30 year old female who went to the Cardiologist for palpitations...

[Guest]

Hello Everyone,

I am a 30 year old otherwise healthy female who has never had a heart issue except for occasional feeling of heart dropping since I was a child. It would happen very rarely, once a few years. But in college I felt these a little more frequently so I went to a Cardiologist. She did an EKG and an Echo and said not to worry. These were benign PVCs. That I need to reduce caffeine but go about my life.

I was about 22 at this time. I went on with my life and the occasional PVCs didnt bother me much at all.

Until I turned 30 last year. Last Christmas, I was spending the weekend with my in laws when during Christmas dinner, I had a series of PVCs that wouldn't stop for about 30-40 minutes. I got so scared I started crying. My husband put me to bed and they went away as I laid down and started to relax. I drank a lot of water, having realized I was probably dehydrated from a lot of heavy foods and drinking all weekend.

I woke up the next morning and felt totally fine. As the weeks went by I felt anxious and my heart was acting up. I'd get more regular palpitations and started getting panic attacks. I would get this strange sensation that as I got up from laying down, there was a strange drop or cramping in my chest! I was totally freaked out. I went to my GP multiple times who did an EKG and said all was fine and I was having panic attacks and told me to go to a therapist and go on drugs.

Meanwhile my heart kept feeling strange so I went to see a Cardiologist.

The Cardiologist did an EKG which came back normal. She then did an Echo. This is where it gets tricky.

The results are as follows:

Trace to mild regurgitation in aortic valve
aortic root size borderline
mild aortic valve sclerosis
minimal MVP trace regurg
mitral valves mildly thickened
mild regurgitation in pulmonary valve
trace regurg in tricuspid valve


The Cardiologist said not to worry but that she was surprised someone as young and thin as me seemed to have slightly thickened valves. She was also surprised at why I seemed to have a slighly larger aortic root than she would imagine for someone my size.

Overall she said not to worry and come back for a mini echo follow up in three months and prescribed me xanax for my anxiety and panic attacks

This was in January. It is now May. I have been too scared to go back in case they diagnose me with something worse.

Overall I have been feeling good. My PVCs have decreased significantly as I am working with a therapist to lower my anxiety. I still feel that I have strange heart sensations but Im unsure if these are due to my heart or anxiety.

I have been reading up on valve leaking and online it says I would need surgery down the line.

Do you think I will?

 

[dornole]

duplicate post

 

[dornole]

I'm not a cardiologist but your results look basically normal to me valve-wise. Words like "trace" and "mild" and "slightly" are good. Valve problems are graded on a scale of 1-5 (mild, mild-moderate, moderate, mod-severe, severe). You're at 1 on that scale and in the case of trace, that's basically a 0.

For perspective I have had mod-severe mitral regurgitation for 16 years now, have annual echoes, and nobody's talking about doing surgery on me yet.

I'm super glad you are seeing relief from therapy. Keep it up! Those emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety are no picnic and you deserve relief from them.

Also do go back for your recommended follow-up cardio visit. Your anxiety is pushing you to act in a dumb manner. If you do have a heart issue, it's there whether they diagnose it now or not, no? Don't you want the opportunity for a cure in the unlikely event that something IS wrong with your valve or aortic root? The docs DO know how to handle this stuff. Your one job is to manage your anxiety long enough to make the appointment and then to go to it. Given your results, more likely than not this is a "just in case" follow up and will probably provide peace of mind. Use the visit to directly air your fears and ask if they are realistic. ("I am worried I will need surgery . . . .) And then follow the plan and don't be scared. Like I said, even if you end up having an heart issue they may just monitor it for 20-30 years or forever.

Close the loop by finishing up your cardiology investigation and carry on with the anxiety treatments that are showing a lot of promise for you. If you can get a handle on that, you'll feel much better about all of it.

Summoning your bravery to complete that mini echo will strengthen your confidence that you can do what needs to be done despite your anxiety saying you're doomed and trying to ruin your life. ​

Hugs.

 

[dornole]

Please report back too. I'm rooting for you.