I've been diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome/Barlow's Syndrome

I had made a previous post about my doctor putting me on beta-blockers and my waiting for the echocardiogram to see if I had a mitral valve prolapse. So, I came back to discuss the results and teach you guys about my diagnosis as it is what is causing my migraines.
(See: https://migrainepage.forumotion.net/migraines-f1/beta-blockers-for-prevention-of-migraines-t750.htm)

The echocardiogram showed some mild mitral valve regurgitation. Basically a valve in my heart isn't closing properly, so it's regurgitating blood back into the previous atrium. When this happens it makes my heart skip then pump harder to get the blood back in the right place.

Now, having a mitral valve prolapse isn't a big deal, you just have to deal with the symptoms. BUT, what I have is the mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS, also known as Barlow's syndrome), which was diagnosed clinically through discussing my symptoms with my doctor. No one's exactly sure what causes MVPS, but it's speculated that it is a disturbance in the autonomic nervous system. That's the system of your body that controls what should be automatic functions such as: blood pressure, closing and opening of blood vessels, heart pumps, digestion, perspiration, urination, etc, etc. So, when this goes a bit haywire, some problems can occur. I'll list a few and put a star next to the problems I've been experiencing since around the age of 15 (which is when most MVPS symptoms start).

Heart palpitations*
Chest pain*
Fatigue*
Migraine Headaches*
Anxiety*
Panic Attacks*
Shortness of Breath
Fainting

There's also a few other things that a lot of people with MVPS share in common such as:
Cold hands and feet*
TMJ*
Irritable Bowel
Dizzy spells
Trouble Concentrating/Poor memory*
Low Blood Pressure*

So, there is no cure. All I can do is treat the symptoms. Right now I'm on 60mg of propranolol, a beta-blocker. My doctor tried to double the dose, but my blood pressure fell dangerously low. Another thing that I've read that helps is drinking a lot of fluids. I've also been trying to eat saltier foods to keep my blood pressure up (I get a headache when it drops too low).

I'm excited to understand what has been going on for years. It has been years of ridicule for being a "hypochondriac" and for not just picking myself and getting my life together on my own (especially with regards to the anxiety). Now, hopefully, my family and friends won't think I'm complaining for no reason anymore.

I'm so glad you got a good DX. I really hope that the new med regimine works.

Jen,

I'm so happy that you have some answers!!! I'm sure your post will help others, and maybe they'll be able to get DX'd too. The problem with the symptoms is that they're so generic to others things. Yippee for you that someone put it all together for you!

thanks for posting that. I have all of those symptoms.