Chest pain after heavy lifting one week ago

[paulwk]

Hi everyone! I have had two AVRs in the last 14 years. A week ago I lifted something way too heavy for me. Almost immediately afterward I had chest pain throughout my upper chest and shoulder, which over the next few days, settled right smack in the middle of my chest. I went to see a new cardiologist the other day, since my old one doesn't take my insurance anymore. He ordered an EKG, came into the exam room afterward and told me I had aortic regurgitation and I would need another AVR. I thought, he can tell this from an EKG? He also said that the chest pain could be cardiac, or just a chest muscle tear. He wasn't sure, and set up an echo.

Anyway, afterward I called my surgeon's nurse and she said that the valve they put in was too small for my body(PPM), but she doesn't think it could be causing the chest pain right now. Especially since I was fine the day before. And the pain started after I was lifting. She thinks I tore a chest muscle and told me to take some advil and see if the pain goes away. I did, and the pain went away. I also made an appt. with my old cardiologist, money be damned. That appt. is Monday the 12th.

I woke this morning with zero pain and feeling great. However after driving to work, my chest started to hurt again. Now I'm really afraid it's cardiac.

Did anyone on here have pain from regurgitation come on suddenly? Mine developed over time with my first surgery. And I was asymptomatic before my 2nd surgery. Also, has anyone pulled or tore a chest muscle after having had OHS? Was it similar to your cardiac chest pain? And does cardiac pain go away with Ibuprofren?

Any responses would be appreciated. It's going to be a long weekend.

 

[AgilityDog]

Well, I hurt myself pretty good about 8 weeks after MVR, when I was restraining an over-eager 80 pound Labrador Retriever. That hurt for 3 days.

I know driving soon after surgery HURTS. If you tore a chest muscle, it makes sense it would aggravate it.

If you tore the valve loose, you'd be in pretty bad shape - like a ruptured aortic aneurysm, yes? I'd think you'd need a good echo as soon as possible. Don't hesitate to go to the ER if you are really worried. They'd get you an echo pretty fast.

 

[paulwk]

I thought about whether I damaged the aorta, but I would think I would be in much worse shape. I'm not even short of breath, and OTC pain killers knock out the pain. Plus I've seen a doctor. I would hope he would have been able to tell there was a serious problem like that just from listening to it, or the EKG.

Thanks for the advice though.

Well, I hurt myself pretty good about 8 weeks after MVR, when I was restraining an over-eager 80 pound Labrador Retriever. That hurt for 3 days.

I know driving soon after surgery HURTS. If you tore a chest muscle, it makes sense it would aggravate it.

If you tore the valve loose, you'd be in pretty bad shape - like a ruptured aortic aneurysm, yes? I'd think you'd need a good echo as soon as possible. Don't hesitate to go to the ER if you are really worried. They'd get you an echo pretty fast.

 

[Lionheart]

I've lifted heavy stuff and felt weird too. I get the same feeling after a strenuous Yoga session. I wonder if it might be due to pulling or tearing of the scar tissue that people say forms in the body cavity after major surgery?

John

 

[Fundy]

I experienced something similar a few days before Christmas about five weeks after AVR. However, I woke up that day with soreness in back that kept getting sorer. During the day I had a sleigh bed frameset delivered as a gift for someone and moved it into a closet, mostly sliding it but I guess I would have lifted each part once or so. a few hours later pain in back was intense and also started intensely in lower sternum and upper sternum areas. Then shoulder areas and moving at all was almost impossible. I didn't know what could cause it, maybe splitting sternum. Anyway went to ER and they said nothing on X-ray that would cause it as far as they knew, but the tech wasn't really qualified to assess fluid in lungs, around heart, etc...
The ER doc and my family doc a two weeks later figure it could be caused by muscle strain in my situation.

Myself, I doubt it was; or was the entire cause. As the soreness started before the lifting. The intense pain lasted 10 days before going away enough that I could lie down. It still reoccurs every four or five days but no where near as intense. Starting again now actually. I mentioned this a few days ago and Michelle said she experienced something similar that the doctors called Dressler's syndrome(involving heart pericardium) and took 800mg of ibuprofen which took the pain away each time when nothing else seemed to.

So I took 800mg of ibuprofen a few minutes ago, guess I'll see how that works out in a few hours.

 

[Bill B]

He ordered an EKG, came into the exam room afterward and told me I had aortic regurgitation and I would need another AVR. I thought, he can tell this from an EKG?

