“Heart beating irregularly?”
I am a 19 year old girl. I have had frequent heartbeats, sometimes my heart beats hard only once, and then it continues to beat normally. This has happened to me for years but today it happened to me more often than usual. About 2 months ago I had a heart visit, the doctor told me that I have nothing, a valve when I get excited bends and causes these frequent heartbeats. I have been taking Zoloft (Sertraline) for 3 weeks for anxiety and I wanted to ask you if what the doctor told me is correct and for this strong beating I wanted to ask you if there is any problem that happened to my left arm and numbness.
Female | 19 years old
Complaint duration: 1 day
4 Answers
Did he mention mitral valve prolapse (MVP) which can be common in women? If you are having chest pain/rapid heart beats with pain/numbness extending to left arm I would talk with the doctor again or get a referral to cardiology. If you are having a panic attack worrying about the heart beat, you might get numbness/tingling in both hands/arms and not just left arm only.
You probably need to rediscuss the symptoms and your concerns. MVP is usually diagnosed after an ECHO but some doctors might feel comfortable listening to the click/snap when using a stethoscope.
You probably need to rediscuss the symptoms and your concerns. MVP is usually diagnosed after an ECHO but some doctors might feel comfortable listening to the click/snap when using a stethoscope.
Suggest getting an EKG.
When you are anxious you can be more sensitive to the normal sensations inside your body. Skipping a beat or having one hard beat then returning to normal is nothing to worry about. If you have chest pain with numbness in your left arm that lasts more than a few minutes you should call your doctor.
It sounds like the doctor diagnosed Mitral valve prolapse, which is a "floppy" valve. It can cause several annoying problems, one being irregular and fast heart beats. It can also be associated with anxiety. There are medications to treat this condition. They lessen the problems, but don't cure the defect. You should talk to your doctor about starting a Beta Blocker, and stopping the Zoloft.
