Any Advice Helps

My son also has a "functional" heart murmur. Because of your doctors lack of worry, I assume your daughter has the same kind. My son's doc said that it will come and go, and will completely dissappear when he gets older. She also said it's nothing to worry about and he can play as usual.
Hope that calms your fears just a bit :)

Number one, don't worry yourself to death. Many kids are born with heart murmurs. The murmurs often heal on their own as the child grows. However, I do think it would be prudent to have your child seen by a Pediatric Cardiologist. There are many conditions that involve murmurs that should be ruled out by an echocardiagram. It is worth it for your peace of mind. Number two, Be firm with your child's pediatrician about the referral to the cardiologist. If there is any history of heart disease in your or her father's family, be sure to tell the doc. Best wishes to you and your little girl.
L.

Many people have heart murmors and some children will outgrow them. Call your doctor and ask him questions if you have them. Don't restirct her activity unless the doctor tells you. My neice who is now 8 has outgrown hers.

J.,

There are different types of heart murmurs. "Functional" heart murmurs have something to do with growth and development, different parts growing at different rates or something like that, and they usually fix themselves/go away. Like a chamber opens and blood back sloshes before the other chamber closes and keeps it from doing this.I guess that's the "murmur" or echo. My daughter and I both had a heart murmur in our lives that lasted a year or two then went away.

Find out what kind of heart murmur. However, you usually have to take an antibiotic before going to the dentist, so that any bacteria from cleaning doesn't get back sloshed into a heart chamber.

Don't worry. Find out just what kind of heart murmur and look it up at WebMD or another reputable Internet medical/health site.

B.

I actually had a heart murmur myself. There is nothing to do, really, and it's not a huge health risk. All it means is that there is a small hole between ventricles or chambers. Which, I know, sounds horrible. But I've never had trouble one. My oldest son also has a heart murmur. Again, never any trouble. The only thing I have noticed is that when I take him to the dentist, they ask that his pediatrician give him an antibiotic before he goes, just in case. But really, it's not terrible. Take a deep breath. All odds are, your daughter is going to be fine, healthy, and happy, and will grwo out of the murmur. Most kids do.

J.....when my 3yr old girl was born from day one i knew something was wrong with her but i couldnt put my finger on it. At 10 days old they told me she had (sorry my spelling is terrible)psnymonia and so on. I was in a doc office 1 or 2 times a week. After she turned 7 months old i refused to leave my doc office until he gave me refferals and info into why this kept happening. As it turns out my daughters main artery of her heart is wrapped around her traquia so that was why she always sounded so terrible. It was the hardest thing for me to deal with and i beat myself up for it....did i take a medicine that did this or not enough vitamins. The point is that nature does this on its own and there isn't a whole lot u can do but educate yourself on her problem and trust that the doctors will take care of her. You didnt cause it and there was no way to prevent it. Trust your doctors and they will make her better. Good luck to your lil girl and yourself.

I know it's hard, and easier said than done, but try not to worry too much. It really is quite common, and like some others mentioned, most don't even know they have one. My cousin had one until she was about 11 or so and it just went away, which is usually what will happen in children. Also, has your child recently been ill? If so, a fever can actually cause a heart murmur. Did you know that 50-90% of all children can experience a heart murmur at some time in their lives? That is probably why your Dr. isn't really that concerned...it is THAT common. More than likely it is an innocent heart murmur,(the mumur is only very faint) which is what they call the kind children get. It can come and go throughout childhood and will not cause any problems. If your Dr. was more concernd, he would have ordered further testing. So, let you daughter continue to do the things she has always done. Just so you know, there isn't anything that can be done for a heart murmur, UNLESS it's severe,(which you would know because your Dr. would have more testing done) then they would do surgery, but that does not sound like this is the case at all.

Personally, I am very frustrated with your pediatrician right now. Both of my sons also had heart murmurs, but have since "grown" out of them, which is exactly what my pediatrician said may happen. Lots of kids have heart murmurs early on, but they just go away. Its something that the pediatrician should be keeping an eye on, but you shouldn't "worry" about unless the doctor says there is real concern. I hope this eases your distress. I know our babies are so dear and we'll do anything for them, but in this case, and I'm not a doctor, I wouldn't be too alarmed.

I was born with a heart murmur. It was small and was described as a 'leaky valve'. By the age of 6, my pediatric cardiologist informed us I had grown out of the condition. Throughout my childhood, I participated in a many sports (including competitive swimming) and have had no residual effects. If you're still concerned, take her to a specialist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. However, if the doctor isn't concerned I wouldn't worry. Good luck!

My 8yo also has a heart murmur, which we found out about in July 2006. This year we discovered she also has a mitral valve prolapse. The cardiologist says that they are not as significant as he first thought, and she has no restrictions.

I know this is a very scary time for you. From what I understand, kids tend to outgrow this (this is the very thing we were told, too). I would try and relax (easier said than done, I know).

D.

Hi J.,

I myself have a daughter with a severe heart defect, called "Ebstein Anomoly". She is now 16 years, and was given less than 1 percent chance to live at birth.

She had been through several bouts of pneumonias, and had been intebated twice.....one from about 10 days old to around 3 months old, and again around 9-1/2 months for RSV (a very dangerous lung infection for someone as small as my daughter was which can be fatal).

My advise is to let your daughter be as active as she wants to be. If the doctor seems to be ok, either you believe him or you do not. I myself, in my personal experiences have sought out new doctors. If you are not happy with the decision of the current doctor, you can get a second opinion.

The well being of you and your child are the most important thing. Doctors tend to forget what they went into there field for. They are not just healers, but they need to allow themselves to be human, and see when the patients need re-assurance from them.

Children are very resilient, and can do things that doctors say they will never do. Not all heart murmurs are bad, and having it checked out to see the severity of it is a good way to settle your unease, and this constitutes a the right to have it checked out.

I also have another daughter and grandson that have heart murmurs. My daughter grew out of hers, as the doctor stated she probably would. And that is what the doctors has told my daughter about my grandson. They have all been very active, and like to eat the more nutritious foods, instead of the junk.

Don't shelter them......let them be kids . If they have problems, you seem to be the type to see it before it would get out of control, and get the help they need. It's not easy to treat them the same way you would a child that does not have any health problems. But, they are just a tough!!

Saying a prayer for you.

LeAn A--
Cincinnati, Ohio

Many many people walk around with heart murmurs and don't even know it. They do not realize that they have them, and continue on with their daily activities. I would allow my child to continue with their regular actitivies unless the doctor said otherwise. In most cases, they are very minor things that will have little to no effect on the child at all. The best thing for her would be to keep the rest of the heart strong by allowing it to work through regular daily play. I would ask for more information about the type of murmur and what the doctor would like to do about it and any concerns you ask, but I wouldn't start trying to make her sit still or calm down by any means.

I agree with Kathy... unless your doctor says otherwise, she should just continue life as normal. I'm 36 and have had a heart murmur all my life and it's hardly a bother at all. It's much harder when it's our babies though, I know. :-)

Kids often grow out of these, and murmurs tend to be pretty subjective from one person to another. If you doctor isn't worried, and your daughter seems fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Let her be a normal (probably sometimes crazy!) 2 year old

Being 21 yrs old and also a mother of a 2 & 4 yr old, the best thing you could do is pray for her, teach her to pray with you! It will make you feel better about the situation I promise!