Maybe he picked this up with his stethoscope. I assume he listened to your heart too. Still a bit odd.

She thinks I tore a chest muscle and told me to take some advil and see if the pain goes away. I did, and the pain went away.

That pretty much rules out the pain being cardiac in origin. That doesn't mean you don't have a cardiac problem, like regurgitation. It just isn't causing the pain.

Did anyone on here have pain from regurgitation come on suddenly?

Regurgitation itself does not cause pain. Insufficient blood supply to the heart usually from coronary artery disease, combined with the heart having to work harder due to the regurgitation, causes angina. And there is usually a pattern to this where the pain comes on with exercise, which increases the oxygen demand of the heart tissue. You strained something by heavy lifting, but then have had sporadic pain since, relieved by advil and not clearly related to exertion. Is this the same pattern of pain that you had before your first surgery? It's an odd one for cardiac pain.

Any responses would be appreciated. It's going to be a long weekend.

I'd sure wonder about the other cardiologist's comment from his exam and EKG that you need another AVR, but I'd be less concerned that your pain is cardiac, and if Advil helps, I'd take some more if needed.

 

[Randy Fecteau]

did not know you could get regurgitation with a mechanical valve

 

[Ovie]

1. How long has it been since your last surgery?

2. Why do I keep reading about people taking ibuprofen? I was told if you have a mechanical valve, that's a no no, Tylenol only. I guess if you don't have a mechanical valve it doesn't matter than.

3. I thought after the sternum was healed, there was no weight limit on what you could do, especially when it comes to working out and what not, or could this be bad luck and not related to previous OHS?

Hope you find out what's going on!

 

[Ajad2523]

Hi Ovie:

I'm experiencing neck and shoulder pain and surprisingly I was told by my PCP/cardiologist that I could take Tylenol or Ibuprophen for pain. I'm almost 4 weeks post-op from an aortic valve replacement with an On-X mechanical valve (Aortic regurgitation). I was afraid to take Ibuprophen and kept taken Tylenol. After reading here about Ibuprophen, I called my doctor this morning and confirmed with him one more time about taking Ibuprophen and he said "Yes".

NOTE: All the surgeries and symptoms are different, so I suggest that before taking any medication, is best to consult your cardiologist or PCP to be on the safe side.

Best of luck to everyone and fast recovery.

Take care

 

[Ajad2523]

Hi Paulkwk:

I did strenuous exercise by July 4, 2009 and a day later I discovered that I had mitral stenosis because of chest pain and a trip to the ER. After running many test the doctors decided to repair the mitral valve in Dec. 2009 and had no more chest pain afterward. Around Dec. 2010, I started to experience chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness. In Dec. 2011, after undergoing different test, I was diagnosed with aortic regurgitation. I was having chest pain for an entire year, the pain used to come and go.

I suggest you visit your cardiologist and have them perform the pertinent test necessary to ensure you are doing well. A stress test, TEE, cardiac cauterization to check for CAD (Coronary artery disease), echocardiogram, and heart monitor are relevant test for diagnosis.

Another thing, don't feel afraid (if you are :smile2 to change cardiologist. I had my mitral valve repaired in WA state with a wonderful doctor and we moved to Orlando Fl, I was afraid to change doctors; however, my new cardiologist turned out to be wonderful and I had my aortic valve replace with a great surgeon. Just make sure to carry your records with you so the new cardiologist can do the correct follow up.

I hope you feel better and even if the pain go away, please visit your cardiologist and take care of yourself :wink2:.

Mitral valve stenosis and aortic valve regurgitation
Mitral stenosis repaired Dec. 2009
Aortic regurgitation OHS Feb. 2012 with On-X mechanical valve

 

[paulwk]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I too was told to not take advil by my family doctor. And even though it's the only OTC that helps with pain, I haven't. But then my surgeon's nurse said it was ok to take some for a little while. As that knocks out the pain, I take it when really needed. And so far my INR levels have been normal.

I received my blood test results, X-Ray results and ECG results in the mail yesterday. X-Rays were clear, no acute cardiopulmonary results, and my ECG was borderline. Technical reading showed LVH, which is the most worrisome, but still borderline.

So I see the old cardiologist tomorrow. I'm sure he'll send me for an echo and all that. But I'm pretty sure this is a case of valve mismatch, and, I'm not too happy about it to say the least.