chest pain

[tanns]

Hello,

I am a 34 year old female.  About 4 months ago I was making something for my son's preschool class when I got a sharp pain in my left side of my chest.  For the next 6 hours I had pain, sweating, trouble breathing and waves of weakness and chills.  I went to my primary doc the next day. EKG:  normal  / Chest xray:  normal

He sent me for an ctscan:  normal, except small nodule on lung.

Two weeks later I started to feel the same thing again and I went to the ER.  

Chest xray:  normal/Test for lung clot:  normal/Blood tests:  normal

I then went to a cardiologist the next week.

EKG:  normal/Stress Test:  normal/Echo:  normal/Holter:  above average PVC's. (was not told-just read report)

He suggested anxiety and left it at that.

I continued to feel chest pain under my left breast and at times can feel a quivering.  The pain is also up just outside my left armpit area and a burning in my bicep area.  I feel weak, at times nauseous and dizzy.  

I went to a 2nd cardiologist:

EKG:  normal/Nuclear Stress Test:  Normal/
Echo:  showed slightly enlarged left atrium (4.2) , mitral valve prolapse
Is it possible that an ECHO can change in less than 2 months?

She put me on 25 mg Toprol XL.  That was almost a month ago.  I feel no different and recently have begun to feel worse.  I feel like someone is sitting on my chest and it is extremely difficult to breath.  There are waves of weakness on my left side that make my arm feel really heavy.  I don't know what else I should do to be proactive in figuring this out?  Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.

Thank you.

[ladyann1]

Well, this just isn't any fun. The PVC's are much better on the Atenolol but the other feelings which I think are side effects of the Atenolol are sure bothersome. Does anyone else have things like, a feeling of shortness of breathe, cold all the time, feet tingly at times and dizzy/woozy in the head. I don't even want to drive this way. I also have some chest discomfort now and then but I think its stomach related since a good burp will help. I also think I have been so tense that my upper back and upper chest are actually sore from that. The stress echo next Thursday can't come soon enough. At least I will know one way or the other. I sure would like off that Atenolol. My B/P isn't that bad, it is normally 126/76 and my pulse is 64. I'm sure it gets higher with anxiety when I'm at the doctor or under stress at work. My primary doctor wants me to stay on it. I may ask the cardiologist that does the stress echo what he thinks but he probably won't give me an answer since my PCP says to stay on it. I only take 12.5mg a day. Thank you for your support and kind words as I am going through all of this. I know some of you are in worse shape than me but it helps to vent and here from others.

[sdrlmom]

Those darn PVC's. This site was such a great help when I first started getting PVC'S last year.  Many Dr appts later I was basically told what many here have been told. Your Ok. Manage your stress, yada,yada. I took atenolol for about 9 months then weaned off and I must say that the medication worked wonders for me.  The next day I noticed a difference in the frequency of the PVC's. I still have them once in a while,and even have the multiple ones,(YIKES), but I just try to relax and tell myself that this checked out ok. I do still worry some, but not as much. Just today I had a round of multilple PVC's and I started to panic. It left me feeling a little lightheaded, but that went away fairly quickly.  Hope this might encourage someone out there.  Make sure to get it checked out. I just can't thank those who helped and encouraged me enough!  Good Luck, Cherie

[ladyann1]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Your right, not knowing is the hardest. I am feeling a bit better today, second day off the lexapro. I actually ate most of my bowl of oatmeal and a little chicken salad for lunch. I don't want to go there again. I think just being very aware of every funny feeling in my chest is making me anxious. Next Thursday can't come soon enough to relieve my mind. I am so scared when it comes to heart stuff. I know a little bit about the heart and that is dangerous. I wish my doc would give me xanax as that works wonderful but she says its habit forming and won't let me have it. I have tried it before and it did wonders and I never felt addicted or never needed more. It is amazing what one doctor will say versus another one and that is scary in itself. I totally know where your coming from with the head shaking feeling that was so scary. Thanks again for your reply. This forum has eased my mind considerably.

