Aortic regurgitaion pain?

[brussell107]

Hi,
This my first post, I have been having a sharp pain right over my heart for the last year, I have this everyday but it only lasts for a minute or so then turns into a dull ache. I also have been having lightheadedness for about three years now. A few times I have almost passed out, this has been at rest and when phyiscally active. Some times I can feel my heart pounding and can see my pulse through my skin.
I have been to the ER atleast 8 times in the last year and evrything is normal, EKG, Blood,normal stress test, normal cat scan, my bp is 120/80 and pulse 60 and no doctor has heard a murmur. I had an echo done about six months ago that showed trivial aortic regurgitation, the cardioligst told me to relax and that everthing was normal and my symptoms were not heart related. These symptoms and chest pain does not feel right and I am still worried, I have set up to see a different cardioligst in dec.
Can anyone tell me what type of pain comes with aortic regurgitation and is this pain constant or does it come and go? My lightheadness comes at different times than my chest pain and I feel like I am in a brain fog most of the time?
Can anybody elaborate and my situation?
Thanks
Brad

 

[Ross]

Brad regurg by itself doesn't cause pain that I'm aware of. Now, you may have an aneurysm growing and splitting or dissecting, but you say catscans and all appear normal. I can't think of anything else besides plural pain from the lungs, that sometimes feel as though it's coming from the heart.

 

[EireCara]

Could it be stomach problems??

Could it be stomach problems??

Hi Brad, Do you suffer with any type of stomach problems, like acid reflux etc. The eosapohaus is just behind the heart and eosaphagial pain, such as eosaophagial spasm can often cause chest pain. It might be worthwhile looking into this. Hope you find some answers. 8)

 

[CathyK.]

Brad - No you are not crazy! That is how I found out about my BAV. I was having some discomfort in my chest area and they found my valve problems after stress tests and other tests that showed up nothing. My Card said he did not think my pain I was having was related to the valve regurg and anything about my valve. But no one ever told me what it was from. I still have sharp pains to my left chest area and then it goes into a dull ache. No one seems to be concerned about it. I also have some lightheadedness on occasion and that is related to the valve problems. Not much help, sorry, but good luck with your new Card!!

 

[Mary]

Pulmonary hypertension can also cause some of those same symptoms. Have you had a heart cath or been given any indication that you might have secondary pulmonary hypertension?

 

[Joe-NC]

Brad, this is my first post also. I've also had the same symptoms for the past 2 years. I just found out last week that I have a bicuspic aortic valve, but my cardiologist doesn't think its related to my pain. He doesn't offer any other explanations either. I've also been having PVCs which he seems unconcerned with. The PVCs and pounding heart are snowballing into panic attacks and problematic anxiety, but he says the BAV isn't a big deal and that otherwise my heart is just fine. I'm also interested in responses from the regulars on here.

 

[MrP]

For more than two years prior to discovering my ascending aortic aneurysm, I also had sharp chest pain unlike anything I'd ever felt...came and went and was not necessarily after exercise exertion. I do not believe for an instant these sharp pains were muscular....amazing difference post surgery.
When conducting an echocardiogram exam, an ascending aortic aneurysm may be detected by a skilled tech, although many times only dilated aortic roots are found using echo tests. A "CT scan with iodine contrast" is necessary for evaluating the entire aorta and comparing the size of the ascending aorta with the size of the descending aorta, and this comparison is key to determining if aneurysmal dilation is indeed large or not. CT scan is also much more accurate than echo testing, and even when a skilled tech measures an ascending aortic aneurysm (to be distinquished from aortic root dilation), this measurement will not accurately determine the size...CT scan is must. Keep in mind one may have a normal size aortic root AND an ascending aortic aneurysm. The aortic arch also needs to be carefully evaluated for dilation, as well as the proximal descending aorta. Keep in mind the aortic diameter is inherently larger in BAV patients than that found in the normal population.
Chest pain from an aortic aneursym primarily results from stretching of the aortic wall and is a sharp pain and knifelike. That is to say it is very painful and occurs over short intervals of time. In my case, this pain was usually on the order of less than ten seconds (sometimes longer, maybe 20-30 sec) and not as long as a minute. Also it did not occur every day but was intermittent in time...no set pattern and sometimes weeks apart. The aortic aneurysm does not grow at a constant rate over continuous intervals of time, and the aortic wall thus does not stretch continuously each day. At least this is my subjective opinion and experience. Thank goodness it is a slower process. Keep in mind most people who develop an aortic aneursym do not experience any symptoms until rupture or dissection. If you do have aortic pain, consider this a positive development and a warning sign that something is definitely wrong.
Having said all of this, the chest pain you describe may in fact not be related at all to your aortic regurgitation or an aneurysm. It may be attributed to other factors, many of which have already been discussed above.
Also, I had palpitations as a young child due to regurgitation. Palpitations from a murmur are not in themselves a big concern.

 

[ks1490]

Beware of nonchalant cardiologists - mine never picked up on my regurg/dialated aorta even in yearly echos and then I went to another cardiologist for the heck of it and his machine and tech were much better and they picked up on it. You may want to get examined elsewhere for peace of mind.

 

[Bryan B]

Brad,

You've gotten a lot of advice here, and all of the possible scenarios mentioned could be the source of your pain. It sounds like you've had a battery of tests that have come back normal including an echo with "trivial" aortic regurgitation (which is normal btw) and no murmur detected.

I'm not saying that the source of your pain is not due to a heart problem (and this is coming from someone who has had more than his fair share of heart problems), but let me give you 2 real life scenarios from me and my dad. My dad had bad enough chest pain to send him to the ER...it turned out that he had GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). He now has it under control with medication and diet changes. Several years before my heart condition warrented intervention I started having occasional chest pain (severe at times) along with dizziness and feeling like I was going to faint. Several times the chest pain got so bad I actually had the phone in my hand ready to call 911. I finally went to a doctor and was diagnosed with panic disorder...I was having panic attacks. With medication and some counseling they completely went away.

I guess my point is that there are a lot of things that can cause chest pain. You do need to get to the bottom of the problem and find out what is causing the pain...just be aware that heart problems are not the only thing that can cause this type of pain.