Mitral Valve Prolapse anyone?

[Tiramisu]

I searched and saw this come up in threads before, so I know I'm not alone.

 

My echo report came in and I have it. I've had three echos before and it was never mentioned, but I never remember hearing that loud clicking before either. I guess it feels rather good to possibly know what's wrong with me. I looked up the symptoms and have most of them. It's nice to finally have an explanation for the way I feel, especially the fatigue, lightheadedness, and tachycardia I've been living with forever. 

 

And the cardiologist said tried to tell me it was anxiety. Grrrrr. 

[Danestress]

I have it - discovered in a routine physical.  I have never had any problems with it.  They used to make me take antibiotics before having my teeth cleaned, but this is no longer the recommendation.  Most people never have any problems with MVP, but if you are experiencing symptoms, you should follow up - obviously.  

[Sharpie]

I have it - discovered in a routine physical.  I have never had any problems with it.  They used to make me take antibiotics before having my teeth cleaned, but this is no longer the recommendation.  Most people never have any problems with MVP, but if you are experiencing symptoms, you should follow up - obviously.  

 

I also have it.  I was diagnosed as a teen and the symptoms seemed more pronounced then.  Now I don't notice them at all, perhaps I've just gotten used to them over the years.  I too used to have to take antibiotics before having my teeth cleaned but that stopped several years back. 

[shukriyya]

Yep, I have it, too. My cardiac incidents have been more pronounced in the past six months as I deal with the hormonal world of menopause. I'm off to the doctor in the next little while to see what, if anything, further needs to be done. It has tended to come and go over the years and sometimes I've gone more than a year with no incidents. This is typical.

[Spryte]

Goodness, you too?  Mine was diagnosed when I was very, very young (11) rather than the normal older ages.  Get strep tests when you have a sore throat.  

 

Do you think this is the cause of your POTS like symptoms?

[RebeccaS]

Ds #1 has this in conjunction with a CHD which was fixed when he was 2 months old.  We go yearly to have it looked at to be certain he's maintaining growth and it doesn't need dealt with.  Like a PP, he used to have to take antibiotics before a dental cleaning, but no longer has to do that (which I'm thankful because I always forgot to do it...).

[OneStepAtATime]

Hugs. Will the doctor be able to do anything since you have symptoms that affect the quality of your life?

[snowbeltmom]

I have it as well. I was diagnosed after my 2nd son was born.

[Jenny in Florida]

I was told a couple of decades ago that I had mitral valve prolapse and have dutifully disclosed it before having my babies and going in for dental surgeries and such. It's never caused me any issues.

 

When I was going through the thyroid stuff, I saw a cardiologist and had more testing done. I have now been told they don't see the MVP at all, and they are not sure why I was ever told I had it.

[Pawz4me]

I have it - discovered in a routine physical.  I have never had any problems with it.  They used to make me take antibiotics before having my teeth cleaned, but this is no longer the recommendation.  Most people never have any problems with MVP, but if you are experiencing symptoms, you should follow up - obviously.  

 

Same here.  I was in my mid-30's and seeing a new doctor.  He got a puzzled look on his face and asked if any doctor had ever mentioned hearing something funny.  Umm . . . no.  A couple of weeks later I had an echo and was diagnosed.  Mostly mine doesn't bother me.  Once or twice a year I'll have the fluttery, skipped heart beat feeling and then it behaves itself again.   I had my most recent echo about six years ago.  My current doc ( who I've been seeing for seven or eight years) says as long as he doesn't hear anything different, then we won't worry about it much.  Works for me.

[Ethel Mertz]

I was diagnosed about 25 years ago. I occasionally have the "helicopter/fluttering" feeling. I thought that was it. However, having read your description of the symptoms, OP, I realized that this may be the reason for my bouts of dizziness, swelling of extremities, and occasional anxiety attacks. Fascinating.

[Tiramisu]

Goodness, you too?  Mine was diagnosed when I was very, very young (11) rather than the normal older ages.  Get strep tests when you have a sore throat.  

 

Do you think this is the cause of your POTS like symptoms?

 

I think it could be.

 

When I read about it, it seems some people are symptomatic and some aren't and it has nothing to do with the severity of the physical abnormality. But the symptoms do fit very well.

