Tip Of The Week: I Had No Symptoms Of A Heart Problem But I Had One
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This should be a lesson to you, always go for your check-ups. I was totally surprised to find out I had a heart problem. I eat right follow my exercise routine to the letter, plus I had no symptoms. But as the doctor said, I am a healthy guy my heart is strong and we caught it early, so there should be no problem, a 98% chance I will breeze through it, thems good odds.
What I have is a leaky Mitral Valve:
If the mitral valve is damaged or becomes misaligned, it can’t close completely with each heartbeat. Some blood spurts backward with each contraction. This backflow, called mitral regurgitation, puts a strain on the heart. It can provoke symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue and lead to atrial fibrillation or heart failure.
It is made up of two flaps of tissue, called leaflets, surrounded by a ring known as the annulus. The valve gets its name from the two-part hat known as a bishop’s miter. Sturdy filaments of connective tissue, called chordae (CORE-day), connect the underside of the valve to papillary muscles, small muscles inside the left ventricle. The chordae and papillary muscles anchor the mitral valve and help it open and close.
Oxygen-rich blood pours into the left atrium (the heart’s upper chamber) from the lungs. It passes into the powerful left ventricle (lower chamber) through the mitral valve. When the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve snaps shut. Its closure prevents blood from flowing backward into the left atrium. Instead, blood is driven forward through the aortic valve and out to the body.
Mitral valve identification
Mitral valve regurgitation makes itself known in one of three main ways. A doctor may hear a murmur when listening to the heart through a stethoscope. The condition may show up on an echocardiogram done for something else. Or it may generate symptoms. The symptoms most likely to accompany mitral regurgitation include
- shortness of breath, especially with exertion or when lying down
- fatigue, especially with increased activity
- cough, especially at night or when lying down
- sensations of a rapid, fluttering heartbeat (palpitations)
- swollen feet or ankles, which occur when the blood backing up into the lungs causes problems on the right side of the heart.
I’m soon to be 68 Years Old and I plan on living a long Happy and Healthy life.
