mandy knight

[mandyknight]

hi i am 25 and last year i was told i had a heart mumur and a leaking valve. i don't understand what this is or if there is any action that needs to be taken. lately i have been having palpataions and it feels like my heart is skipping beats. i don't know what to do as i only got told through the hospital as i was having an opperation. there was no explanation or nothing is this serious? if any one could help i would be grateful. thank you mandy.

[monkey62]

I was diagnosed with an atrial myxoma almost 2 yeas ago.  A new Dr. heard a murmur that I had never had before.  This is a tumor that grows on a stalk inside your heart.  It was big enough that it was going through the valve with each heartbeat, causing the murmur, which was blood leaking through the valve since it couldn't close all the way.  An echocardiogram is what showed the problem.  This is an extremely rare condition bit it happened to me.  An echocardiogram would be a good thing to ask the Dr. for.

[justmeplus3]

Hey,
Generally what they refer to as a heart murmur/leaky valve is called mitral valve prolapse (MVP) most people don't even know they have it--and it may never cause any issues/discomfort. In some cases it can cause chest wall pain but I have been told by the cardiologist that they don't know why. The heart palps or skipping a beat or what I describe as "my heart beating hard and shaking my body"...I was told was premature ventricular contrations. Again, not a threat to life, and sometimes lifestyle changes can help (mostly stimulants--like eliminating caffince, nicotine, etc. or in my case getting more sleep--i have an infant). If you heart is beating fast or racing that's something different...but if its beating hard I was told it was PVCs (my stress tests/echo confirmed it). If you notice any changes, be sure to tell your doctor...but I have been told try not to worry. Oh both issues are sometimes treated with beta blockers if needed.