Abnormal EKG and some shortness of breath

[ShinyJabberwocky]

I'm a 34 year old male and I've had issues with my heart. The problem is I've had EKGs, stress test, and peripheral artery tests, and the cardiologist has found nothing. My CRP was a little high years ago, but they haven't checked that recently.

Anyway, on my last EKG, the cardiologist said my EKG was fine, but then retracted his statement. He asked me if I have some shortness of breath, and I do--but I have 24/7 post nasal drip from a deviated septum and nasal polyps, and also a paralyzed vocal card. Taking that into consideration, I assumed my shortness of breath was not from my heart. So he looks at a previous EKG and says that while mine looks weird, it's normal for me. The doc said so long as my ankles aren't swollen and I don't have a shortness of breath, I should be fine.

But now I'm starting to wonder if my shortness of breath could be from my heart, and my EKG has something on it that should be investigated. I'm not sure what else the cardiologist can do for me though because they've run a bunch of different tests. But I have noticed that my breathing is worse after I eat and my stomach is really full.

I'm just concerned that I might have led the doc astray because I was under the assumption my issues were being caused by something other than my heart. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[jc4385]

It may be helpful to request a copy of your ECGs.  You can then take them for a second opinion, simply outlining your symptoms and not go into what they "might" be.  Good luck!

[ShinyJabberwocky]

Thank you--I may do that. I just started going to a new PCP who seems to be on the ball with stuff. Perhaps they could point me in the right direction.

[jersey44]

You said your ekg looked the same as a previous one, so no need to worry. I would put much more faith in the fact that all your other tests were normal. A ekg can change from one minute to the next. I've had so called abnormal ekg's for 20 years but they are normal for me. I do have one question,  you said you have previous heart issues, but all your tests were normal. Just curious what issues you were having.

[ShinyJabberwocky]

A few years ago, my blood pressure suddenly spiked. Every doctor visit, my blood pressure would be higher when I first got there, but would be fine after they checked it again. Suddenly my blood pressure was 160/100 on average and I was feeling horribly lethargic and my lower back was killing me. Doc ran all the tests and couldn't find anything abnormal. He said my left ventricle was slightly larger than normal, but still within the normal range. I've been to an endocronologist, a urologist, a chiropractor, and a bunch of other doctors. Besides the fact that I'm overweight (240lbs and 5'9"), no one really knows what's wrong.

[achillea]

You are youngish and have had many, many tests of your heart, all indicating that your heart is generally healthy.

If you have taken stress tests and have not had to stop the tests early due to shortness of breath, the odds are *great* that the shortness of breath you report is NOT related to heart disease.  

In fact, most of the symptoms you report, such as lower back pain, transient high blood pressure--in the absence of other known, genuine heart symptoms--have nothing to do with heart trouble.

You do not have to worry about 'misleading' your doc.  When it comes to hearts, most capable physicians, especially cardiologists, can capably evaluate test results in light of a patient's history and appearance.

I worry that you may be developing something called a cardiac neurosis, which you can google.  It is treatable, and I would suggest that you consult with your cardiologist about looking into that possibility.

Of course, weight loss and a medically-approved exercise program would be an excellent goal, as well.