 

I have a stress test coming up. I don't expect any surprises there. Then I meet with the cardiologist again...if I feel like going back to him. Now I'm just staying put to finish the tests and get the results. I have a friend with MVP who has a cardiologist she likes who has talked to her about POTsy things, so he might be the right kind of person to go see. 

[gaillardia]

I was never told I had mitral valve prolapse. I was not told that I had a heart murmur until maybe the past five years. MAYBE. Once.

Fast forward. The heart palpitations that took my breath away....then nearly dying, truly, I was at death's door for three days, and they decided I had mitral valve RUPTURE instead of pneumonia and did open heart surgery and repaired my broken heart.

Keep up with your cardiologist appointments, modify your diet and get a yearly echocardiogram.

[Tiramisu]

Hugs. Will the doctor be able to do anything since you have symptoms that affect the quality of your life?

 

Certain medications can help. But they could have side effects. I think it's just a matter of trying them out. At least the MVP is usually benign; it's just the symptoms that some people have that are annoying. I think the different kinds of medications that are used are certain blood pressure meds that help stabilize heart rate, and some people are helped by an SSRI because there's some connection with dysautonomia. SSRI's can sometimes help with that.

[Diann]

I was diagnosed with MVP in my teens. I take a beta-blocker to control the fluttering feeling. Otherwise, I don't have any issues. Mine is not bad enough that I'm required to take antibiotics for dental procedures. I get an echo done about every 4 years to check on it.

 

Diann

[Tiramisu]

I was diagnosed about 25 years ago. I occasionally have the "helicopter/fluttering" feeling. I thought that was it. However, having read your description of the symptoms, OP, I realized that this may be the reason for my bouts of dizziness, swelling of extremities, and occasional anxiety attacks. Fascinating.

 

Reading about the symptoms is fascinating. And those descriptions are fairly consistent from all types of websites, mainstream and alternative.

[Tiramisu]

Goodness, you too?  Mine was diagnosed when I was very, very young (11) rather than the normal older ages.  Get strep tests when you have a sore throat.  

 

Do you think this is the cause of your POTS like symptoms?

 

Just quoting again to tell you that I've been sprinkling my water with Himalayan salt and it's really helping me stay hydrated. Thank you for the salt suggestion when I last posted about POTS.

[Tiramisu]

I was never told I had mitral valve prolapse. I was not told that I had a heart murmur until maybe the past five years. MAYBE. Once.

Fast forward. The heart palpitations that took my breath away....then nearly dying, truly, I was at death's door for three days, and they decided I had mitral valve RUPTURE instead of pneumonia and did open heart surgery and repaired my broken heart.

Keep up with your cardiologist appointments, modify your diet and get a yearly echocardiogram.

 

My doctor did say they were going to have to keep watching it. I'm also interested in getting copies of my past echos to see if it was on there and if it's something that could be progressing.

[shukriyya]

How serious are everyone's incidents? I can't do anything while I'm having one. I have to sit down and breathe through it. I carry herbs with me, Motherwort, and take that at the onset. Sometimes if my heart feels fluttery and a little arrythmic I'll take it preventatively. For me it's not just a speeded up pulse, it's that it feels out of rhythm. There no way I can do anything while I'm having one. It usually occurs in the 10 days before my period.

[wapiti]

.

[Tiramisu]

How serious are everyone's incidents? I can't do anything while I'm having one. I have to sit down and breathe through it. I carry herbs with me, Motherwort, and take that at the onset. Sometimes if my heart feels fluttery and a little arrythmic I'll take it preventatively. For me it's not just a speeded up pulse, it's that it feels out of rhythm. There no way I can do anything while I'm having one. It usually occurs in the 10 days before my period.

 

I can ignore them and go about my business. I have a friend who gets episode that take her breath away; it's more like you describe. I have PVCs too. I hadn't felt them for awhile, but this summer they've been back. I think mine may also be related to hormones. I'm going to start keeping track.

[Tiramisu]

You know the old saying about when you have a hammer, everything you see is a nail?  Well I have a hammer.  Sort of.

 

When I took ds for his annual cardiology checkup early - because he was complaining about stuff and he also happened to have the new situation with the untreated strep and controversially-associated anxiety and ocd - the cardiologist's PA also noted that I had long ago put on the family history that MIL had a mitral valve replaced.  That valve replacement is presumed to have been due to rheumatic fever when she was a kid (she grew up in South America with basically no  medical care, so no one really knows, but it would make sense).  Somewhere along the way, I recall reading about a potential genetic susceptibility to rheumatic problems.  (Also FWIW, she is fine and ds's heart is fine.)

