Heart Leaks

Hi, @ml54, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I hope you don't mind that I moved your post to our Heart and Blood Health group, where I believe you will find other members who might provide some insight from their heart experiences. I'd like to invite @bjanderson, @tomonthebeach, @oldkarl, @carnes, @predictable and @crashnam to join this conversation.

I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing panic attacks with the irregular heartbeat. Can you tell us more about what the panic attacks are like?

I am 65 yr. old female and have severe tricuspid and moderate mitral valve regurgitation. I have a stiff heart muscle and have been diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. I found this all out after going to the Mayo Clinic. I cannot recommend highly enough the care you receive there. I am not a candidate for surgery but am doing quite well on different meds. I've suffered most of my life with off and on rapid and irregular heart beat. Also have high blood pressure which is under control. Hope this helps. It never hurts to get a second opinion.....I did, at Mayo.

Mary.

Hope my message find you in the best of your mood and health.

I think you must an other competent cardiac surgeon for 2nd opinion to root out the problem instead of going with medicines.

Regards.

Zar Gul.Khan

Pakistan

Hi, @zargul. Your A-Fib is actually rather common, but scary as all git out. My cardis have treated mine with various meds and a couple surgeries, with a bunch of stents thrown in. A hematologist would probably suggest a Mayo-Bindings sFLC assay, looking for AL and MM or LCDD. A 12-lead ECG, looking for low voltage going to the various heart muscles and movements.But to give you some time, I think meds and meditation is the good route immediately. My heart skips quite a few beats, tachys at about 153, sometimes for days at a time, and the palpitations sometimes wake me up from a good sleep. Yes, it is serious, and

Hi @ml54,

Here's some information from Mayo Clinic about leaky heart valves that you may wish to view:
– http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/mitral-valve-repair-mitral-valve-replacement/home/ovc-20301738
– http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/aortic-valve-repair-aortic-valve-replacement/home/ovc-20305676

There are some additional discussions about mitral valve regurgitation and repair on Connect, where you can meet other members with similar symptoms:

– Mitral Valve & Tricuspid valve regurgitation: when to see a cardiologist? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-was-just-diagnosised-with-mitral-valve-and-tricuspid-insufficiency-i-have/
– I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Regurgitation and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-was-diagnosed-with-mitral-valve-regurgitation-and-pulmonary-arterial-hypertension-2/

I’d also like to introduce you to Connect members @punkin53 @ornelasrebecca @mikkeleo @grandma47 @skooter27 @topaz @cyndiblaw and Mentor @hopeful33250 @vdouglas, as they may have some insights to share.

@ml54, may I ask what steps you are taking to lower your blood pressure? How do you control the irregular heartbeat and panic attacks?

Hello @ml54, welcome. I think I understand what you are going through. An irregular heartbeat is very unnerving. I also have an irregular heartbeat. I experience PVC's and tachycardia. Both of these, In my case, cause a release of adrenaline.The adrenaline release makes my heart beat more irregular and faster. A panic attack would then follow. To make a long story short, I was prescribed a beta blocker. Beta blockers do many things but one benefits for me was to break the panic attack cycle by slowing down/stopping the release of adrenaline. Alprazolam .5 mg was prescribed as needed to help sleep through the irregular heartbeat.

Hello again @ml54, not sure about my last post to you as I am in a remote area using my cell phone to respond. I am sorry you are going those terrible symptoms, it will get better for you. If you have just been prescribed medication it can take a while before it starts working.
Can I ask how long have you been experiencing these symptoms? Just wondering if it's something new or if you have had them for a while.
Best wishes for your good health,
@vdouglas

Hello @ml54

I'm glad that you posted regarding the heart valve problem as well as the irregular heart beat problems. The combination of symptoms can be quite overwhelming, can't it?

It sounds as if your doctor is working with you to keep your heart from overworking itself. I have aortic insufficiency, bundle branch block, some irregular heart rate as well as diastolic dysfunction (the stiff heart phenomena). I'm taking an ACE inhibitor as well as beta blocker,

While this all makes for a slower paced life, I have discovered that seated exercise classes really help. Exercise helps reduce stress (which we really need to do when we are dealing with overlapping heart issues) but regular standing aerobic classes are too much and result in lots of symptoms and fatigue. The seated exercises classes are becoming available in community centers, and hospital exercise programs. It makes a great adjunct to medicine.

I would encourage you to talk with your doctor and see if it would be a good idea for you.

I would also like to invite another volunteer mentor into the conversation, @predictable. He also has lots of personal experience with heart issues.

Teresa

Hi I just started this and I don't know if anybody can help me but it started a year ago with me reading sitting upright and had a heart rate of 181 with no different feeling and I was like this is wrong and ever since then I have had gone to my doc to help me figure this out because I am adopted and 29 years old female. I also was on a Holtier monitor for 2 weeks an that found nothing wrong but it never did stay on my skin, then he also took blood to see if it was something there and of course there wasn't. Oh before I get to ahead of myself I should also add that 2 years ago we had the SWAT come to the house and after that I found out that I had mild PTSD and anxiety from that and was put on Wellbutrin XR 150mg once a day, and now I still have some chest pains that are sharp but don't last long and still have high heart rate and just last week I got a echo and it showed that everything was fine but mild Mitral valve, Tricuspid valve and trace Pulmonic valve regurgitation and also my aortic valve was a trileaflet. Doc said its nothing but will keep an eye on it and I think I should get a second opinion on the matter but I'm not sure please help

Hello @miahsgirl and welcome to Mayo Connect,

I agree that a second opinion is always a good idea. It can give you more information. Try and find a doctor that relates well to patients and is a good educator of problems. Sometimes a teaching hospital will have doctors like that. Do you live near a Mayo facility?

Teresa