Question for the cardiologists ;)
in Health ·
My heart issues started back when I was 20, and I’m 40 now. I’m about 5'5" and weigh around 125 lbs, and my blood pressure tends to run low—usually around 110/60, sometimes dipping under 100. I’ve been a smoker for about 15 years, though I actually quit four weeks ago because I just got too scared.
Sometimes my resting heart rate jumps up to 120, or it feels irregular, like there's a skipped beat or a delay. These irregularities usually only last a few seconds, but the racing pulse can go on for several minutes, maybe up to 5 or 10 at most. I get checked out once or twice a year, and my last thyroid panel showed a TSH of 0.685 and Anti TPO of 6.18.
An ultrasound from 2005:
Anterior mitral valve cusp shows increased mobility via Doppler, resulting in hemodynamically insignificant MR, max Grade I; LVIDd 4.1 cm, LVIDs 2.3 cm, EF 75%, FS 43%, LA 3.9 cm, IV septum 8 mm, LVPW 8 mm, Aortic root 2.7 cm, RV 1.8 cm.
Conclusion: anterior mitral valve prolapse with hemodynamically insignificant MR.
Heart ultrasound from 2009:
Findings are consistent with previous results, showing current MR Grade I/II and slightly more pronounced anterior mitral valve prolapse due to increased mobility.
Holter monitor recorded at 10:22 PM: 117,707 QRS complexes, HR ranging from 46 to 88 to 150 bpm, 93 SVES.
Therapy: Atenolol 50 mg, taking half a tablet (25 mg).
Actually, the prescription was originally written for Ormidol instead of Atenolol.
I guess I'm just really worried about what my future looks like living with this mitral valve prolapse diagnosis.
A few times now, totally out of nowhere—without any sudden movement or exertion—I’ve felt this terrifyingly sharp pain on the left side of my chest. It travels from my arm toward the center of my chest, just below the breast, and it lasts only about a second. I feel like if it lasted even one second longer, I would have collapsed. There isn't any lingering pain after that, but the experience leaves me feeling completely shaken and negative for the rest of the day, almost as if someone had stabbed me in the chest. This happened again about a month ago while I was just lying in bed, completely at rest.
So, this sharp, fleeting pain is a new sensation that has happened twice now. I’ve been used to the usual stabbing, poking, or cramping sensations around my heart for years, but this specific pain is frightening, even if it is only a one-second burst. It is incredibly painful. I can't help but worry about a heart attack or something similar.
That’s basically what prompted me to write all this out.
And regarding the prolapse, what does my future look like with this diagnosis? What should I expect? Can I just live a normal life, or am I meant to stay in this constant state of fear?
Sometimes my resting heart rate jumps up to 120, or it feels irregular, like there's a skipped beat or a delay. These irregularities usually only last a few seconds, but the racing pulse can go on for several minutes, maybe up to 5 or 10 at most. I get checked out once or twice a year, and my last thyroid panel showed a TSH of 0.685 and Anti TPO of 6.18.
An ultrasound from 2005:
Anterior mitral valve cusp shows increased mobility via Doppler, resulting in hemodynamically insignificant MR, max Grade I; LVIDd 4.1 cm, LVIDs 2.3 cm, EF 75%, FS 43%, LA 3.9 cm, IV septum 8 mm, LVPW 8 mm, Aortic root 2.7 cm, RV 1.8 cm.
Conclusion: anterior mitral valve prolapse with hemodynamically insignificant MR.
Heart ultrasound from 2009:
Findings are consistent with previous results, showing current MR Grade I/II and slightly more pronounced anterior mitral valve prolapse due to increased mobility.
Holter monitor recorded at 10:22 PM: 117,707 QRS complexes, HR ranging from 46 to 88 to 150 bpm, 93 SVES.
Therapy: Atenolol 50 mg, taking half a tablet (25 mg).
Actually, the prescription was originally written for Ormidol instead of Atenolol.
I guess I'm just really worried about what my future looks like living with this mitral valve prolapse diagnosis.
A few times now, totally out of nowhere—without any sudden movement or exertion—I’ve felt this terrifyingly sharp pain on the left side of my chest. It travels from my arm toward the center of my chest, just below the breast, and it lasts only about a second. I feel like if it lasted even one second longer, I would have collapsed. There isn't any lingering pain after that, but the experience leaves me feeling completely shaken and negative for the rest of the day, almost as if someone had stabbed me in the chest. This happened again about a month ago while I was just lying in bed, completely at rest.
So, this sharp, fleeting pain is a new sensation that has happened twice now. I’ve been used to the usual stabbing, poking, or cramping sensations around my heart for years, but this specific pain is frightening, even if it is only a one-second burst. It is incredibly painful. I can't help but worry about a heart attack or something similar.
That’s basically what prompted me to write all this out.
And regarding the prolapse, what does my future look like with this diagnosis? What should I expect? Can I just live a normal life, or am I meant to stay in this constant state of fear?