 

What I'm driving at is the possible association between immunologic issues and the heart on the one hand (rheumatic symptom), and the more controversial association between immunologic issues and anxiety.  Not to mention whatever immunologic oddities might be present in your children (the allergies, etc.)

 

Not that this helps.  Just throwing this out there because it's the topic of the year for me (my current hammer) :)

 

Interesting. I've had the worst allergies this year, not a gentle ramping up but ba-boom. My PVC's are acting up, too.

 

I have been taking Claritin but it didn't cut it for some weeks in the spring, so I moved to allegra. I felt the PVC's a lot on allegra and it thought it was the meds so I researched it and found no connection. It seemed the arrhythmia got worse each time I took the allegra and now I'm wondering if allegra had no connection at all but it was the underlying allergic response that was causing it all.

[Pawz4me]

Interesting. I've had the worst allergies this year, not a gentle ramping up but ba-boom. My PVC's are acting up, too.

 

I have been taking Claritin but it didn't cut it for some weeks in the spring, so I moved to allegra. I felt the PVC's a lot on allegra and it thought it was the meds so I researched it and found no connection. It seemed the arrhythmia got worse each time I took the allegra and now I'm wondering if allegra had no connection at all but it was the underlying allergic response that was causing it all.

 

FWIW -- I've found that I can't take any kind of antihistamine.  They make it feel like my heart is filled with butterflies.

[Jenny in Florida]

One thing I will add after reading others' comments about fluttering sensations is that I would caution everyone not to get complacent thinking that a diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse makes such episodes something you can safely ignore.

 

As I mentioned, I'd been told a couple of decades ago that I had MVP and that it probably wasn't anything I needed to worry about. I went along my merry way, attributing any odd chest sensations to that. Mostly, it was no big deal, but every now and then I would find the flutterings distracting or would find it difficult to breathe, and I would splash my face with cold water or sit down and focus on breathing until they passed. 

 

I got so used to it that when my thyroid went wacky and I began having episodes of atril fibrillation, I talked myself out of worrying much about them or going to the ER when I perhaps should have. Fortunately, I did pester my regular doctors enough that they eventually caught the problem on a in-office EKG and sent me to the hospital. I am now on medication and mostly do okay.But the potential for a less positive outcome was there.

 

So, please do continue to listen to your body and don't let having "the answer" encourage you to let things slip.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My symptoms improved immensely when I quit caffeine and were completely eliminated after I started a magnesium supplement. After the magnesium in particular, I was irritated (yet again) that my doctor didn't know of the relationship. 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9070556

[Tiramisu]

FWIW -- I've found that I can't take any kind of antihistamine.  They make it feel like my heart is filled with butterflies.

 

Do you find this with plain antihistimine and not just the kind with decongestant. I can never take decongestant for this reason, but have been fine with antihistimine.

[Tiramisu]

One thing I will add after reading others' comments about fluttering sensations is that I would caution everyone not to get complacent thinking that a diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse makes such episodes something you can safely ignore.

 

As I mentioned, I'd been told a couple of decades ago that I had MVP and that it probably wasn't anything I needed to worry about. I went along my merry way, attributing any odd chest sensations to that. Mostly, it was no big deal, but every now and then I would find the flutterings distracting or would find it difficult to breathe, and I would splash my face with cold water or sit down and focus on breathing until they passed. 

 

I got so used to it that when my thyroid went wacky and I began having episodes of atril fibrillation, I talked myself out of worrying much about them or going to the ER when I perhaps should have. Fortunately, I did pester my regular doctors enough that they eventually caught the problem on a in-office EKG and sent me to the hospital. I am now on medication and mostly do okay.But the potential for a less positive outcome was there.

 

So, please do continue to listen to your body and don't let having "the answer" encourage you to let things slip.

 

I agree with this. My doctors have always done a full thyroid workup and an iron panel, too. I've also done much rheumatological testing over the years. This is all in addition to the heart tests. 

[Tiramisu]

My symptoms improved immensely when I quit caffeine and were completely eliminated after I started a magnesium supplement. After the magnesium in particular, I was irritated (yet again) that my doctor didn't know of the relationship. 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9070556

 

Magnesium helps immensely with PVC's, but never helped with tachycardia. This summer is the first time magnesium hasn't made much difference.

