I apparently had heart murmurs(MVP) all my life. Nobody decided to look or diagnose it until 1990 when I was 40. All those yrs of dentists that could have done unknown harm to me. Don't worry yourself about going kaput until you need to. I obviously made it thru all those yrs of not knowing and I'm still here to tell about it. Don't get me wrong, take your meds now that you know, just don't worry so much. MVP thrives on worry, anxiouty and such.
I started getting dizzy spells and fainting when I was abt 11. Throughout the family I was told it was because I didn't eat right. And granted, I didn't. But you can't blame EVERYTHING on a persons eating habits. Obviously it was not the case. It seemed like everytime I was emotionally stressed, I would get dizzy and/or faint. The first faint was in 6th grade at assembly in front of the entire 4th, 5th and 6th grades. The reason: I didn't have breakfast that morning. When I was 16 and in high school during swimming, I was short of breath and dizzy. I was not allowed to take swimming anymore until I was cleared by the dr. because my mother died of heart trouble (meanwhile, my mother was alive and well on Long Island along with my older sister and brother). My school records listed my mother as deceased. I was tested for TB and who knows what else. The dr didn't suspect heart trouble, I guess, because it was known that my mother was not dead of heart trouble. Not until I was in an extremely bad marriage that ended shortly before, stressed by a teenage son who was on the road to self-destruction, and stressed by work did I finally pass out at the register in front of a line of customers that I was finally taken to the hospital and diagnosed after about 3 days of tests, valium, and what-ever else. The final collapse had been building for weeks. I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what. I was eating Tums like they were candy, getting hot flashes, just not felling right but couldn't put my finger on it. I eventually was put on Isoptin SR which is a calcium channel blocker and was told I'd be on it for the rest of my life. Meanwhile, I haven't had it now for abt 15 yrs. My life is not as emotionally stressful. I hope my story helps someone who may not be aware of what they are dealing with. I didn't know for 40 yrs but if you have any dizzy or fainting spells, explore the possibility especially if emotions run high in your life.
Discussion Topic
When MVPs go bad
Posted on 10/10/08, 03:56 pm
Gee, we haven't had any activity in here, huh? I thought I'd post something....
My father-in-law, like myself, has a mitral valve prolapse. You know, I think of these things as pretty benign--take your antibiotics before you go to the dentist and you'll do fine. My FIL actually forgot to do that once, and he got an infection and was VERY sick...but that was a long time ago, before I even knew him.
Now, however, this skinny, seemingly healthy man suddenly has to go for a double bipass and valve replacement.
This has thrown me for a loop, thinking about my own valve. It simply has never occurred to me before that when I'm older, something could happen and the whole thing would be kaput!
Comments? Medical research?
My father-in-law, like myself, has a mitral valve prolapse. You know, I think of these things as pretty benign--take your antibiotics before you go to the dentist and you'll do fine. My FIL actually forgot to do that once, and he got an infection and was VERY sick...but that was a long time ago, before I even knew him.
Now, however, this skinny, seemingly healthy man suddenly has to go for a double bipass and valve replacement.
This has thrown me for a loop, thinking about my own valve. It simply has never occurred to me before that when I'm older, something could happen and the whole thing would be kaput!
Comments? Medical research?
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Reply #1 01/28/09 1:42pm
Welcome
