Hello. Ive been having mild chest pain and pressure when I inhale for awhile now, on and off like when I'm walking up stairs or just sitting down. I have been to a doctor and found out I have a heart murmur and mitral valve regurgitation. I understand these are common as they have said to me but I want to know if the chest pain and pressure are a normal occurrence. Im in good physical condition, very young as I turn 18 next year. Don't play a sport because of the pain and I can hardly breathe after I run. I am suppose to get another echo soon but as I've said it comes and goes so they don't really see anything. I also know I'm a little depressed and stressed about life so that might have something to do with it also but I don't know. Can someone please help me understand!

Hi Silly, sorry you are in distress regarding your condition, as you have every right to be seeing as you are still quite young, and a whole life ahead of you. I have known several people over the years with heart murmurs and they seem to cope quite nicely, a few are not on meds and only take a 8l mg aspirin a day to thin the blood.

However, left untreated without medical intervention your condition can be quite serious down the road as you get older. May I ask if it is a cardiologist who is caring for you?

Here is a website from the Mayo clinic regarding mitral valve regurgitation which explains signs and symptoms, causes, etc. and what to look for should you be in distress, which I hope won't happen.

Read it carefully, it is wise to be completely educated on a personal medical condition.

Ms tickle

Even the most experienced cardiologist wouldn't, and couldn't, offer an opinion on your specific condition without access to your personal information and test results. Whether the pain and pressure are the product of the thus-far-detected condition or pose a separate condition can only be determined by the physician in possession of the test results that he then correlates with your description (symptoms). I assume the purpose of the follow up is to clarify those issues. I know waiting and suspense is a bear for you but there's no reliable alternative. Wish I could have been more help.

To ms tickle,
Yes it is a cardiologist

To DrBill,
Thank you

Upon further thought, DrBill and Silly regarding the cardiologist viewpoint. It works this way, and I know this from personal experience as well as professional experience. Firstly the GP will send patient for electrocardiograph to determine just what is going on; in light of finding a heart problem, a referral will be made to a cardiologist, who will determine treatment. Which isn't exactly in line with your description DrBill. So, yes a cardiologist can determine, after reading the reports of the ekg, proper medical care.

Tick

tickle, remember things happen differently in the US as in Canada. There are many ways that this process could take place depending on the patients presentation and location. Some patients go to a PCP some go to an ER some go to a clinic.

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Originally Posted by tickle

Upon further thought, DrBill and Silly regarding the cardiologist viewpoint. It works this way, and I know this from personal experience as well as professional experience. Firstly the GP will send patient for electrocardiograph to determine just what is going on; in light of finding a heart problem, a referral will be made to a cardiologist, who will determine treatment. Which isnt exactly in line with your description DrBill. So, yes a cardiologist can determine, after reading the reports of the ekg, proper medical care.

tick

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On re-reading my advice it isn't as clear as I thought. The first sentence should have read "Even the most experienced cardiologist wouldn't, and couldn't, offer an opinion on your specific condition without access to your personal information and test results. It wasn't my intent to downplay the role of cardiologist. Just the opposite. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. My overall point was that no third party, even a cardiologist, could relate the additional symptoms cited without access to the full and complete history. For clarity I edited it. Thanks again