[Pawz4me]

Do you find this with plain antihistimine and not just the kind with decongestant. I can never take decongestant for this reason, but have been fine with antihistimine.

 

Yes, plain antihistamines.  I know it's *supposed* to be decongestants that cause problems.  And I'm sure they do.  But I can definitely tell when I take antihistamines, too.

[Sharpie]

My symptoms improved immensely when I quit caffeine

 

I have found the same.  I've never tried magnesium before.  I've also found that if I cough while my heart is fluttering it sometimes takes care of it. Sounds crazy but it works.  I don't have these episodes very often at all if I control caffeine intake.  My story may change as I approach menopause. 

[Tiramisu]

I have found the same.  I've never tried magnesium before.  I've also found that if I cough while my heart is fluttering it sometimes takes care of it. Sounds crazy but it works.  I don't have these episodes very often at all if I control caffeine intake.  My story may change as I approach menopause. 

 

I wonder if coughing has the same effect as the Valsalva maneuver, that I am presently misspelling. 

[The Girls' Mom]

I have it.  I was diagnosed at 20 after nearly 4 years of trying to figure out what was wrong with me.  I kept having docs try to put me on meds for anxiety and depression.  Finally, I had a particularly bad episode of my heart racing that required a hospital visit and medication for it to return to a normal rate.  I found a woman doctor that listened to me, and after an echo they found it.  I have also had Holter monitor tests.

My two biggest issues with it are arrhythmia and racing.  I've had periods in my life that it was worse than others.  I've been on meds off and on for the arrhythmia, but they always make me feel like I'm dying.  So unless I'll actually die without them, I will no longer take them.  (I don't have ventricular arrhythmia, so it isn't considered life threatening)

I too find that caffeine has an effect on me.  I have to watch how much I drink, (usually limit myself to a cup of coffee a day) and sometimes I have to go on a caffeine fast to get things settled down again.  It is almost like my body will build up a sensitivity to the caffeine and has to purge or something.  

 

My prolapse doesn't make much noise, so doctors can't hear it.  But it is very visible on echo.  

[The Girls' Mom]

One thing I will add after reading others' comments about fluttering sensations is that I would caution everyone not to get complacent thinking that a diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse makes such episodes something you can safely ignore.

 

As I mentioned, I'd been told a couple of decades ago that I had MVP and that it probably wasn't anything I needed to worry about. I went along my merry way, attributing any odd chest sensations to that. Mostly, it was no big deal, but every now and then I would find the flutterings distracting or would find it difficult to breathe, and I would splash my face with cold water or sit down and focus on breathing until they passed. 

 

I got so used to it that when my thyroid went wacky and I began having episodes of atril fibrillation, I talked myself out of worrying much about them or going to the ER when I perhaps should have. Fortunately, I did pester my regular doctors enough that they eventually caught the problem on a in-office EKG and sent me to the hospital. I am now on medication and mostly do okay.But the potential for a less positive outcome was there.

 

So, please do continue to listen to your body and don't let having "the answer" encourage you to let things slip.

 

 True!  One thing I did not mention is that if I'm having an unusual amount of symptoms or I just don't feel like things in there are working properly, I don't hesitate to go to the doctor.  It doesn't take much for them to check and make sure there isn't something else major going on with my heart.  

[The Girls' Mom]

How serious are everyone's incidents? I can't do anything while I'm having one. I have to sit down and breathe through it. I carry herbs with me, Motherwort, and take that at the onset. Sometimes if my heart feels fluttery and a little arrythmic I'll take it preventatively. For me it's not just a speeded up pulse, it's that it feels out of rhythm. There no way I can do anything while I'm having one. It usually occurs in the 10 days before my period.

 

I should have multi-quoted in one post, sorry.

 

About 90% of my episodes are brief and ignorable.  About 5% are very uncomfortable and feel very much like a panic attack.  Another 5% are downright scary and I can't function until they pass.  These are the ones where my heart gets out of rhythm, beats way too fast, I cannot catch my breath and I feel like I might pass out.  I also feel very panicked and claustrophobic when those happen, and will often stand/or sit up suddenly (it is almost like a flight response).  Even though I stand/sit up quickly, I don't go far because I can't breathe well.  Thankfully, except for one episode, these have always passed within a minute or two.  Very often after an episode like that, my heart is very fluttery for a day or two.