echocardiogram shows that I have an enlarged heart. have appt. with cardiologist Thursday to discuss.
after doing a quick search I saw some other people dealt with this. Is it common with TBI's?
thanks.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i, too, was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. the cardio i saw said not to worry. however, another gastro did seem concerned.
i don't know what to believe.
let me know how it goes.
Posted by philly78 (Member # 31069) on :
Wow. The cardio told you not to worry randi? That just seems odd to me. Did they do tests to figure out what caused it? I would think they would want to figure that out.
I don't know much about it in relation to TBIs but it seems very plausible to me. Lyme can affect us in many ways and I see this as no exception. It can happen when too much stress is placed on the body and Lord knows we are stressed!
Depending on what is causing it, it will go away when the underlying condition is treated.
I just did a search on google and here is what the merk manual has to say on lyme and enlarged heart. ----------------------- Myocardial abnormalities occur in about 8% of patients within weeks of EM. They include fluctuating degrees of atrioventricular block (1st-degree, Wenckebach, or 3rd-degree) and, rarely, myopericarditis with chest pain, reduced ejection fractions, and cardiomegaly. -----------------------
Very brief but it is mentioned as a symptom.
Here is another link with a few things to say concerning cardiomegaly.
nope, the doc said not to worry. i, too, read about enlarged hearts and it wasn't good.
i've had high bp for years and apparently the doctor was not treating it properly. the cardio doc said i was not on high enough bp meds so they increased my diovan from 160 to 320.
my father had an enlarged heart and died of a heart attack at 67. it does run in my family.
i would like to go to another cardio doc and have a different opinion.
he did that gel thing with the wand and found it. i passed the treadmill stress test with no problem.
his advice -- loose weight.
Posted by karenl (Member # 17753) on :
Me too. I think people with parasites have it. Will see what Gael knows about this.
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
I also have a "slightly enlarged" heart.
I passed all cardio tests just fine and was told not to worry about it as well.
My cardiologist is keeping an eye on it and feels it will go away once the infection is gone.
I go every 3 months to have it checked.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
geez, my doc said "call if you have problems".
uhh, like what, a heart attack?
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
Randi,
Did your cardiologist run tests to see if your heart was functioning normally??
Mine also said "call if you have problems" but said he wants to see me every 3 months regardless.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
yeah, he ran tests. treadmill, etc., all kinds. no invasive stuff tho.
he didn't seem, well, concerned. he almost made a remark to my husband, which po'd me. that i was a "classic type a" and asked him "is she always like this?"
i was very nervous and was swinging my feet while sitting on the table.
duh...so that makes me classic type a? nerves...
what the hell did he mean by that?
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
Ohhhhhhh that would make me mad!
I'd find another cardiologist!!
I really like mine, but he'd be kind of far for you.
Posted by philly78 (Member # 31069) on :
I would find another cardio too. Enlarged heart is a symptom...not a disease and there has to be something causing it.
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
I had a slightly enlarged heart, diagnosed several years ago. It was cardiomyopathy.
The way they diagnose it is by using that 'gel' and 'wand', but that's really called an echocardiogram.
They should also state what your ejection fraction is (55%+ is normal. 50%+ semi-normal). If it's below that level, your heart isn't beating as strong as it should be.
It is important to find out the reason for any enlarged heart. Reasons can vary from clogged arteries, previous heart attack, cardiomyopathy (usually genetic or viral), and several other diseases. In my case, I just take heart meds and my heart returned to near-normal.
Anther worthwhile test to consider is a heart MRI. More detailed than an echo and also more accurate.
Posted by Dexter (Member # 30590) on :
back from cardio consult. my numbers were a little high. he said it might be normal for me considering my athletic past but ordered a nuclear stress test and holter monitor to be safe.
I asked about Lyme and he actually did not laugh. said he knows about the damage Lyme can do to the heart. he did not say this was the reason for my problem.
thanks for the replies though it looks like one of the parasite replies disappeared unless I am losing my mind again.