Left Ventricle damage.

[emma1012]

Im a 21 year old female. I fainted after having chest pain. After a echocardioghram, They said I had a large scar on my left ventricle. My ejection fraction is at about 45-50. My heart is not enlarged, and after an mri no heart disease was detected. They were not very informative.
1. how long (if it will) would it take for my heart to enlarge. (without treatment)
2. Can this cause heart failure?
3.I frequently experience shortness of breath and faintness chest pain/jaw pain, and palpatations/strange heart rythems. do these symptoms mean anything?
4. I dont want to go on the medication they're talking about, is there another option?
5.Can I go on without treatment?

[elliot777]

Emma,
You are young to have these symptoms.  The heart scarring needs to be addressed sooner than later.  The nuclear scan was the ONLY test that showed the blockage (s) in my heart.  It is painless...other than a warm sensation for a few seconds in your privates.

Write a journal...keep specifics...symptoms.  

Get a second...a 3rd...opinion.  YOU are your greatest advocate.  

Be objective about yourself...with yourself.  Is anxiety (panic attacks) perhaps a contributing factor?  For you to consider...not necessary to share with me.

You didn't share what the medication is that has been percribed.  Why are you resisting taking it at all?

FYI:  First heart attack in 2000.  From 8/2000 - 10/2011 I have had 9 stents in my heart.  Quadruple by-pass (emergent).  I'm doing remarkably well.  Way too much experience with the good, the bad and the ugly concerning heart disease.  

Press for the nuclear study test Emma.  This will give you conclusive facts.  However, nothing works as well as an angioplasty in my opinion and personal experience.

Good luck!  I am impressed that you have found this sight and are asking pertinent questions.  Knowledge is power.  Be well versed in your health and you will likely get better participation from your docs!

as always,

vanessa

[ed34]

Hi. Well, the problem here is that an echo is pretty much useless at detecting scar tissue. The other problem is that an echo would not be able to tell you if the scar tissue is all the way through the depth of the muscle, it could just be the surface. I think rather than MRI, I would have suggested a nuclear scan first. What about your valves? did they look normal on the echo?
I can't see how anyone can prescribe medication if they don't know what the problem is, this seems to happen rather a lot.
With regards to heart enlargement, I think this depends on how much the heart tries to compensate, or needs to. This is very hard to predict. More could be told from a nuclear scan.
A nuclear scan involves injecting you with a radioactive substance called Thallium which travels around your blood stream. It will end up going into the heart cells, those which are receiving or using blood, and a scanner will reveal them. So if an area of the heart shows no thallium, this is scar (dead) tissue. If the thallium is only showing a small amount in a given area, this normally indicates a blocked coronary vessel.

[emma1012]

I also have had low blood pressure and low heart rates recorded.