s.o.b. & heart races

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debbie56

Hi, I am new here, found this by looking up st. vitas dance and rf which my mom had when she was a girl in the 1940's and had her mitral valve replaced in the 70's and again in the 80's. I had a stent put in last December, 2006 and haven't been able to keep my blood pressure down to a decent level since. My doctor has tried a lot of different meds. Now I am haveing s.o.b. and my heart races and skips beats for about the past 3 to 4 months. Sometimes I think I am having panic attacks and told my doctor last week and he put me on Zanax and that hasn't helped one bit. I'm at wits end. I can't walk from the living room to the bedroom without getting out of breath and my right leg/foot has been swelling and hurting very badly if I don't get it elevated. I know this site is for people who have had valve replacements, but does anyone recongnize these symptoms? I am about 40lbs overweight which I have been trying to lose and have been overweight all my life. It's really getting harder and harder to loose it as I get older! I'm 56.

Thanks for your help,
Debbie56
 
Have you had an echo done to see if you have mitral valve (or any valve) issues? If not - that would be my next step.

Panic attacks and arrhythmia are pretty common with mitral valve prolapse, so if you haven't been cleared with an echo, you need to be.
 
Welcome Debbie.

I sure know what you mean about the weight coming off harder as we get older - sure is annoying.

I would go see your cardiologist and have some tests run. The SOB and swelling could be a sign of CHF as a result of valve or other heart issues. Do not let them chalk it off to being overweight without doing tests. If they try, find another doctor. Doctors tend to push things aside if we are even slightly overweight so don't let them get away with it.

Hope you find out what is happening.
 
Debbie,

I'll just second what's been said. It seems to me a good cardiologist would want to run tests, probably including an echo, to check for possible cardiovascular issues. Good luck to you.
 
Debbie, I see that you are on some good meds, Plavix, Atenolol, etc., so I understand that you are frustrated with those symptoms.... I'm hoping that you have had an echocardiogram recently, if not, ask for one. You may also need a second doctor's opinion. Do you avoid salt? I have big problems with any salt, it gives me palps and raises my BP.
Best wishes for some answers.
 
Welcome Debbie,

It sounds to me like you need to find a CARDIOLOGIST to properly access your "Skipped Beats" and SOB (shortness of Breath) issues.

The perception of "skipped beats" often results from Premature Atrial Contractions (PAC's) or Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC's) which are the "common cold" of Cardiology. There are several different types of medications which control those nicely.

There are MANY possible causes of Shortness of Breath which should be evaluated by a Cardiologist. An Echocardiogram would be the first thing I would suggest, following the usual EKG. That is a NON-invasive Ultrasound evaluation of the heart, very similar to the technique for looking at fetuses.

The echocardiogram will be able to access how well your Valves are functioning and also whether you have excess fluid around your heart.

If your Primary Care Physician won't refer you, you should be able to refer yourself and make your own appointment with a cardiologist. Once you tell them your symptoms, you should have no trouble getting in.

Don't give up until someone evaluates your symptoms properly and gives you some answers.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Thank you all for the great replys. No, I haven't had an echo done, I have only seen my PCP since my stent was put in last December. I called last week requesting to be referred to a cardiologist but haven't heard back from them yet. My husband says he can hear me breathing from across the room. I can't sleep on my left side either. I can't breath when I do. I have been that way for many years. I always thought it was because my lungs were putting pressure on my heart when I turned that way. Anyway, I hope to see a cardiologist very soon. I wish my mom could have seen this website. She died from her reumatic heart in 1998 but would have loved talking to you all who have been through and are going through the valve replacement. One thing our family noticed after both her valve replacements, it changed her personality greatly. She was very irritable and couldn't handle things like she used to.

Thanks again, Debbie
 
Another potential contributor to your symptoms is Excess Fluid which may account for the swelling in your legs and difficulty breathing when you lay down.

Again, a Good Cardiologist should be able to properly access all of these symptoms with an Echocardiogram and physical examination.

My recommendation is to call your PCP first thing in the morning, tell them you want a referal to a Cardiologist NOW, and if they don't respond, MAKE YOUR OWN Appointment with a Cardio.

