I am still finding it difficult to find my around this forum. I have had my asd for nearly a year and have not had it closed yet. I was offered the operation through cath. but was so afraid I declined it. I live with the fear that I may have a stroke or die every day, mentally it is doing me more harm than good. I go for another echo in August, my last echo was fine and they said there was no change. How long have some have you had to wait for the operation or have chosed to wait until you can accept what is happening? I am showing no signs of any syptoms but I do understand that they may present themselves in the future. All of you that have had the operation I take my hat of to you, you are all so brave.
I had OHS April of 2013 to close my ASD and repair my tricuspid valve. I am truly amazed at my progress, but am not the same and never will be after the surgery. The fear of serious cardiac issues are present everyday of my life. The surgery provides me a piece of mind that I will not have a stroke at any given moment. However, the damage done to my heart from having the ASD is irreversible. Had I known I had an ASD years before, I would have it repaired in a heart beat! Best wishes to you on your journey. Just remember that fear should never rule your life, it is not a fruitful existence!
You may have symptoms like shortness of breath/being easily tired etc without actually being aware of them! Symptoms usually start with age, I was a top swimming athlete in my younger years (15-20yrs old), I was diving weekly, heavy weight lifting, jogging daily, generally very energetic and I never noticed anything was wrong although I had a 2,5cm secundum hole!!! Only after I had my closure (at 35 yrs old) via an Ampatzer device did I understand what I was missing all these years. I never get tired now, I feel great and started exercising today (3 weeks after my closure).
You should not be so afraid of the closure, you will not really feel any pain afterwards and it is generally a very safe operation (>99% success!). I would definitely advise that you do your research and find a professional with a long history of such closures before you go for it. I had mine by Prof Michael Gatzoulis in Royal Brompton Hospital in London but my second choice was the Cleveland clinic in the USA who are also very experienced. I think that as you age the risks you take are much more than the discomfort of the cath procedure.
I had my asd closure with the amplazter with right sided cath. I'm so glad I had this done. My quality of life has finally returned to as close to normal as it will get for my age. My cardio said I had most likely lived most of my life with this and never knew it but as I got older it got worse. I was so bad I could hardly walk from my car to my front door and was on oxygen 24/7. I'm off my daytime oxygen and just use it at night for another breathing problem.
From thetime they found my hole it was only two months till I had my closure. They found my ASD when I was having a right sided cath done for another possible problem.
The closure was done under a local anthesia and I didn't feel a thing. I was even allowed to watch it on the screen and it was pretty interesting. The hardest part for me was laying flat for four hours afterwords, and having to stay in the hospital overnight. I was out of wrok for a week.
I had my asd closure with the amplazter with right sided cath. I'm so glad I had this done. My quality of life has finally returned to as close to normal as it will get for my age. My cardio said I had most likely lived most of my life with this and never knew it but as I got older it got worse. I was so bad I could hardly walk from my car to my front door and was on oxygen 24/7. I'm off my daytime oxygen and just use it at night for another breathing problem.
From thetime they found my hole it was only two months till I had my closure. They found my ASD when I was having a right sided cath done for another possible problem.
The closure was done under a local anthesia and I didn't feel a thing. I was even allowed to watch it on the screen and it was pretty interesting. The hardest part for me was laying flat for four hours afterwords, and having to stay in the hospital overnight. I was out of wrok for a week.
That's a great screen name! I think you are all incredibly brave, and I just got here, but after reading through the discussions, it did not take long for me to come to this conclusion.
My only personal experience with heart was Rheumatic Fever at 5 years old, but my late baby brother had cardio myopathy, and lived in a third floor walk up apartment, so I have some idea of the incredible fatigue and weakness involved in your struggles, as much as a loved one can fathom.
I wish you all good things on your journey to wellness,
I have my ASD closure (2.8 cm) in mid 2009 when I wa 28 years old. Now almost 5 years. After ASD closure, I felt better in terms of stamina and more energetic. Also, my body weight increased as well. I was 55 kg and now I am 64.5 kg. Currently I have a very beautiful and healthy baby boy. So dont worry to always think that ASD is genetic heart disease, This is not true as I asked cardio and pediatric.
I have same negative thinking as you before the surgery. I felt like is dying and very sad. But after my cardio advised me, I felt much more better. He said ASD is just a small problem compared to other heart problems. Just one thing I am facing now is Ectopic heartbeat. It is quite disturbing but Dr said this is not harmful. Some healthy people might have this problem too. He said 15% of the ppl aged 20 will get this symptom, 40% with 40-50 year-old man, 60% with old people of age 70 above. I asked him for medication, he said in early 1980s, there was a medicine which can fully cure this symptom but the patients' lifespan is shortened. So he said just leave it as it is not harmful to me.
One good suggestion is always stay near with your cardio. If you have any problem, you can go and consult him. :)