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Enlarged Heart, Only 23 years old.
I have no idea where to begin here. I'm 23 years old & have been diagnosed with (only in the past year) PCOS, Hypothyroidism, & have been told that I am Pre-Diabetic. Today I went to the doctor because (lucky me) I'm losing my health insurance because I'm changing jobs. Well, I went to basically get a check up & I've been coughing a lot recently... So the doctor did a chest x ray & instead of seeing something wrong with my lungs she said I have a 'huge' heart. So my heart is enlarged. I am terrified & upset & all things in between. I have been to a cardiologist two times in the past year since all this started because of weird heart palpitations & also had a heart ultrasound last year (about 11 months ago actually, not even a year ago) & they said everything was perfectly normal. Can anyone tell me how my heart can get so enlarged so quickly? I mean I've had NUMEROUS chest ex rays within the past year and absolutely nobody has mentioned anything about my heart being enlarged. I think the last chest x ray I had before this one was in February at the ER because of the heart palpitations. I really love how doctors can sit there & swear to you that 'it's just stress' then a few months later there is something ACTUALLY wrong and they act like they are shocked that the patient KNEW what they were talking about. I told ALL my doctors that I was worried about my heart and now look where I am.
Sorry for the rant, but can anyone shed some light here? What can make your heart grow so large in such a short amount of time. I'm really scared because my best friend died from having an enlarged heart & an underdeveloped artery in Dec of 2005. Somebody please give me some advice. I am really scared.
Sorry for the rant, but can anyone shed some light here? What can make your heart grow so large in such a short amount of time. I'm really scared because my best friend died from having an enlarged heart & an underdeveloped artery in Dec of 2005. Somebody please give me some advice. I am really scared.
Thank you so much for explaining that to me. Honestly you're the only person that has really helped me understand it. I went for my echo today. She didn't really say much to me about it, just asked if anyone in my family had had heart problems & if i had ever been diagnosed with any before. Then did the test & that was that. I have my follow up in 2 weeks, but I hope they'll call me sooner then that if something is really wrong. I am nervous of the cause of this.
An overworked/stressed heart can dilate (enlarge) the left ventricle, if there are cardiovascular issues, it can be damaging if not treated. The left ventricle enlargement is a compensating mechanism just as a faster beating heart. The enlargement provides stronger contractions and more capacity thereby putting more blood/oxygen into the sydstem with each stroke...the working mechanism for increased strength is the Frank/Starling law of physics.
The problem develops when the heart over-compensates and the enlargement reaches a size where the heart chamber loses it contractility strength. As an analogy a handspring can be stretched and recoil is stronger, but when over stretched the spring becomes flaccid.
An echocardiogram is a test that uses ultra sound to watch the heart beat on a monitor in real time. The echo software can calculate the size of heart walls and chambers and heart pumping efficiency. If there is heart cell damage the wall movement will be impaired, etc.
The problem develops when the heart over-compensates and the enlargement reaches a size where the heart chamber loses it contractility strength. As an analogy a handspring can be stretched and recoil is stronger, but when over stretched the spring becomes flaccid.
An echocardiogram is a test that uses ultra sound to watch the heart beat on a monitor in real time. The echo software can calculate the size of heart walls and chambers and heart pumping efficiency. If there is heart cell damage the wall movement will be impaired, etc.
Also - I know this is very highly unlikely, but I DID spend the last 5 days climbing 4 fleights of stairs pretty much all day, over & over. Could this have effected it?
I don't exactly know what an echo is, but I know they are doing a dopplar or doppler study on my heart in the next 3 days. I also know that she wants to have all the testing done asap because of my insurance issue. So I don't know. I'm so stressed out and scared to even sleep now. But I guess that would only make it worse.
Worst case scenario. It can be myocarditis.
Myocarditis is an uncommon disorder that is usually caused by viral infections that reach the heart, including those due to the Coxsackie virus, adenovirus, and echovirus. It may also occur during or after various viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections (such as polio, influenza, or rubella). If the infection affects your heart, the disease-fighting cells enter the heart. However, the chemicals they produce can damage heart muscle, causing it to become thick, swollen, and weak. This leads to symptoms of heart failure.
Other causes of myocarditis may include:
Allergic reactions to certain medications
Being around certain chemicals
Certain diseases that cause inflammation throughout the body
Symptoms
There may be no symptoms. Symptoms thay may occur include:
Fever and other signs of infection including headache, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, or rashes
Chest pain that may resemble a heart attack
Joint pain or swelling
Abnormal heart beats
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Leg swelling
The configuration of the heart shown on the x-ray may be a normal for you! An athlete's heart will enlarge from exercise, and that is a beneficial condition! An x-ray is not a very good source to dx an enlarged heart. An echo will provide a calculated estimate for all wall dimensions and chamber size.
Myocarditis is an uncommon disorder that is usually caused by viral infections that reach the heart, including those due to the Coxsackie virus, adenovirus, and echovirus. It may also occur during or after various viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections (such as polio, influenza, or rubella). If the infection affects your heart, the disease-fighting cells enter the heart. However, the chemicals they produce can damage heart muscle, causing it to become thick, swollen, and weak. This leads to symptoms of heart failure.
Other causes of myocarditis may include:
Allergic reactions to certain medications
Being around certain chemicals
Certain diseases that cause inflammation throughout the body
Symptoms
There may be no symptoms. Symptoms thay may occur include:
Fever and other signs of infection including headache, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, or rashes
Chest pain that may resemble a heart attack
Joint pain or swelling
Abnormal heart beats
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Leg swelling
The configuration of the heart shown on the x-ray may be a normal for you! An athlete's heart will enlarge from exercise, and that is a beneficial condition! An x-ray is not a very good source to dx an enlarged heart. An echo will provide a calculated estimate for all wall dimensions and chamber size.
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