Pain In The Chest, Difficulty In Breathing, Palpitations, High Cholesterol Levels, History Of Heart Problems
Thank you for your query.
Firstly, the fact that you are getting palpitations on a daily basis but randomly would suggest that there could be some arrhythmia of the heart. An ECG recording during the palpitation, or if the duration of the symptom is too short, a Holter recording (24 hour continuous recording of the ECG) will help you in achieving a diagnosis. Further treatment would depend on the cause that is found out.
If it is just an acceleration of the normal rhythm of the heart, causes like anemia, stress, anxiety, infection, unaccustomed exercise, sleep deprivation, etc will have to be considered. If it is an abnormal rhythm, treatment will have to be directed against the specific condition.
Since there is a strong family history of cardiac disease (on your father's side), and since the value of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) is rather high, it would be better to start on a statin, in addition to diet control and regular exercise. Your cardiologist will guide you as to the correct dose and exact drug that you will need. In view of these risk factors, he may even recommend doing a stress test (treadmill test) to look at the possibility of coronary artery disease.
Your chest pain, as you describe it, is atypical. However, since you think that there is a "leaky valve" too, it is better to do an echocardiography also to identify the exact extent of the leak (probably mitral valve prolapse with mitral regurgitation). Usually, annual echo tests are recommended for mild valve leaks.
Thus, I think you should XXXXXXX your cardiologist and get these tests done. You can even upload the ECG/holter report/echo report/TMT report on this website so that I can review them and give you a more specific answer.
I hope this answer has been helpful to you. I will be available for any follow-up questions that you may wish to ask.
With regards,
Dr RS Varma