Elevated Heart Enzymes. No heart attack.

[jfhbiff]

I am a 43 year old male that was admitted to hospital last week after experiencing chest pain.  Blood test results indicated elevated heart enzymes.  They gave me a heart cath and the result showed a healthy heart with no blockages.  They decided to do a scope into my gastro system and discovered I had ulcers in my esophagus, a fatty liver and a polyp in my gall bladder.  Advice from the stomach doctor was to lose weight and take Nexium which makes sense.   I asked if any of this would have caused my heart enzymes to elevate.  He said "no", and it doesn't make sense why my heart enzyme levels rose.  I believe my heart enzymes finally came down after a couple of days and I was released home.  The heart doctor has sent me letters explaining how to look after myself after a heart attack and recommended me to go to cardiac rehab.  I have a problem with this because I get the impression my heart is fine, or that is what they told me.  It is obvious I didn't have a heart attack.  I am relieved I am fine but it is bugging me as to why my heart enzymes rose.  None of the doctors seemed to have a clue.  They just say I had a heart attack which makes absolutely no sense.  I believe the doctors just put me in the too hard basket and told me I had a heart attack because they had no idea how to investigate further.  My blood pressure seemed fine, my heart rate was fine, my oxygen saturation was fine.  This really leads me to my only question, "why am I testing positive for a heart attack with elevated heart enzymes and the heart cath shows a healthy heart.?"

[Dramlouie]

The same thing happened to me and it is soo scary and worrying.  I had been put on Levothyroxine a month beforehand in Dec 2013.  A bit stressed but nothing unusual.  I am a 57 year old Mum of teenagers, getting divorced and looking after my elderly Mum, so nothing unusual!  Everything was fine then my son just generally felt ill during January and stayed off school for a few days.  Then I felt ill and was sick for a few days staying in bed.  I remember being sick and ringing my friend feeling really down and in tears.  But while I was sick I remember feeling like a tearing in my neck, I thought at the time that it was unusual and I only brought up bile.  2 days later, after a really stressful day, I suddenly lifted a heavy shopping bag and suddenly got chest pain.  I assumed I had pulled a muscle in my chest.  It was late and I wanted to get home so drove home and when I got out of the car my back had a terrible ache, my arms were aching and my daughter called an ambulance.  After being given aspirin and a GT spray it subsided but I spent 3 days in hospital.  I was told I had had a heart attack and my troponin levels had risen from in the 200's to 2000.  EKG was normal, I was put on Clopidogrel and aspirin and on day 3 I was finally given an angiogram after being left off the list for several days.  Nothing was found, I had good clear arteries, cholesterol was 4.8.  I was allowed home with a follow up at the end of April and an echocardiogram  in April.  I had an episode of terrible anxiety and palpitations which I had since I was in hospital.  An ambulance was called but they said everything was ok and I was reassured that the ambulance woman had had the same thing.  I rang for an appointment with my doctor the next day and typical, I couldn't get an appointment but the duty doctor rang and gave me Diazepan.  I was telephoned by my doctor a week later saying that I was started on 50mg Levothyroxine which was too high and I was put onto 25mg Levothyroxine.  My palpitation stopped and most of my high anxiety and feelings of panic.  I kept thinking I was having another heart attack.  I have now finally had an echocardiogram and the operator said there was no abnormality and she couldn't believe that I had had a heart attack.  No damage was found.  Then I had a copy of a letter to my doctor from a different cardiologist saying I have a mild tricuspid valve regurgitation.  Nothing else, just that it is often seen in normal individuals.  My follow up has been put forward to now the end of May.  The nurses at rehab just say I am a mystery, but that doesn't help my worry.  I have mild waves of panic sometimes but its difficult to tell if it is my heart, side effects of the drugs I am still taking or this Levothyroxine which is all linked. I have taken myself off these poisoning and dreadful statins and thank goodness all my terrible aches have gone.  I just eat very well, stay off the cakes, biscuits and bad fats, have a 15 min fast walk in the evening and stay more active.  I take plant sterols, magnesium, garlic and resveratrol.  I have lost 1.5 stone and my belt is now at the tightest, yippee!  But I still constantly worry about my heart.  I just couldn't believe that I had a heart attack, unknown in my family, all lived to a ripe old age.  So been thinking that what if the Troponin levels can rise without a heart attack, glad its happened to other people, how many other people out there has it happened to I wonder?  I just feel as though been brushed aside and filed in the 'Mystery' file.  I don't like to have the label 'Heart Disease' or 'Heart Attack Victim'.  

[046]

Gracias :} will do ...

[Rr0321]

Read up on prinzmetal's angina. My sister is going through the same thing- only 46 and healthy- and we think this might be what it will turn out to be.  Very scary.

[046]

What a horrible and most scary experience & I'm still so confused on what happened to me . I'm a Zumba Fitness instructor & I was doing a routine when I had chest pain right after I stopped . I removed myself from the class and once the pain subsided a bit. I decided to go to the ER to make sure all was ok . Once there all hell broke lose EKG was negative through out my 2 days in the hospital. The ER cardiology doctor told me with out further testing at that time so cold and abruptly .. yes I am 90% sure you had a heart attack .. Omg ! I was in shock . the next day an echo gram & catheter was done all negative in fact the cardiologist who completed this test stated I had a beautiful healthy heart no attack . While my ER doc she later came to the room said congrats no Heart attack ,, I asked her why was she so sure initially scaring me half to death, she stated she was basing this on blood work that showed high enzymes . I am on Metoprolol and aspirin until I have a follow up that will not be with her , but the Doc who performed the catheter. I'm pretty healthy and vigil with my health , no cholesterol nor hypertension, I teach and hike stay very active . Now on these meds and feeling paranoid & scared . I have no clear answer she was not very informative with me and became defensive when I asked so many questions ,, Please tell me something I need piece of mind until my appointment not for almost 6 weeks she diagnosed me with Acute myocarditis  CONFUSED !

[wayee60]

I just got back from a similar ordeal and am searching for answers myself. Have you ever had gall bladder issues? I have had some indications that this has also been the culprit. Have you gotten any answers since your post was 3 years ago?

[DiwaChennai]

I have similar tropnin increase but ECG adn Street test normal. I have Fatty lever , gallstone for quite some time(5years). Any answers/solutions since you have posted the finding?. Appreciate your response and help.

[newatthisone]

I too was admitted to hospital after driving and my jaw went numb and a little pain, but first I drove home and called doctor, I had been seeing doctor for chest pain a few days prior...the doctor said go to the hospital, but I continued to stay home and do a little cleaning, until I started sweating and had trouble breathing, so I went to the hospital eventually...they at first said everything was fine, but wanted to admit for observation..i was pissed, due to cost. :)  but before I went up stairs and wife went home, they started giving me pills and potassium, when I got upstairs they came in with more pills and shots in stomach and said I was having or had a heart attack, did a cath next morning and found nothing, the cardio doc said when I went to his office to have my gp find out whats wrong, hearts fine and main arteries  are good, but the smaller vascular could have done something...gp (fill in for gp) said could've been a blood clot, or a spasm...explained very well...I will say when the cardio put me on a med it stopped my hands and feet from swelling, which occurred all the time from working, walking or sitting...but I also have asthma and a seizure disorder, so who knows...I think the docs want us going in diagnosing ourselves and then they treat that

[ed34]

It was more than likely the very high blood pressure raising the enzyme levels. Is his blood pressure normal again now?