What are my options?

[NICOLE]

I am a 27yr old female that was diagnosed with MVP earlier this year.On 8/27/00 while at work I started to getting bad chest pains,shortness of breath,light headedness etc.I was rushed to the ER and was treated for cardiac arrest. I am scared to death,can MVP lead to something more serious.
please help me.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Nicole,
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by cardiac arrest.  Do you mean a heart attack, or perhaps a fast heart rate?  Generally mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is not associated with more serious heart conditions although there may be some increased risk of palpitations and perhaps fainting with "MVP syndrome" (although this term is not really used anymore).  Is your doctor doing any follow-up testing from your ER visit?

[stevebu]

Dear Nicole

Your heart stopped?  If so, that is about as serious as it gets. You must have a cardio doctor, right?  I hope there is some type of treatment plan to try and prevent this from happening again.

If things are that serious I would try and go to a place like the Cleveland Clinic or some other well known facility to get a second opinion on possible treatment options.  I am afriad you may not have given the doctor in this forum enough information to fully understand your condition.  Maybe you could add something to it in the comment section and the doctor would still answer.  Did you have echo?  What were the results?  Any other tests?  

Good luck to you Nicole

[stevebu]

learn how to spell

[Charlotte]

Nicole, I had a similar experience which led to my diagnosis of MVP.  There is a lot of information and support available on the web which has helped me tremendously; actually helped lead me to my diagnosis.  I'm wondering if you were actually treated for cardiac arrest when you were at the ER.  Maybe they checked for it because of the symptoms you were having.  MVP is a common heart condition that is NOT life threatening and normally the valve & regurgitation does NOT get worse over time.  The precaution that you have to remember is to take antibiotics before any surgery or dental procedure (including cleanings).  This is just a precautionary measure to prevent endocarditis (infection in the heart).  As my cardiologist told me, this is not heart disease, but a heart condition.

I know it is scarey not understanding the MVP and what you are experiencing.  Gaining knowledge has helped me.  When I first started having my symptoms, I felt every little thing in my body and I magnified it because I was so scared about what was going on with me.  I finally accepted that I probably had this all my life and I just now know about it because of the symptoms (I think stress is what led me to start having symptoms).  This helps me in coping with it all. Try not to be scared and just know that many, many people are experiencing the same thing.

Many people have MVP with no symptoms; others (like me) do.  I believe there are a lot of people with no symptoms walking around not aware that they have MVP.  I didn't for 32 years. I'm 34 now.

Those of us with symptoms probably also have a condition called Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome that goes along with MVP. This is where your actual symptoms come from.  These symptoms vary and can be bothersome, but manageable.  As stated in the previous post, a clinic (also in Birmingham, Alabama) that specializes in this will be the best place to deal with this.  However, you may not be able to get to the clinic because of where you live.  So, obtaining as much information about it will definitely make you feel better about what you are experiencing.  

I've also read that with MVPS, there is actually a floppiness of the mitral valve more so than a prolapse which means your valve is not closing properly because of something other than the actual construction of your heart.  That something is dysautonomia, which is an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system. This is with MVP makes MVPS.  With this, your blood volume can be low and you can easily get dehydrated. When dehydrated the heart shrinks a little bit causing that valve to flop and not close properly.  I'm not saying that this is what's happening in your case.  This is just another possibility.  I don't know if my MVP was diagnosed because of the actual construction of my heart or the dysautonomia.  Either way, I treat it the same.  

My advice is to drink lots of water...try to reach a gallon a day, but at least 64oz.  Eliminate caffeine completely (even chocolate).  Limit your sugar intake.  Do some form of cardio exercise 5 times a week (or at least 3) after getting an okay from your doctor. Practice relaxation techniques to help deal with stress better.  Also, try not to worry about your MVP.  This is hard to do, I know, especially when you are experiencing symptoms.  These things WILL help with what you are experiencing.

[Xtian]

Charlotte,

Just wondering if chest pain is one of you're symptoms. I get crushing spasms of pain in the center of my chest, but they only last seconds. This really worries me because it feels very cardiac. I've had all the tests: Stress echos (showed slight mitral regurgitation and thickening but MVP was ruled out), Cardiolite (negative), High Speed CAT scan of chest (0 calcium score), numerous stress tests (negative), ECG's (negative) and holter monitor's, all negative except for benign PVC's. Also an upper GI and Endoscopy, both negative for GERD and hiatal hernia. The cardio says angina, even cornary artery spasms, last longer (a few minutes to hours) and is more of a crescendo-like pain (building), but mine is an intense spasm. I don't know what to do and am very frustrated as the cardio doesn't want to do an angiogram. Hate living in fear. Does anyone out there have MVP syndrome with chest pain like this? Or does anyone have angina that only lasts seconds? Thanks for any advice. By the way I'm also on 2.5 mg of Zebeta, a beta blocker for the PVC's.

