Hi,
I am a 21 year old, healthy, female. Three months ago I was on vacation with family and we were all drinking and having a good time on our boat. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night and my chest was feeling weird and I felt like I was "skipping beats". It scared me and I even considered going to the emergency room but decided against it. When I got home from vacation I made an appointment with a cardiologist who said I had very slight mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) and PVC which means I have a heart mumur I guess? My question is, how badly does alcohol effect PVC and MVR? Does the amount of alcohol you consume matter? I had never felt anything abnormal in my chest before that day, so did getting really drunk cause this? And to be frank, some of my friends are turning 21 in the upcoming weeks and I'm nervous to go out and party with them and drink because I'm scared my heart will act up and I'll have a heart attack or something. I'm also studying abroad in Ireland for a year, and while I'm no lush, I would like to be able to go out to the bars and drink.
Ever since that night on vacation I can feel the PVC's occasionally, and I haven't had alcohol since. I am also nervous to exercise. Before that incident I was working out 5 days a week but since then I've been timid to go to the gym because I'm scared my heart will act up.
It would be greatly appreciated if people could give me some advice and reassurance because even though my doctor said I can live 200 years with this type of thing, I still feel broken and get depressed about it.
Thanks,
Ali