumps" along the way. I have a habit of worrying to excess, and then I get overwhelmed and then I sit and cry for a day or so thinking about everything and that doesn't help anyone. It's just the way I am. And after 54 years, I don't think I can change that. At least not that much.
 
This elective surgery is a big step and everyone feels overwhelmed at some point and wonder if they are doing the right thing. You are certainly not alone in those feelings. Is the surgeon having your family doctor do the blood work prior to surgery? It might help put your mind at ease if you talked with your GP about your heart concerns. Maybe even a visit to a cardiologist would be a good thing too. Your family doctor can recommend one. I do believe your best bet is to talk any and all concerns over with either your surgeon or your family doctor as soon as you can. No sense worrying needlessly!!
 
You know, I'm fighting back tears right now.....
Actually, I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow and I'll see what she says about it all.

I suppose that my OS will have the GP do the bloodwork, etc. I'll find all that out Friday when I see the OS.

Thanks all.
 
I think you'll feel much better once you have those chats and get some additional information from the docs. Please keep us posted!!!
 
I also have MVR. My OS wanted my cardiologist to clear me. The cardiologist made me go for a stress test (chemically induced since my knees wouldn't let me do the treadmill thing). All was fine, the surgery went ahead as scheduled, and I had no special problems.
 
Trust me, all doctors, be they surgeons, anaesthetists or 'other', have all seen these things before. It's not that uncommon. I've nursed patients with enough conditions to fill a medical text book and they've come through the surgery with flying colours. It's the anaesthetist who'll mostly have to handle this, not the surgeon. And they are specialists in their field. That's also why they use so much monitoring equipment to view almost every vital sign (pulse, blood pressure, respiration, ECG, blood oxygen/carbon dioxide levels, core temperature) so any little change can be picked up on instantly and remedial action taken. This is what you pay him for. A good anaesthetist and his assistant won't leave your side for a moment for the duration of the surgery, not even to go to the bathroom or have a coffee!

So don't see this as a set back. They'll do all sorts of tests so the anaesthetist knows exactly what the state of your heart (and the rest of you!) is and what your normal readings are right now. This will give him a base line to work from so he can more readily spot any variations during the surgery.

Far from freaking out, your surgeon will most likely just say "Oh."!!
 
What a great explanation, Jo. I knew you'd be able to put things in perspective from a medical point of view!
 
Beth,
I'm scared too.......I'm one of those that cries easily when anticipating surgery. I'm 12 days out and had my pre-op appt yesterday. I was sweating so badly, I sweat right thru my shorts and was stuck to the paper that covers the table.......

I wanted to die.....so I started bawling like a baby. I'm glad my husband was with me. I ended up standing up the rest of the appt because I didn't want to stick to the paper.....all this at a pre-op appt? How stupid :(

I can hardly wait until the day of surgery.....I sure hope they give me some anxiety drugs or I'll be a nervous wreck..

Laurie
 
Jamie just saw your post and wanted to tell you that I have something similar plus right before my surgery, and I had both knees done at the same time and am 67 years old, I had a bad EKG and all kinds of problems with my heart according to my PCP. The day I went to my heart specialist my heart was actuallay skipping a beat and my surgery went ahead as scheduled and I had no problems. I don't think there is a lot these doctors haven't seen, let's face it usually our joints are not our only problems and most of us are getting older to boot. Just be honest with your problems so the doctors have all the information and you will be fine. Good luck, Rowdy
 
Totally agree, Rowdy!!! And posting your experience will no doubt help others who are worried about existing conditions - especially those heart-related ones!!
 
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