I talk about what’s on my mind, especially when running, and
the more I talked about my recent chest pain, the more of you I heard from about
the same symptom.
It seems in this day and age of heart healthy guidelines being
published, people are still reserved about such things; perhaps many keep what
scares them to themselves. Here is my journey. Perhaps it will help you.
As a teenager, I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse—probably
something I was born with. The valve from my atrium to ventricle (deoxygenated
to oxygenated blood) is a bit misshaped and doesn’t close perfectly, causing
some regurgitation, some floppiness to the valve itself and a host of symptoms
including irregular heart beat and sometimes pain. I was told at the time it
was not a life-changing issue, and to continue living normally.
Over the years I had some pain in times of stress, but I
ignored it. As I got older, I began running daily, and in my 30s found a
renewed interested in racing. I never
had chest pain while I ran and I didn’t much consider it.
Recently, though, the chest pain increased to twice daily, happening
while I was running and while I was resting. My fear increased dramatically and
I decided to go in for a checkup.
I underwent a battery of tests: ECG, ultrasound imaging,
stress test with ultrasound and finally a CT image of my chest. Being a long
time runner I was an anomaly in all of them. Physicians and technicians were
curious about my low blood pressure, low resting heart rate, low weight, my
ability to max out the stress test machine, and finally the lack of any heart
disease. They were downright elated to see such clear images, quick recovery,
and good anatomy.
They were also a little frustrated.
This led to my final test, a CT image of my chest for
concern that I might have an aneurysm. This appointment was going to be my most
challenging; articles of famous runners who died of cardiac events flashed
through my mind, voices of family members cautioning me that “people die all
the time from running,” memories of my most recent race the Gore-Tex Kahtoola
Agassiz Uphill with alternate endings of me bleeding out on the fresh white
snow … ok I was officially freaking out! And my follow-up appointment was weeks
away.
A girlfriend of mine (thank you, Kristina) suggested that
instead of waiting, I should request my test results at the hospital. I did
just that and discovered that I do not have an aneurysm. A subsequent
appointment also revealed that I was downgraded from mitral valve prolapse to mitral
valve regurgitation, meaning my valve is not in danger of weakening as I age,
but it still doesn’t close perfectly. And I am very healthy. Beyond this, there was no explanation for my
chest pain. (My condition could be described as “Broken Heart Syndrome,” a
stress-related weakening of the heart after a period of high stress, which
makes sense to me as I recently had a death in the family). I was dismissed
from the cardiologist with the phrase “I don’t think you need me.”
So the journey continues. Would I do it again? Definitely! And
I would advise anyone with chest pain to go get their heart checked. I have
spoken with many of you who had chest pain and in the end discovered one of
these outcomes: esophageal reflux, out of alignment rib, sleep apnea. Ease your
mind and your symptoms by finding out what the true problem is.
