Heart concerns-please read!!

[Jessi 24]

I’ve been experiencing heart palpitations for about 3 weeks.  No idea what caused them.  I stopped my Fluoxetine 2 months ago so I wasn’t thinking there’s a connection.  The palpitations occur at random times and last up to a minute or two each time.  
I remembered that back in 2011 I had an echo done.  So last night, I decided to get on my portal and read the results to give me reassurance.  I never had read them before because I was told everything was normal.  Well now I’m freaked out even worse and convinced I have heart disease and am going to need surgery!!  My results were “normal”, but it said I have mild regurgitation in the mitral and tricuspid valves!!!  And mild mitral wall thickening.  I don’t see how that is normal.  I got on google, just like I shouldn’t have, and like I said, I’m convinced I have heart disease.  I don’t even know if the regurgitation can go from mild to severe, and maybe that’s what’s causing my arrhythmia!  
Im scheduling an appt with my pcp for an ekg, which was already my plan before reading those results, but I feel like I’m a walking time bomb now!  

[Ironman 199]

7 hours ago, Jessi said:

I’ve been experiencing heart palpitations for about 3 weeks.  No idea what caused them.  I stopped my Fluoxetine 2 months ago so I wasn’t thinking there’s a connection.  The palpitations occur at random times and last up to a minute or two each time.  
I remembered that back in 2011 I had an echo done.  So last night, I decided to get on my portal and read the results to give me reassurance.  I never had read them before because I was told everything was normal.  Well now I’m freaked out even worse and convinced I have heart disease and am going to need surgery!!  My results were “normal”, but it said I have mild regurgitation in the mitral and tricuspid valves!!!  And mild mitral wall thickening.  I don’t see how that is normal.  I got on google, just like I shouldn’t have, and like I said, I’m convinced I have heart disease.  I don’t even know if the regurgitation can go from mild to severe, and maybe that’s what’s causing my arrhythmia!  
Im scheduling an appt with my pcp for an ekg, which was already my plan before reading those results, but I feel like I’m a walking time bomb now!  

First of all, I learned that hospitals don't tell you squat unless it is something to worry about. 

I had a vitreous hemorrhage in July 2016.  I would lose vision in the bottom half of my left eye.  The only thing I knew - I had a sinus infection. 

After three trips to the ER in a week, seven vials of blood drawn (the first made me pass out/lose vision/and go back to the ER the second time), a urinalysis, two sonograms, an angiogram, an EKG, a CAT scan (they thought I had a stroke! Nope!).  The ONLY thing they found was "elevated blood pressure" - not even High Blood Pressure!  The prescribed me BP med (low dose)medication all this time later now makes my toes turn purple lol  All of my tests said I was normal.....and the hemorrhage was from a sinus infection caused by a rogue electric air purifier in my house!  I thought it was working, but I shut it off and with in 36 hours my sinus issues were gone! 

My original ER doctor (I went to undergrad with him - smart guy) told me no retinal detachment, but sent me to an eye doctor to make sure.  He was the most calm of all the docs I saw!

 

So - I did some research of my own on your issue - DON'T DO THIS because you are worrying yourself sick.  On the tricuspid valve issue -> Introduction. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) occurs in 65–85% of the population. Thus, mild TR in the setting of a structurally normal tricuspid valve (TV) apparatus can be considered a normal variant. Moderate or severe TR is usually associated with leaflet abnormalities and/or annular dilation and is usually pathologic.

Tricuspid valve regurgitation is a condition in which the valve between the two right chambers not closing properly. If your condition is mild, you may not need treatment.

You don't have heart disease, and if your doctor didn't say anything to you, then you are obviously in the mild area where no treatment is necessary.  I do a six-month check up just in case due to what happened with my eye, but it hasn't been a problem in five years.  You should not worry about it at all unless the doctor specifically brings it up to you.  THey are trained to know when to take action.

[Jessi 24]

4 hours ago, Ironman said:

First of all, I learned that hospitals don't tell you squat unless it is something to worry about. 

I had a vitreous hemorrhage in July 2016.  I would lose vision in the bottom half of my left eye.  The only thing I knew - I had a sinus infection. 

After three trips to the ER in a week, seven vials of blood drawn (the first made me pass out/lose vision/and go back to the ER the second time), a urinalysis, two sonograms, an angiogram, an EKG, a CAT scan (they thought I had a stroke! Nope!).  The ONLY thing they found was "elevated blood pressure" - not even High Blood Pressure!  The prescribed me BP med (low dose)medication all this time later now makes my toes turn purple lol  All of my tests said I was normal.....and the hemorrhage was from a sinus infection caused by a rogue electric air purifier in my house!  I thought it was working, but I shut it off and with in 36 hours my sinus issues were gone! 

My original ER doctor (I went to undergrad with him - smart guy) told me no retinal detachment, but sent me to an eye doctor to make sure.  He was the most calm of all the docs I saw!

