24 yr old M with chest pain and a possible previous anteroseptal MI

[ejc76]

want to apologize if this is lengthy but I want to be as elucidative as possible.  It all started about 6 months ago with some chest pain and i was seeing "sparks" in my vision.  I have ADHD and was/am taking adderall xr at 40 mg a day.  I took my pulse and was a little tachy at 115 to 125.  I realized I had consumed a decent amount of caffeine by that point in the morning plus only 2 hrs of sleep.  I chocked the tachy up to the caffeine and didn't think much about it.  Then I started to have a very slight pain in my left arm and reoccuring pins and needles in the back-left side of my head.  I work in the lab at the hospital and was out on the road for business when all this started to happen.  I went over to E.R. as soon as i got to the hospital and talked with a R.N. friend of mine about it.  She thought I should get it checked out ASAP so I went ahead and registered to be seen.  My card enzymes came back fine as well as my ecg and chest x-ray.  He decided to hook me up with a 48 hr. holter monitor.  The cardiologist read it and said I had t-wave flattening.  My family practicioner said I should get a nuke med stress test.  So I did it.  The cardiologist was somewhat impressed with my performance on the tread mill and didn't believe at that time i was going to have any negative results from the testing. He did however mention that it was odd that my t waves perked up once my heart rate picked up, but didn't seem to concerned.  Once my results came back it was a whole new ball game, because the radiologist believed I had an anteroseptal infarction.  The cardiologist however didnt buy it.  In his office we talked and he thought I should get a second stress test done but this time a stress echo.  While he was checking me out in the office he kept asking me questions about family members having any heart problems and about alcohol consumption which I can tell you that we have no known family history of heart problems and i drink in a good year maybe 3 or 4 times tops. I knew at that moment he was looking for CHF. He did ask about any blunt trauma to the chest or high falls.  Well I played football for 6 yrs and pole vaulted in HS with plenty of failed attempts.  He also mentions while listening to my heart that he isn't hearing my heart murmur but he did hear a ticking/clicking noise.  I was surprised with this b/c i had no idea I had a murmur but this was also gingerly brushed aside as possibly a prolapsed mitral valve or bicuspid semilunar, which he didn't believe was a problem.  The stress echo was done and he thought that the front and septal walls moved fine and that he didn't think I had an anteroseptal mi.  He said he thought I was sensitive to my heart rate and could cue in on it when it changed even 5 or so beats per min.  I wasn't comfortable with this prognosis and talked unofficially with a cardiologist friend of mine and he thought the pins and needles that I had and continued to have was more nuerological so I talked to my family practicioner who in turn ordered me a brain MRI.  The MRI said I had a 1cm lesion or cyst in the medial left transverse dural sinus.  I had another MRI done a month later and they then believed it was a  arachnoid granulation.  Well it's been about 6 months since the first instance and I am now having chest discomfort for a few days now.  I had an ecg done on the first day i started having the discomfort and was told by the cardiologist on duty that It looked no indifferent then my other ones and to go to the ER if they pain got worse.

[ejc76]

Hey Thanks for your help you've been my only help so far.  I am not for sure what all of those mean but I will be looking them up shortly.  I wanted to ask you though are you on any medication and if so what meds and what doses? I would greatly appreciate your response.  And where is your cardiologist located in case that is the route I eventually have to take to get to the bottom of this.

thank you
eli

[shell1925]

Hello!  I'm sorry to hear of all the problems you are having.  I too am in a similar situation as you.  I am 30 years old, and everytime I go to the ER I get brushed to the side.  Luckily I found a great cardiologist who has referred me to some great doctors to get to the bottom of my symptoms.  I have the same exact symptoms as you, along with rapid heart rate, headaches, dizziness and overall fatigue.  I have pretty much had every test imaginable on my heart (except a cath) and finally after 5 years I was told I have MVP and vasovagal syndome.  I also have a hiatal hernia with GERD, thoracic outlet syndrome (left side) and I am VERY borderline for hyperthyroidism (have been for years but no one will treat it).  Luckily for me all of these can mimic a heart attack with their symptoms.  Very frustrating but I just need to keep telling myself that I am only 30 and chances are it is not my heart.  

I wish you luck and keep me posted on what you find!

Shell