# Mitral valve prolapse



## IcedOver (Feb 26, 2007)

Does anyone else have this condition? I've never been officially diagnosed with it but that's probably because I rarely ever go to the doctor. But I'm pretty sure I have it because I get some of the symptoms and it's in my family. I get occasional "flutters" and skipped or extra heart beats. I'll actually go quite a long time between getting those flutters but right at the moment I'm kind of getting worried because, ever since I woke up this morning, I've been getting faint flutters every few minutes. I haven't gotten many flutters for quite a while but right when I woke up, it was very apparent. I'm also occasionally feeling odd in the head, kind of spacy sometimes, and getting skipped and extra beats. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? I feel like I should go to the doctor for this (or, if it keeps up this evening, the emergency room) but am afraid, which is probably contributing to my heart irregularities. Any advice?


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## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

I'm sorry you're having these symptoms, IcedOver. It can be a worry when you don't know what's causing it or how to fix it. It's probably best to see a doctor, as much to put your mind at rest as anything else. As LaRibbon says, it might not be anything serious. It wasn't in my case. I had the symptoms you describe a few years ago when under a lot of stress, and worrying about what might be wrong was probably as bad as the symptoms themselves. Once you notice the irregular heartbeat, it becomes hard to ignore. The doctor referred me to a cardiologist, who did a few tests (24 hour Holter monitor and heart ultrasound), which confirmed the irregular heartbeat but also showed that the heart was healthy. He prescribed magnesium tablets, and that cleared it up.


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## IcedOver (Feb 26, 2007)

Hey guys and thanks for your advice. I'm feeling a bit better today and have only had a couple flutters since waking up; perhaps sleep fixed it. I don't think the anxiety is what originally caused me to start fluttering yesterday since it started happening right when I woke up and I wasn't necessarily anxious. Perhaps anxiety and worry over the continued flutters and arrhythmia perpetuated it, though. Whatever the case, it's clear I have a bum ticker. I went to the doctor three years ago and, after explaining that I sometimes get these symptoms, they did an EKG which yielded nothing irregular at the moment they took it. The doc prescribed a Holter monitor just to check it out but I never went to get it. I haven't been eating well in recent months and think I'm losing too much weight, I might even be underweight at the moment, so perhaps that's contributing to something. Most likely I'll go to the doctor, though.

It's ironic that I was having these problems yesterday since I went to "Iron Man 2" yesterday, a movie which deals with a guy who has a heart problem (shards of shrapnel impinging on his heart) and must wear an implanted arc reactor in his chest to keep himself alive. As I sat watching, I found it funny that I could probably use one myself.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

LaRibbon said:


> It could be an anxiety thing, but it's always best to check these things with a Dr. I know heart stuff is scary, but a lot of it can be treated, and a lot of things you think might be serious may not be a big deal at all, so I think you should see a Dr asap and get it sorted out.


This is the best advise. Heart palpitations can be anxiety, but still go to a doctor to know for sure.


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

Are you sure you have MVP? Did the doc you went to 3 years ago specifically say you did? Heart ultrasound is the best way to diagnose it and since you did not have it done (you only had a Holter monitor based on your post), it is possible the doc. did not suspect you have MVP.


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## IcedOver (Feb 26, 2007)

Actually, I've never been formally diagnosed with MVP. I have the symptoms, however, and three of my immediate family members have it. It's very possible that some other problem is causing these current symptoms, and I might go to the doctor soon to find out. I never even went to get a Holter monitor, although I was prescribed it just as a suggestion, not a mandate. The EKG I had didn't yield anything out of order. Thanks for your replies.


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

IcedOver said:


> Whatever the case, it's clear I have a bum ticker.


Well, the symptoms you describe can sometimes be caused by things not related to the heart.

for example, since you have not been eating well recently and you are getting these episodes in the morning after fasting during night along with neuro. symptoms (dizziness), one cause could be low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This is a guess based on limited information. Hypoglycemia is actually rare in young people.

whatever the reason, hope everything turns out ok.


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## Crystalline (Dec 1, 2008)

I have this and can say in my case that it doesn't feel like fluttering when I have palpitations. They are usually triggered by an unusual amount of activity, stimulants, or intense situations, and there are periods of time in which you will go without any palpitations at all. I have not had any in the past five years or so. And the above posters are right, you wont know for sure until you get your heart checked out via ultrasound.

MVP attacks are a little like heart attacks. Depending on the severity, during one of these you tend to get:

Shortness of breath
Blackouts/faint-ish spells
Intense chest pains
Palpitations

Other symptoms (when you aren't having an attack/during normal activity) -may- include:
Heart murmur/fluttering sound(if listened to with a stethoscope)
Fatigue/chronic fatigue syndrome
Orthostatic hypotension (sudden blacking out or dizziness when standing up, inability to keep your feet or balance and fainting or having to sit on the floor)

If you experience the above mention it to your doctor.


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## candycandy (Apr 17, 2012)

Initially I thought it was so strange that I couldn't be active as much as my peers. I used to be very athletic, but then I started having shortness of breath, and if I did attempt to do something like jogging, sprinting my chest would hurt a lot! At first I thought it's because I'm not fit and I'm not able to go out as much bc of work, but it really got to me when my heart felt like it was beating really fast in a weird inconsistent rhythm. It happened to be only a couple of times when I was at my most inactive. It could be correlated to some other problems but when I finally went to the cardiologist and got my heart checked out, it turned out I have moderate mitral valve relapse. 
To be sure though, I strongly advise you to get your heart checked out. There's nothing to lose by just having it checked for why you're experiencing weird symptoms like that right?


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