Help! elevated troponin twice and no answers

[Danide]

I've been having general health problems for a year now.  I had been to about three physicians that had run no tests on me and said that my palpitations dizziness and chest pain were probably anxiety.  Finally, two weeks ago, I went to the ER with surprising sharp pain in right side of chest, lasted momentarily but I was tired of wondering so I decided to go to the ER, on the way I got extremely tense my heart pounded wildly, chest tightened, but by the time I got to the ER it had pretty much gone away, was just really tired again.  They gave me the full workup and keep me on account of elevated troponin levels..during that stay were .22, .18, .18. and released me the next morning after monitoring my vitals saying nothing was out of the ordinary, see me in clinic next week, unless things get worse. well, lo and behold, I felt sicker throughout the week but kept holding back because I didn't want to be a pestering hyponchondriac, but my best friend also died early in the week and this was adding to my stress and I did not know if that was causing me to feel so horrible, shortness of breath in the mornings, chest tightness or pains varied throughout the week, until finally 9 days later, I decided to go back, I was hospitalized again for elevated troponin .25, and keep for two days to be monitered, during which I was given another chest xray and CT scan and kept on one of those monitors that they say are watched by ICU, during my stay I had a few instances of severe chest pain, one time on my right side which turned icy and my BP and heart rate bumped up but they said that though it was significantly bumped up, the rythym was normal. One of the nights I had pain on my left side that radiated to my left shoulder and they said that the readings were normal.  The cardiologist saw me the next day and said that they were clearing me on the cardiology side and that they had run my thyroid, sugar, kidney function and all were normal and now they were telling me that troponin could be caused by normal PACs and they were going to pursue "mental problems"  I am worrying either 1) that this is life and death they are not taking seriously or 2) that it really is all in my head but the pains and the symptoms are so real, and my troponin levels are showing something really wrong with my heart from all I've heard SHOULD I GET SECOND OPINION ASAP? or rely on the doctors already treating me?

[ayl291]

I am a nurse and had 3 bilateral pulmonary embolisms missed.  Which started a hole host of problems for me for 3 years now.

I urge you to get a 2nd opinion.

You probably need at minimum a stress perfusion test to see if there is ischemia.

Ekg are honestly poor evaluaters.  

You have not had a proper workup.

And very sorry to hear about your loss.

[ayl291]

I am a nurse and had 3 bilateral pulmonary embolisms missed.  Which started a hole host of problems for me for 3 years now.

I urge you to get a 2nd opinion.

You probably need at minimum a stress perfusion test to see if there is ischemia.

Ekg are honestly poor evaluaters.  

You have not had a proper workup.

And very sorry to hear about your loss.

[Danide]

Thanks again for your response.  I went in to see about the prognosis of my adrenal mass...now they are calling that an incidentaloma and will have me come in for another CT in 4 months, but are not worried, i didn't even get to see my doctor (who is an intern) I only a med student working under her, who said that the elevated troponin, could be caused by (elevator look) "other things" but then offered me no explantion and came in a half hour later with a prescription for bupropin, took that the first night only and felt HORRIBLE so I stopped it, called the clinic the next day, and told them I had, they got back to me days later with a stop taking if you havent and a has adult psych called you yet from the referal...they want it so bad to be pushed off as  anxiety but why would anxiety cause daily chest pain...sometimes tightness which i'd be more okay with but sometimes an intense aching sometimes a burning and sometimes this weird electrical shock.  At other times, my pulse just takes off for no reason, I'm not stressed, just sitting there, or sleeping.  I've started excercising again, was afraid to at first but I've been doing less..a simple 30 minute treadmill at moderate walking pace, which seems to be okay now, but I notice that alot of times, I'll get chest tightness AFTER I finish working out.  They said to me when I was in the hospital, that my troponin levels would have been much higher if I had a heart attack, that major heart attacks can produce numbers of like 50 and mine was a mere decimal point..and I had read that constant levels of troponin at the levels that mine are indicate heart failure, but they claim my echo came back with an ejection rate between 55-60, they didnt do an echo on the second visit, which I wish they would have because that is the visit where I had two episodes of SEVERE chest pain and the one on the left with the icy numb sensation, as I was having it they all would come in from time to time with calm dull looks on their faces like "so what, you think you're in pain" like they just KNEW it was impossible.  I'm afraid daily, but as I slowly realize that they may be totally at the hospital (mainly a teaching hospital) I can't afford to go to another doctor right now because I was laid off some months ago and have no insurance..  :(

[Debz8875]

Hi I know this was posted a long time ago but did you find out any reason for this as I’ve been going through the same thing for 2 months raised troponin and chest pain but all my test results are clear, please please help me out if you can thanks so much

[ChatterAlly]

I am going to post my experiences with the 2 heart attacks I had, but I am hoping that Kenkeith will see this and give us his input.  I had chest pain that came and went all day on a Friday (2005).  These chest pains continued through Monday.  I went to work on Monday, but by that evening I was at my wits end. It was a burning ache that went up to my jaw and into both arms. I had my RCA stented the year before, but I did not go to the hospital because of a heart attack.  I went in for the cath because of a different chest pain and shortness of breath.  At the time the RCA was over 90% blocked.  But with both heart attacks I had a normal rythym shown on the EKG. It was shown as abnormal but normal if that makes sense.  It was a baseline. It was the blood work that told them I had had a heart attack.  Both times they told me my Troponin levels were elevated.  The damage was said to be small blockages and no need for any intervention at that time.  So I am confused as to why your Troponin was elevated but they ruled out any cardiac issues. Do you have PACs?  Was your heart function otherwise normal?  Did they do an echo?  I am hoping to have someone explain to me why they would say to me that was the reason they knew I had had a heart attack, but not in your case.