Best Wishes,

'AL Capshaw'
 
I'll just add that I've had panic attacks in the past. If the Xanax didn't relieve the symptoms (or at least reduce them) then you are most likely not having panic attacks. I agree with everyone else...it's time to see a cardiologist and have tests run to get to the bottom of your SOB and swelling. And don't procrastinate...get it checked out now. Either you will be relieved that it's not a heart problem or you'll be glad that you caught the problem early if it is.
 
you all are so kind to take the time to reply. I have an appointment this Thursday with a cardiologist and will hopefilly find out something and post again with my findings!

thanks again,
debbie
 
Please let us know his thoughts. Your symptoms are ones that many of us had, or have, so it would be great to hear the cardiolgist's opinion and recommendation for treatment.
 
Hi again, I couldn't wait to get home from the heart doc. and post here. I am already feeling "close" to you all. I gave the doc. all my symptoms and he has scheduled an echo for Nov. 28th. He also put me on clonidine twice a day to help get my BP down. He said my leg and foot swelling could very well be caused from the new med Exforge my PCP put me on a couple months ago. It is a new combination drug that has Norvasc and Diovan mixed together and that the Norvasc could be causing the swelling. My BP in the doctors office was 200/90. I hope the Clonidine gets my BP to normal. I'm still worried about the SOB and heart racing and skipping beats, guess I'll find out something in a couple weeks after the echo.
Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts and information you have given.

Debbie
 
I'm glad to hear that your Cardiologist took your symptoms seriously. Did he do an EKG while you were there? Was he able to catch any of the rapid or irregular heartbeats? If not, I'm a bit surprised he didn't put you on a 24 hour Holter Monitor so see if that would catch them and allow him to properly identify them.

Do you have a stethoscope? If not, I recommend getting one and learning to listen to and describe your heartbeat.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Hi Al and everyone else! you know you raised some questions that I mentioned while we were already on the freeway to home, that my heart was still racing and my sob was not any better and was just hoping that the new med he gave me would at least get my bp back to a livable level. I just took my bp and it's 182/102 and that is after my nightly bp med in addition to the new clonidine taken over 4 hours ago! I used to work in a huge clinic back in the 90's and we had 40 docs of which 30 were residents in learning. The first thing I told my significant other after we left the doc. office is that my doc was a resident because 1. he was VERY young (looked to be in his late 20's, possibly 30) and 2. first wrote me a script for HCTZ and I asked him if I was to take it along with my lasix and 3. he quickly scratched that out and said probably not but tried to cover his tracks and said that some do take two different diueretics. Anyway I am self pay and todays visit cost me $260 (which I pd in cash) and I can't afford too many more visits like that trying different doctors. All I can do is wait it out for another two weeks and hope that the echo shows something (or not)!
Yes, I do have a stethascope and will start listening to my heart when it starts racing. I have been reading quite a few threads on this site and see that there are quite a few doctors out there that are not listening to the patient or are just too new at the game to know what to listen for from the patient. I think I better call the office back tomorrow and get a message to him that the meds aren't working.
Thanks for your advise and so glad I found this site!

Debbie
 
I've seen a few Good Young Doc's, but the one's who have been 'doing their thing' for 10 years or so usually inspire more confidence.

A phone call to the Cardio's Nurse sounds like a good idea, along with a reminder about the Heart Rate and Rhythm issue.

'AL Capshaw'
 
My two cents...

My two cents...

Hi Deb.
It looks likeyou`ve been getting a lot of good advice fromthe other members, and let me add that this site is the right place to come to with any doubts concerning your heart.
I`ve already had 3 MVRs, all with tissue valves, and I`m due a fourth at some point next year. My valve`s significantly stesosed, but I don`t have any signs of swealling or blood pressure issues. However, I do get SOB easily and my heart goes just like yours, but the cardio said that since it`s short lived and goes away by itself, there`s no reason for concern. The only medication I take for my heart is propranolol 40mg once a day as I suffer from chronic anxiety. In situations of extreme anxiety, I take lorazepan.
One of the thingjs I`ve learned during the time I`ve been a member of this site is that once you`ve researched and become knowledgeble, it`s easier to deal with these issues and as well as that, when you show your doctor that you`re well informed about things, he`s more likely to discuss your situation with you in more detail.
Keep us posted and take care,
Debora
 
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