Mitral Valve Prolapse Archives

Mitral valve prolapse as a sham ... is this me?

I am a 29 year old male who
-- does not smoke
-- does not have high blood pressure
-- is not overweight (135 lbs on a 5-4" frame)
-- has a blood cholesterol level of 160

On the negative side, I have drunk alcohol to excess over the years, and I do have
a lot of stress in my life due to my job and merging lives with my fiance. I now consume about 8 alcoholic drinks per week.

Two months ago, I began having mild chest pains, accompanied by occasional sharper zings of pain. (On a scale of 1 to 10, the mild ones are a zero to one, and the sharp ones are a 3-4.) Positionally, these ranged from my far left side under my left armpit over to the center of my chest (in various regions of my heart, in my naive opinion). Sometimes they feel like a walnut-sized lump, or cramp, in the exact center of my chest, about 5 inches below my chin. Once I began getting the pains, I would have panic attacks thinking that I was going to have a heart attack. The panic attacks were so bad I couldn't function at work (my pulse would race, I'd sweat, get diahhrea, etc.) I eventually learned to talk to myself and quell the panic attacks. Sometimes the pains just feel like a vague 'infected' or diseased feeling. Every time I get the pains, I check my pulse, which appears to be fine and steady (i.e., not arhythmic).

The pains occur when I am at rest (in bed, sitting at my desk at work, sitting on the sofa, etc.). I have not had exercise bring on any serious chest pain, so I'm sure they fit the description of stable angina. When I read web sites, these symptoms sound more like unstable angina, because they occur when I am at rest.

I saw a cardiologist about the pains. He listened to my heart with a stethoscope, did an EKG, and a sonogram of my heart. He attributes these pains to mitral valve prolapse and wanted me to take 25 mg of Atenolol per day. I think Atenolol is a serious drug and I have reservations about going on it. (The Dr. said we can then take it for only 30 days, do a re-check, and if the pains were gone, we will know it really is mitral valve prolapse. Then I might be able to get off the Atenolol.)

I have read on your site how mitral valve prolapse is a SHAM, and how the pains can be caused by Candida-Related Syndrome. Do my symptoms appear to be related to Candida-Related syndrome? If so, does this mean some sort of fungus is infecting me, causing these mild chest pains (a slightly 'infected' feeling)?

Re: Mitral valve prolapse as a sham ... is this me? (Archive in MVP.)