Hello everyone,
Have any of your children been diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse? My 8yr old daughter has been complaining of having trouble breathing, especially after exercise . . . and stomach issues for over two years now. We've been through a battery of tests and specialists and all tests come back negative. She was diagnosed with Vocal Chord Dysfunction a few months ago and the treatment for that was breathing exercises, which seemed to help her after gym or recess if she was having trouble breathing. Exercise induced asthma was ruled out. For the past few days she's been complaining of shortness of breath all of the time and dizziness. I've taken her to the pediatrician and they can't find anything wrong. She was on Previcid and Nasonex and I stopped them because I thought she might be having side effects to the medication . . . but it's been a week since she's stopped both and she's still feeling horrible. She gets through the normal day to day activities, but hasn't able to participate in her swimming lessons, gym or recess. She's a very active kid and gets very upset when she has to stop because she has to catch her breath or she doesn't feel right.
I'm planning on calling the pediatrician again tomorrow and I'm going to press for an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist and some blood work. She had a EKG, an ultrasound and 24 hour heart monitor sometime in either 2011 or 2012 . . . but I want to get a second opinion. Something is going on!
I've been doing some research online and read the symptoms of Mitral Valve Prolapse and she has many of them. My husband found out he has MVP last year, but doesn't have any symptoms . . . and I believe his father does too. I read that it might be hereditary . . . so maybe someone missed something?
Have any of your children have been diagnosed with MVP and if so, what were their symptoms and what was the treatment for it? How are they now?
Thank you in advance for your help.
T. M.
I am not a doctor ... but....
some medications take longer than a week for symptoms to disappear. : |
Good luck,
M.
PS: there are alternatives for excessive stomach acid than taking prescription meds. Look into them. She's far too young to be taking that stuff, IMO!
I had a similar problem and it turned out that the acid from my stomach was splashing up and making my bronchial tubes spasm causing the shortness of breath and dizzyiness. The fact that she has stomach issues AND shortness of breath leads me to think that she may have a similar issue. I went through so many tests and was diagnosed with panic attacks before ONE doctor finally figured it out. It took them TWO YEARS to figure it out!! It happened after exercise the most, just like your daughter.
I had food intolerances that caused my stomach to become upset and the acid reflux to happen. Once I got rid of the offending foods it went away. I also worked on gut healing with probiotics.
Try that road if you don't have any success anywhere else! Good luck!
It sounds like she's already had tests that would rule out mitral valve prolapse. The possibility would've shown up in the EKG, ultrasound and 24 hour heart monitor. The ultrasound actually sees how the heart is shaped. I've been diagnosed with heart arrythmia and the diagnosis started with the EKG. I've also had the ultrasound and 24 hour heart monitor. Prolapsed mitral valve was ruled out way early.
I have a heart murmur and had rheumatic fever as a child which can be indicative of the possibility of a prolapsed mitral valve. I don't have one. The symptoms you've found are also symptoms of other difficulties. It takes the right combination of symptoms and verification thru testing to diagnose prolapsed mitral valve.
My mother had a prolapsed mitral valve. The final and essential test to determine it's existence is .......Can't think of its name but it involves threading a catheter thru a vein in the wrist or groin up to the heart under twilight sedation. However, before doing this test there will be other signs that do or do not show up during testing.
Yes, ask about that possibility but be willing to accept the doctor's reasons for ruling it out. I would not decide what needs to be done before talking with her doctor. You need much more info before you'll know what to do. Please try to trust the medical profession to do the right tests.
I know you're anxious to find out and treat the cause of your daughter's symptoms. However, I suggest searching on the Internet will cause you more stress without helping you to deal with this situation.
I was only referred to a cardiologist because my EKG showed some irregularities. Tho, your daughter has some symptoms of heart and lung difficulties if her EKG was normal and the ultrasound was normal I suggest that it's likely not her heart causing them. Talk with the doctor about this so that you can better understand the reasons for ruling out heart and lung problems. If you want a second opinion ask your doctor which specialist would be the best to get more information. He knows what he's done and how his tests have ruled out certain things. He can steer you in a productive direction.
I'd be really surprised if she has mitral valve prolapse. I think that they find that with the cardiac ultrasound.
There's nothing wrong with a second opinion. Make sure it's a pediatric cardiologist. You should bring whatever you have from the first studies with you so that the doctor can compare this year's findings to last years.
The only specific thing I know about mitral valve prolapse is that you have to take antibiotics before you have dental work done...
She needs to see another pediatrician as it sounds either like Asthma or Reflux. You need a 2nd opinion - It does not sound like MVP.
MVP would have been found on ultrasound sounds like exercise induced asthma. I would head to pediatric pulmonologist first. Cardiac issues have been ruled out. Having worked for ped pulmonologist she sounds like a classic case of exercise induced asthma, fix is simple.
I thought I had responded to this question. how weird.
You are your daughter's advocate. you need to fight for her. Get a second opinion. DO NOT tell the doctor what you think she has. Let them figure it out. Give him/her the health history and have them run tests.
The problem with the internet? People will google something and believe they have something they don't.
MVP should have been picked up on the EKG and ultrasound. So personally? I don't think she has MVP - even though it is hereditary.
Good luck!
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your responses. To respond to a few of your posts . . .Her pediatrician's office has several doctors, so she's been seen by most of them over the past two years or so. We did go to a pediatric pulmonologist, after trying several asthma medications, etc. and having her run on a treadmill, he ruled out exercise induced asthma. He suggested Acid Reflux so we saw a gastroenterologist . . . after trying several medications, she had an endoscopy which came back negative for reflux. I called the pulmonologist again after that and he mentioned vocal chord dysfunction. I also called the allergist that she had been too and he also mentioned vocal chord dysfunction, so we were sent to an ENT, who diagnosed her with it and send us for breathing therapy. These exercises seemed to help for a while . . . now she's complaining that the exercises aren't helping her anymore and she's feeling something different than what she feels with the vocal chord dysfunction . . . and she's now very dizzy too. I heard that MVP symptoms vary from person to person . . . but these are symptoms of MVP. I've also hear that it can be missed in a ultrasound. I'm waiting for another call from the pediatrician now and I'm also going to call the cardiologist again and another pulmonologist for a second opinion. It's very frustrating and scary when your child is telling you they can't breath . . .
Thanks again for your posts. I really appreciate it.
T. M.
I have MVP and so does my mom. I found out I had it at a routine physical where they ran an EKG. I don't know about my children yet but they are all under the age of 7. I just think that if your daughter had MVP, it would have shown up on her EKG. I hope your daughter feels better and you figure out what is going on soon!
-L.
