Medical News

What is that you say? Leaky Heart Valve? Heart Murmur?

What is this all about? My heart is fine. I feel nothing. How can that gadget in your ears know more than I know about my heart?

In short, that’s what I thought when I was first told about having a heart murmur or simply a leaky valve. “Oh, It’s really nothing”, the cardio doctor said. We’ll just watch it and make sure nothing serious happens down the road.

Move the calendar up two years and we had a problem. My breathing was having trouble keeping up with my legs. Or visa versa. I wasn’t sure which. Didn’t matter. Walking was a problem. Periodic movement caused serious shortness of breath. The leaky valve was now a problem.

Answer Bag.com defines the hearts leaky valve as “mitral valve regurgitation or insufficiency, (and it) occurs when the two leaflets of the mitral valve (on the left side of the heart) no longer meet each other when the valve is closed.” Blood is forced back into the Atria after the ventricle pumps blood out. When the blood can’t get out it is forced back into the atrium and into the lungs. Small amounts of regurgitation are no problem, but when you add another factor into the mix, things get sticky.

The other “factor” you need to have checked is only found with stress tests and an echocardiogram. It is a common disease found in one in 500 but typically manifests in the very young or in the elderly. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. A swelling of the septal wall in the left ventricle. A swelling of sufficient size that on occasion will also block and inhibit the proper function of the mitral valve. In my case the heart was on a destructive course.

The mitral valve was not only weak and caused blood to leak back into the lungs, but the swollen septal wall also interfered with efficient operation of the valve.

The leaky valve can be nothing to worry about. It can also be a big issue. It needs to be watched carefully every six months at a minimum. Take your stress tests. Monitor your pulse during extreme exercise. Any sign of weakness or unusual fatigue requires a quick visit to your doctor.

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. I am just a guy with heart disease who lives with HOCM and a leaky valve every day.