Question for the cardiologists ;)

Donna Doyle said:If she's young and doesn't have other heart issues, it’s unlikely to be AFib. Could be WPW syndrome instead. But honestly, most likely just a thyroid issue...

Thyroid's acting up 🤷 hitting up the cardiologist today

EKG shows sinus rhythm at 86 bpm, left axis deviation, some IV conduction issues, S wave through V4, and nonspecific ST-segment changes. Currently on Concor Cor 2.5 mg. Should I be worried?

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?

Sam Hall15 said:Why's that? I've seen atrial fibrillation in young people plenty of times... WPW is much rarer than fibrillation and less likely to be the culprit here...

The doctor claims I have a specific heart rhythm that's totally normal for me. Says the pounding I feel is just because I'm hyper-aware of my body—apparently, I'm just extra sensitive to those sensations (though he didn't really explain why that sensitivity was waking me up at night since my chest wasn't actually hurting). Then he says most people's electrical impulses go from top to bottom, but mine goes from the middle down (as if my heart is just taking an annual vacation or something).
Is this even a legit diagnosis???

Donna Doyle said:If she's young and doesn't have other heart issues, it’s unlikely to be AFib. Could be WPW syndrome instead. But honestly, most likely just a thyroid issue...

You're completely wrong. Ante Iva4 is actually right here...

driftingmarlin52, why aren't you doing that above? And what kind of "special rhythm" are we even talking about?? You should just type out the actual report or at least the diagnosis...

redmoose22 said:EKG shows sinus rhythm at 86 bpm, left axis deviation, some IV conduction issues, S wave through V4, and nonspecific ST-segment changes. Currently on Concor Cor 2.5 mg. Should I be worried?

The real question is why the electrical axis is shifting left. How old are you? Dealing with high blood pressure?

Olivia Anderson10

A sudden, sharp, crushing pain isn't usually heart-related, but... given your history, this isn't the place to look for medical advice. As for the mitral valve prolapse... prognosis should be fine, assuming you actually follow what your doctor tells you...

I'm 44. I went in for an exam because my anti-streptolysin titer stays consistently high. My blood pressure spikes occasionally too—usually just when I'm sitting there in the doctor's office.

mellowraven32 said:You're completely wrong. Ante Iva4 is actually right here...

driftingmarlin52, why aren't you doing that above? And what kind of "special rhythm" are we even talking about?? You should just type out the actual report or at least the diagnosis...

fine.. if I can even make sense of this ☕ basically he drew my heart out and told me the impulse goes from the center down, while everyone else's goes from the top down (not sure if that's why I can't feel my heartbeat through my chest, maybe I have to put my hand on my stomach to actually feel the pulse??)... said it’s nothing dangerous, just a different way of sleeping, and not an arrhythmia since my resting heart rate is around 70.🤷🤷

redmoose22
If your IBM shows left axis deviation, then your blood pressure isn't just high during doctor visits. If your BP is actually normal, you need to see a cardiologist to figure out why there's a left axis deviation... that's a sign of left ventricular strain.

driftingmarlin52

The only thing that comes to mind is junctional rhythm. Did they mention anything about a junctional rhythm? Why don't you just write down the actual diagnosis from the report?

mellowraven32 said:redmoose22
If your IBM shows left axis deviation, then your blood pressure isn't just high during doctor visits. If your BP is actually normal, you need to see a cardiologist to figure out why there's a left axis deviation... that's a sign of left ventricular strain.

driftingmarlin52

The only thing that comes to mind is junctional rhythm. Did they mention anything about a junctional rhythm? Why don't you just write down the actual diagnosis from the report?

Yeah, he did mention junctional rhythm... the report was handwritten so it's total gibberish... here's a photo of the IBM printout if that helps..

Is there a larger version available? Ideally one without the flash 😁

mellowraven32, thanks for the advice. I'll look into it.

Sam Hall15 said:Is there a larger version available? Ideally one without the flash 😁

I'll try again, but I can't get a good angle. Plus, if the file is too big, it won't even upload. That's why it's small.

Is this better? She won't read anything larger than this... but if you guys don't get it, no big deal. Thanks for the interest anyway. 😉

It’s a bit blurry again, but looks like a nodal rhythm.
Look, if the cardiologist is certain you've had this since birth, then fine. But if they aren't sure, we have a problem. As I recall, weren't you having chest pains?

Neither scenario is a disaster, but if it's the latter, you need more testing.

Can anyone tell me how dangerous WPW syndrome actually is? I was diagnosed about four months ago, and my heart ultrasound came back totally clear. I don't know much about the syndrome itself, so I’m wondering if there's any truth to what I’ve heard about it causing sudden cardiac death. My cardiologist appointment isn't for another two months, and honestly, I'm pretty scared until then. I'm only 23 years old.