[ladyann1]

I recently had a boubt of chest discomfort and pressure, sweaty cold hands. I went to urgent care and was transported to ER at the hospital. Everything checked out ok. I was scheduled for a treadmill which I did and they found slight ST depression upon excercise and thought due to my age (62) it would be just fine.They did schedule me for a stress echo for next week. I am concerned about it and think I am over reacting. I do get a bit panic at times. The doctor put me on Atenalol which I hate, it lowers my pulse and I fell funcky but I keep taking it 12.5mg. a day. Then she put me on Lexapro for panic attacks and I had what they think is a reaction to it and was in ER again with what they thought was a stroke. It wasn't and they sent me home I also lost my appetite with the Lexapro I guess and am having trouble regaining it. I feel shaky inside and a bit off balance/dizzy/light headed though no one could tell. I also have a few chest twinges at times but it always goes away with a good burp. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[ladyann1]

I need to the above and tell you that I did feel some PVC's and my B/P was very slightly elevated and that is the reason for the Atenolol. Thanks

[tanns]

The first cardiologist I saw, the one who told me everything I felt was anxiety, prescribed Lexapro for me.  I didn't take it for a month and a half but decided at the end of January to give it a try.  I saw the 2nd cardiologist 2 weeks later.  She told me I had Mitral Valve Prolapse and that I needed toprol xl and to get off the lexapro.  So I did.  But...my first 8 days of Lexapro were really hard.  I was dizzy, nauseous and lost my appetite as well as some other feelings.  I used to feel like my head was shaking back and forth really fast, even when to everyone else it was perfectly still.  After some research I found that this is really common when starting Lexapro and I think any SSRI in general until your body adjusts.  I didn't give the Lexapro the time it needed to start working (4-6 weeks) so I'm not sure if it would have helped me or not.  But after the first week, I started to feel better.

I underwent some Gastro tests to rule that out.  If your pain was relieved with a burp maybe there is something along those lines that would explain your chest pain.  My primary doc is pretty thorough and it was the second place he sent me after "CARDIAC" causes of chest pain were "ruled out".

I wish you the best of luck though, not knowing is the hardest.

[LukeL]

I can say for the first 1-2 months being on Toporl was a living ****. After that it was 10X better and now I feel great. Also I know it is hard to remember did the chest pain trigger the anxiety or did my anxiety trigger the chest pain. With a normal workup your odds are really small. You just may want to have a 3rd  or 4th? EKG at your next apointment just to put your mind at ease. Also remember when you went to your PCP and the ER odds are a cardiologist read over your EKG at a later date to make sure nothing was missed. (this is what happened in my case)

[upbeat63]

I just want to second LukeL's description of toperol, the first time I took it for high frequency PVCs (it was bigeminy then), it had me dragging my butt. I wondered what good it was if it was making me more fatigued than the PVCs, but it did stop the bigeminy.

When I went into trigeminy, the toperol this time around hasn't done anything to stop that, but over the course of about three weeks now, it has lessened the sensation of the PVCs so much that I sometimes wonder if I still have them--I do :-(( But not sensing them is about as good as not having them I figure. And the fatigue isn't present either.

[cristabelle]

Good question, good comments.  I was diagnosed in my early 20's with MVP +2-+3, however, Toprol has been a very good med for me.  Maybe you could give it a try a little longer?  What do you think??  Just a suggestion.
Sincerely,
cristabelle

[Schmoomcgoo]

I too sympathize with you.  Go and google "mitral valve prolapse syndrome."  I think you will find you are not at all alone.

[tanns]

My first cardiologist had me wear a holter for 24 hours.  I felt like nothing happened  during that time.  When he called me with the results he said it was uneventful but when I got a copy of the report to take to the 2nd cardiologist I read that there was above average PVC.  I am assuming that because he didn't mention it, it is not a problem.  I don't know if I would know what a PVC feels like.  I have a pounding heart sometimes and sometimes it seems to quiver.  Maybe that is a PVC?

[tickertock]

Just want to say I know how frustrating it is not getting a definitive diagnosis, I hope you get one soon and wish you well.
Take care and good luck.

[tanns]

Sorry about the long post above.  I forgot to mention that I have been through the GI series of tests as well to rule that out.  Endoscopy, Barium Swallow, HIDA scan, ultrasound on gall bladder, and small bowel series.  All reportedly normal.

I don't know if I have anxiety brought on by a serious heart issue, or anxiety bringing on a heart issue, or anxiety at all.  I didn't feel anxious or stressed when this all started to happen but the uncertainty of not having a clinical diagnosis and the financial cost are putting me there.  

Thanks again.

[Cleveland Clinic]

tannns,

Chest pain can sometimes really be a pain. With your overall risk profile, unless you had a strong family history of heart disease, I probably wouldnt pursue any further cardiac evaluation. One other noninvasive option would be a cardiac CT to rule out any significant coronary pathology.

I might also treat you empirically for vasospasm with a low dose calcium channel blocker and for reflux with a H2 blocker. I would also address any underlying anxiety issues.

Good luck