 

So - I did some research of my own on your issue - DON'T DO THIS because you are worrying yourself sick.  On the tricuspid valve issue -> Introduction. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) occurs in 65–85% of the population. Thus, mild TR in the setting of a structurally normal tricuspid valve (TV) apparatus can be considered a normal variant. Moderate or severe TR is usually associated with leaflet abnormalities and/or annular dilation and is usually pathologic.

Tricuspid valve regurgitation is a condition in which the valve between the two right chambers not closing properly. If your condition is mild, you may not need treatment.

You don't have heart disease, and if your doctor didn't say anything to you, then you are obviously in the mild area where no treatment is necessary.  I do a six-month check up just in case due to what happened with my eye, but it hasn't been a problem in five years.  You should not worry about it at all unless the doctor specifically brings it up to you.  THey are trained to know when to take action.

Well I had my echo done at the drs office!  So I’m super confused why they didn’t tell me. The impression says it’s normal, but I don’t see how that’s normal.  I am calling them to ask about it, but they’re gonna think I’m crazy calling about test results that are 10 years old!  

[Iugrad91 501]

It’s normal because almost everybody has some regurgitation. They still report it as a baseline to compare against future tests. Don’t use that MD you got on Google to diagnose yourself, you are not a cardiologist so you cannot deduce that what is on the report is abnormal.

[Jessi 24]

8 hours ago, Iugrad91 said:

It’s normal because almost everybody has some regurgitation. They still report it as a baseline to compare against future tests. Don’t use that MD you got on Google to diagnose yourself, you are not a cardiologist so you cannot deduce that what is on the report is abnormal.

I know I shouldn’t do that!  I don’t know why I keep doing it.  My fear is that it started out at trace (I said mild in the beginning but went back to read the report again and it was actually just trace) but that it’s gotten worse over time.  No one ever told me to do a follow up, to report any new symptoms, or to change my diet.  So I’ve had palpitations off and on (very infrequently up until the last few weeks) and I’ve indulged in some not so healthy food from time to time.  I feel I’ve made things progress.  
I called the cardio dept where I had the echo done and they said the prescribing MD has to give results so I called her, even though I haven’t saw her in 10 years, and the girl that answered said she isn’t sure if they can do that since it’s been so long, but she would ask and someone would call me back.  

[Iugrad91 501]

Trace is so common there would be no reason to change anything based on those results. That’s why they didn’t tell you to do anything or follow up in any way. Palpitations are so common in anxious and non-anxious people and are usually of little concern. Everyone has them, we freak out about them because we have HA. 

[Jessi 24]

6 minutes ago, Iugrad91 said:

Trace is so common there would be no reason to change anything based on those results. That’s why they didn’t tell you to do anything or follow up in any way. Palpitations are so common in anxious and non-anxious people and are usually of little concern. Everyone has them, we freak out about them because we have HA. 

So you don’t think I should worry about it progressing to a more severe issue?  
I’m on my feet all day at work and I noticed that even with my compression socks, my left leg still swells some.  So Of course I’m tying it into a heart issue 

[Ironman 199]

10 hours ago, Iugrad91 said:

Trace is so common there would be no reason to change anything based on those results. That’s why they didn’t tell you to do anything or follow up in any way. Palpitations are so common in anxious and non-anxious people and are usually of little concern. Everyone has them, we freak out about them because we have HA. 

Yes - please read this - he is reiterating what I said.  The doctors 99/100 times will not tell you anything.  I even had a sonogram of my NECK (my neck was not PREGNANT!) and I got to see the pretty colors denoting that my arteries were working!  I get the results back after they said NOTHING -> and there were three categories (70-100% = immediate surgery needed), (50-69% y'all need some meds!), and me (0-49% blockage = NORMAL).    At that point, I was lucky to get results, but that was only because the hospital is linked with my doctor (network).  I paid $1,500 for a CAT scan and they didn't say a word! lol

10 hours ago, Jessi said:

So you don’t think I should worry about it progressing to a more severe issue?  
I’m on my feet all day at work and I noticed that even with my compression socks, my left leg still swells some.  So Of course I’m tying it into a heart issue 

NO!  Honey, no news is GOOD news! 

Feet will swell from being on them all day.  That's life and we ain't gettin' any younger.

[Jessi 24]

I went to the dr today.  She thinks my palps are from anxiety, I think she’s right . She told me that the trace regurgitation is normal, but I feel I should still be concerned considering that was 10 years ago!  But she didn’t think I needed a repeat echo or any cardio follow up.  
I asked her about the swelling and she said it’s normal in people who have had trauma to a limb, and I was in a bad car accident a year ago and had to have the jaws of life cut the door off so I could move my leg.  However, that doesn’t explain how I was walking once 3 years ago and had a lot of swelling in that leg.   I asked her about PAD and she said I have no signs of that.  I’m trying to believe her, but it’s difficult.  
anyways I had an ekg and it was normal and now I’m back on my anxiety medicine lol