I need to know about heart murmurs?

Question

My husband was just deployed so I have moved states and had to get my baby a new doctor. We went in for a check up today and he told me that she had a heart murmur. I never knew it before now, and I am scared to death. I want any information possible. I don't want to read what doctors say in their studies, I want to hear from people who have had to deal with it themselves. I want the truth, and I want to know what to do next. My doctor has ordered an immediate echocardiogram(sp) or something like that. Thank you for any information that you can share with me.

Answer 1

can you just tell what type of murmur she is having-
1. systolic, diastolic or continuous
2. intensity
3. site of the murmur and radiation
4. whether there is any thrill or not

only if you can give answers to at least some of these points can a definite answer be given

you can get the details from the doctor's notes

anyway dont worry too much - many of these murmurs prove harmless- let us hope for the best-

thanks

Answer 2

I have had two murmurs since I was seven. I contracted strep throat
which in turn gave me rheumatic fever. A decease that attacts the major organs. A heart murmur is when the valve of the heart doesn't close all the way causing blood to go back into the heart chamber. That's how the doctor knows because it makes a whooshing sound. Some murmurs are harmless and will close on their own or they stay the same and will be monitored through out the persons life. Some people can have a murmur and not even know it. My mom for instance just found out that she has one, she's 59. And it's fine.
I have lead a normal life with mine I actually had three. I was put on penicillin until I was 20 so I wouldn't get strep again, but when I was 25 the doctor decided that I should have surgery because it didn't look right when they did a ultrasound. I had the arterial and the mitral valve replaced with mechanical valves and I had the trycuspod repaired. Having the three murmurs made my heart larger than normal and the valves were already weak from the disease plus I had 2 children before the surgery so that put more stress on it. I'm now 35 and still doing fine. So don't freak out until you know how it really is. It might be nothing. An echocardiogram is a test that checks how the heart beats. Harmless.
Check out webmd.com and howstuffworks.com their very informative.
I hope this helps some. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 3

First of all, stay calm. It is actually VERY VERY common for babies to have heart murmurs--their hearts don't develop as quickly as some of their "less complicated" organs, and it's still learning how to work.

However, do whatever your doctor tells you to do. And continue to follow up on it until a) it goes away, which it usually does in infants, or b) you get an actual diagnosis as to the type of murmur it is. There are permanent murmurs. Most are not dangerous...a high number of people in the population have them and don't even know!...but, to say it straight, some are.

If it is a permanent one, dangerous or not, get your daughter a good cardiologist so you can keep an eye on it. They can change, and sometimes (certain kinds) they even go away with age.

Tips for dealing with a permanent heart murmur:
1. Tell your daughter! It is not fair for her to not know, and if she does not know, she won't know to tell you if something "feels funny" as she gets older.
2. Strictly limit or eliminate caffeine from her diet. It speeds up the heart rate and is not safe.
3. Impress upon her the importance of not smoking. (If you or your husband smoke, please quit for her sake. Secondhand smoke is dangerous for those with any heart condition, too.)
4. Get all the information you can. There are conferences, support groups, etc.

Like I said, don't worry. But, you said you wanted all the information you could get, so I'm telling you everything I know.

Hope she's okay! (I bet she is.)

Answer 4

A murmur is any extra sound one hears while listening to the heart. Get some tests done to see which valve isn't closing quickly enough. They are simple tests that will revieve your stress once they are one. ECG is quick and simple and you see the pictures on a printout with a full report. One can lead a normal life with a heart Murmer. Usually it is the valve on the left side of the heart that doesn't shut fully so there is some regurgitation fro the ventricle back to the atrium.

Answer 5

Many babies do have heart murmurs and do outgrow them. My son did. My son had no problems with his heart as a baby, only that the doctor did notice he HAD a murmur. We kept an eye on him, had him checked regularly, and he was/is fine. Hopefully, you will have the same experience! I am sorry that your doctor did not explain this to you!

Answer 6

I am 32 yrs old and live with a murmur which has never affected anything I have ever wanted to do. It is likely that your baby could outgrow this, or be like me and be fine. Don't panic the doc's making sure that it isn't a bad one.
hope this helps

Answer 7

ok, no studies or what books say
murmur is abnormal heart sound could be due to many causes ranging from benign silly ones which needs no treatment at all to serious lesions in heart which needs treatment whether surgery or interventional
what your doctor did is an imaging technique to sort out which kind of problem your baby have and whether it is something serious or not .
if you have any question in mind am ready to answer my
mail : [e-mail]

Answer 8

I got diagnosed over ten years ago, and now hardly think about it.

I took magnesium supplements, but nowdays usually forget to do so, or why I should.

If it stays with her, dentists may want to give her big doses of antibiotics (inexpensive, but a nuisance) before even a tooth cleaning.

Answer 9

i'm 27.. and i have one..

more or less.. its kinda like your heart beats differently.. it either gains or drops a beat.. so its not really in a perfect heart rythem..

i run and leap.. i played hockey.. go the gym.. its never really effect me..

as for the echocardiogram its nothing.. they just hook up some wires.. and it measures her heart beats and pulse and puts them on a graph with squiggly lines