[dah]

These first two paragraphs are for the last person who responded:
I too get short, intense stabs of chest pain.  They are very sporadic.  You are lucky that you had many of the cardiac tests which rule out heart disease.  My insurance refused the more expensive ones for me and I can't afford to pay for them myself.  Your test results were all good so maybe you shouldn't worry so much about your heart.  The stress from worrying is probably a lot worse for you than the chest pain.

I've decided I just have to live with the chest pain (it truly only lasts a second or two so I don't really think it's serious).  Also I don't seem to get these attacks when I work-out, they generally occur when I'm not doing anything.  Good luck!

This next paragraph is for the idiot who commented on someone's spelling ability.  
This web site is for heart-related information and is not a spelling bee.  The doctors who answer questions on this forum do not care about the spelling ability of the people who have questions.  Quit wasting valuable space on this forum!

[Xtian]

Thankyou for your comments. Always helps to hear someone else is experiencing this strange pain, though I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I hope you get the tests you need and wish you well.

[Charlotte (Chest Pain with MVP)]

Yes, chest pain is a symptom of MVP/MVPS.  I experience chest pain occassionally.  Sometimes it is related to indigestion.  Other times it is not.  I try to drink extra water and breathe deeply to try to help with the chest pain when it's not from indigestion.  It helps me.

I was taking 5mg of Zebeta at one time for MVP symptoms (rapid heart beat & "strange" sensations in my chest).  I had a doctor tell me that the strange sensations were probably due to my MVP and to start taking my medicine which I didn't want to take before.  With the Zebeta, that feeling went away and my heart rate was lower.

[Christine]

Charlotte,

I, too, get the short stabbing chest pains.  I have had an echo, ekg and holter, and all came back normal, except for a high amount of PVCs.  The cardiologist says I need no further testing, I'm fine and my heart is in perfect shape.

I also notice I get no PVCs or chest pain while exercising, only while I am at rest.  The chest pains only come once a month, during my menstrual cycle.  Incidently, the PVCs are much worse at this time.  I beleive them both to be hormonally related.  I am very sensitive to anything: medicines, light, body sensations...   So I have just come to accept that I can feel things in my body that other people can't feel in theirs.  Accepting this has helped the fear a LOT!  Exercise helps, no caffeine or smoking and RELAXATION all reduce the amount of pain and PVCs, for me anyway.

I wish you all the best!

Christine

[Question to Nicole]

I did not see a further response from you concerning the cardiac arrest question. Myself and others are curious as to whether you actually experienced cardiac arrest (stopping of your heart), or whether you may have gotten confused on the diagnosis. Please let us know whether or not you were correct. We are eager to hear from you and find out what is being done concerning your treatment and follow up. Thanks. Susan

[michele]

Wow, I finally found others that have short stabbing chest pains. I have been having them for about 8 months now. Because my lungs sounds and vitals are good the MD ordered a chest x-ray to rule out arthritis, it was neg. Now, because I do have a history of very mild MVP w/regurg. and a murmer, the MD ordered a new echo, which I'll get tomorrow. The big deal here at this site for me is just seeing that others feel the same. My chest pain is just below the L breast, always in the same spot. I was at the point of feeling it about 20 times a day. But the pain is so quick, I'm never in a real emergency distress. It's just very wierd and makes you afraid. Anxiety and MVP go hand in hand so my MD put me on Paxil about 3 weeks ago and I'm having fewer chest pains.

[Andrew]

Hi Nicole,

What a great site!

I was diagnosed with a mild MVP 5 yrs ago (I was 37) and was told it wasn't serious and told to continue on with life and not to worry about it. Talk about stress related. The symptoms were much worse when I was stressed. I changed my life (completely) and removed most stress causing factors and, although I still have the MVP, I find the palpitations have virtually stopped, and the incidence of sharp pain greatly reduced.

I really got a lot from Charlotte's reply. I also find that drinking lots of water makes me feel better, although I never actually associated it with the MVP! No Caffiene? Including Chocolate? (Is life worth living? (joke)).

I wish everyone contributing here the best health they can have. Be aware of your body, conditions and limitations, and then go and enjoy life. We only get one go and this is it!

Andrew