I'm a 20 year old female, 5'7", 130 pounds. for the past 2-3 I've been having weird heart symptoms:
-- skipped beats/palpitations. my heart will skip a beat and then I can feel the next one.
-- racing heart for a few moments out of nowhere.
-- extreme sensitivity to caffeine. this has been getting worse and worse. I had one soda the other night at 9pm, and was up until 4am, feeling like I had just done a bunch of cocaine or something, rather than drink an innocent soda. it seems to be a lot worse with regular soda versus diet for some reason. it was hard to breathe out of my nose, too. i wasn't like panting, but i had to breathe with my mouth open to feel like i was getting sufficient air.
-- hands and feet turn purplish. i've had this confirmed that this is not a circulation problem, and i've read that it can be a symptom of MVP.
-- mild chest pains. i've had 2 in the past year that were very sharp and gave me quite a scare, but only lasted a few seconds.
My first cousin, who's the same age as me, has been officially diagnosed with MVP, and I know it can run in families. his was really bad though, he was getting severe chest pains every day. I had an EKG done about a year ago when the skipping beats was happening literally every couple of minutes after being on the antibiotic Cipro (it went away shortly thereafter).the EKG was normal, and my doctor did not seem concerned. however, i know that an MVP is not usually detected by an EKG.
My question is to the people who have this or are familiar with it, does it sound like I have it? Is this something to worry about? I want to go to the doctor, but I am not sure if I should go to a cardiologist or my regular doc, who is a DO, (doctor of osteopathy) not a regular MD. I want to go to a cardiologist just to make sure I'm properly diagnosed. my parents are being very unsupportive of me going to a doctor; they think it's all in my head, so I wanted to get some opinions on here first.
OK..well, I am really sorry this is happening to you. I was diagnosed almost 30 yrs. ago ( I'm 47 now) with mitral valve prolapse. I too suffer from PVC's, sometimes 10 a minute. you read it right! I have MINIMAL regurgitation.. AND THIS SI WHAT THE dr LOOKS FOR. i HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE best adr's at ST> Lukes Hospital ( the best in Texas) that EVERYONE has a tiny leakage in one or more of the valves. Now, wheather th're trying to appease me or not ..?? but too many have told me the same thing. I used to attribute all the PVC's to this.. BUT as I have gotten a lil older, and wiser ( at times!!) I have seen electrophisiolpgist ( rythym specialists) and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM have told me that MVP is very benign, unless it leaks severly..and my rythym problem is just that.. a rythym problem. I have also been told that my PVC's are not a candidate for an ablation , due to the fact that they arise from so may different areas of the heart. I DO however take an antibiotic before having my teeth cleaned, so the bacteria will not get stuck to the valve, causing an infection in the heart..and that is RARE RARE RARE. But I'm a tad OCD, and prefer to take the pre-meds. JUST IN CASE!! Please, you are so young.. I hate to see you fall into the trap I have been in for so many yrs. There were't as resourse, or people totlak to ..like this wonderful board ..OR EVEN THE INTERNET!! when I was your age an freaking out!! Try to nip this in the bud.. (so easey for me to say huh?) Good luck to you!! Mimi
OK..well, I am really sorry this is happening to you. I was diagnosed almost 30 yrs. ago ( I'm 47 now) with mitral valve prolapse. I too suffer from PVC's, sometimes 10 a minute. you read it right! I have MINIMAL regurgitation.. AND THIS SI WHAT THE dr LOOKS FOR. i HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE best adr's at ST> Lukes Hospital ( the best in Texas) that EVERYONE has a tiny leakage in one or more of the valves. Now, wheather th're trying to appease me or not ..?? but too many have told me the same thing. I used to attribute all the PVC's to this.. BUT as I have gotten a lil older, and wiser ( at times!!) I have seen electrophisiolpgist ( rythym specialists) and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM have told me that MVP is very benign, unless it leaks severly..and my rythym problem is just that.. a rythym problem. I have also been told that my PVC's are not a candidate for an ablation , due to the fact that they arise from so may different areas of the heart. I DO however take an antibiotic before having my teeth cleaned, so the bacteria will not get stuck to the valve, causing an infection in the heart..and that is RARE RARE RARE. But I'm a tad OCD, and prefer to take the pre-meds. JUST IN CASE!! Please, you are so young.. I hate to see you fall into the trap I have been in for so many yrs. There were't as resourse, or people totlak to ..like this wonderful board ..OR EVEN THE INTERNET!! when I was your age an freaking out!! Try to nip this in the bud.. (so easey for me to say huh?) Good luck to you!! Mimi
I have moderate valve regurgitation (leakage of blood back into the left atrium)...a different cause than MVP, but the same results. It can be hereditary and usually it is the connecting apparatus to the leaflets...i.e. the chords are elongated.
MVP can be very serious but for many there are no symptoms, and it doesn't require treatment...just monitor. If MVP is moderate to severe, there can be shortness of breath, muscle fatigue, arrhythmia, chest pain, etc.
For a perspective when blood passes from the left atrium through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, it should close tightly when the left ventricle contracts to pump blood into circulation. With MVP, blood backflows into the atrium instead of going into circulation. When serious, this deficiency with each heart stroke can cause arrhythmia, shortness of breath, chest pain. etc.
Also, there can be a circulation problem to the perpheral extremities. The shortage of blood/oxygen with each hearbeat requires a greater percentage of blood going to the brain, heart, and kidneys leaving less to the extremities causing cold hands and feet. I don't know how purplish hands and feet can not be a circulation problem? It may not be the heart, but the circulation can be impaired by diabetes or some other vascular disorder.
As you say an EKG isn't sufficient to diagnose a valve disorder. An echocardiogram monitors my valves yearly for any progression.
well, i was really worried about the purple hands and feet, and my regular doctor checked my pulses and said there's nothing wrong. i wasn't convinced. buuuut... one of my dad's best friends just happens to be a very good vascular surgeon, so they squeezed me in for an appointment and HE checked me out and said there's nothing wrong with my circulation. said it has something to do with the nerves? i didn't understand what he told me, he was speaking doctor talk. just told me it's a congenital thing and nothing to worry about. he didn't mention anything about a mitral valve prolapse. the lack of oxygen sounds scary! wouldn't that be dangerous?? and i know i don't have diabetes or a thyroid problem. anyone know any additional information about this? if not, what board would i post this type of question on?
anyway, i made an appointment with my doctor for tomorrow, just to ease my mind. i'm relaly worried about that backflow thing. i don't want my heart to get infected!
could this be mitral valve prolapse? 
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