Heart Murmur in 3 Yr Old - Cuyahoga Falls,OH

I am a nurse who worked in a newborn nursery. All babies are not born with murmurs. And C-section babies are not more likely to have heart murmurs.

The pediatrician probably just mentioned it now because it is most likely the first time he heard it. It is possible it was there before and maybe your son wasn't still enough or quiet enough for him to hear it. Hearing it can be difficult especially if it is a low grade one.

Try to stay away from the Internet, because most of the scenarios are going to be worst case and scare you. If you do search the net, as I'm sure you will, and as I am sure i would too, try to stick with reputable sites.

Most importantly, and i mow this is easier said than done, try not to stress yourself silly until the appointment. Whatever is going on with him....stressing will not change it. When i am dealing with a stressful situation, and my mind gets away from me, I always use that idea to calm myself down.

Deep breaths! And hugs to you!

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I have been staring at this deciding to answer or not.
My intention is not to worry you more than you already are.

Why is he just hearing this murmur at 3 years old?
More than not murmurs correct themselves and are nothing to worry about.

My daughter was diagnosed with a murmur right after birth. She was referred to Childrens shortly after we were released. She was diagnosed with 2 congenital heart defects at her appointment. She will need surgery to correct the two problems- but not for a few more years. She is almost 2 years old now.

The way I understood it from her cardiologist, all babies are born with murmurs but they are supposed to close shortly after birth.

We know lots of kids that were diagnosed with this same heart murmur (none c Section, never heard of that) All of them grew out of it and are extremely athletic..

Try not to worry so much. Even if it is something serious, take it a day at a time..

Echoes are fun!!!

SO not invasive or painful at all... the kids just watch a DVD while the Echo Tech uses the same kind of ultrasound you got when you were pregnant. Mmmm... I should caveat... at a children's hospital the kid's watch a DVD... if this is at an office, bring a laptop or similar just in case so you can play it for them. Typically takes between 10 & 30 minutes (depending on how still the child is).

My son's murmur is totally benign, but I have many friends whose kids have had heart problems since before birth (surgeries on they day they're born, multiple surgeries throughout their childhood, etc.)... one makes these friends by spending a LOT of time at a Children's Hospital.

The vast majority of murmurs are totally benign. If yours isn't, ask to be transferred to the cardiology dept of a children's hosptial. They do dozens of heart surgeries on KIDS every single day and the hospitals are set up for KIDS (we're not just talking size, but also things like having DVD players in Echo rooms, MRIs, beds in room for parents so you don't ever have to leave them alone (ditto procedure rooms always have a parent area), cool things to play with, staff who are soooooo patient with kids (flashlights and toys in their pockets), numbing pffts that are done before IVs and injections so that they don't hurt, playrooms, visiting people (like Disney Princesses, and local Football teams), and other PARENTS who have sick kids that you can reeeeeally learn from/ lean on. And billing depts are phenom. They don't ask if you can pay, they get your child taken care of and then work out the bill MONTHS later (after you've had time to settle in). I've been in hosptials all over the world (we travelled a lot growing up), the Regional Children's Hospitals are just the best, both from a child's and a parent's perspective. Hands down. ((Key word: Regional. Most cities have a children's hospital... go to whichever hospital they send kids to)).

But remember... most murmurs are benign, totally minor things. It's like having a headache. The VAST majority of the time a headache is just a headache, not a brain tumor. But since I'm sure you're looking up scary stuff online... just thought I'd throw out there how incredibly awesome 'worst case scenario' (surgery) can be.

My daughter saw a cardiologist in infancy for a heart murmur. She had no defects. It disappeared (which is to say, no one at the peds office heard it) by the time she was 4 or 5.
She's now 14, and no one has heard it since (many different docs).

Try to relax (I know, so hard to do), until after the visit. Fairly common thing.

:)

Hi Jen,
I have a heart murmur and it was found when I was 4. Some will heal but mine didn't. You can live a very normal like with a heart murmur. Depending on the size he will be able to do what most kids can do. He will be fine. Echos are not bad. His dr will monitor the murmur it and it may heal in time. Good luck!!

I have a murmur.
Most docs don't hear it - unless they are cardiac specialists -- then they always hear it.
It does not affect me in the least.
LBC

My now 4.5 year old daughter has a murmur too. She was born with three (all babies are born with them but most close within 8-12 hours). They checked my daughter's at about 10 hours old and then we had to have a 3 month recheck w/ a cardiologist (w/ ultrasound and EKG). Since she is non-symptomatic, no problems, and very healthy I didn't have to take her back until she was between 2 & 4 years. She went back at just over 3 years. All was still good and unless she has a problem she doesn't have to go back until she is a tween.

Many murmurs are harmless. Be sure that your dentist knows of the murmur because if dental work is needed, they may prescribe an antibotic first (not with all murmurs but just certain types and not with all procedures).

Yes and it was something we were told not to worry about. There are a lot of people walking around with heart murmurs without any problems.

The doctor found a murmur in my son in March of this year at his 2 year check up. We were referred to a cardiologist, and I was a mess too, all worried and what not. After about 20 mins of testing, the murmur was ruled harmless. I was told murmurs are very common in toddlers, and will most likely disappear by themselves. I wouldn't worry to much, it is probably harmless.

yep, i went through this same thing with my 2 year old earlier this year. i actually wasnt too worried, because both myself and my mother have a mitral valve prolapse, so i figured he had it too. when we got there and they did the sono of his heart it seemed like it took FOREVER and THEN i really started freaking out and was convinced that something was wrong. NOPE. he was totally fine. it was just a benign murmur and he has since grown out of it! its just something that happens sometimes when they are growing. dont stress too much mama! if it was something major they would have probably noticed it by now!

I don't have experience with my own children but my brother has a murmur. It wasn't found till he was doing a physical for high school sports. His wasn't loud either and he was able to play soccer for all 4 years of HS. He also did marching & jazz band. After HS he even coached high school soccer for several years & did the same drills as the guys he coached. He is 28 now and lives a very normal life. I'm not even sure he thinks about his murmur at all! I hope this helps you out some.

Please calm down. Yes, it's very scary to hear. But, the good thing is that your pediatrician referred you to the cardiologist and it will be monitored.

My eldest son had a heart murmur when he was young, but his pediatrician didn't even mention it to me until he was about 18 months old. I was shocked, but he calmed my fears and told me he would keep tabs on it and that he would possibly outgrow it. He had no restrictions whatsoever, and to make the long story short, he did outgrow it and was able to enlist in the Army : )

Write all your questions down so you can ask the cardiologist, and ask where you can get information to educate you. I hope that all will be fine for your son, God bless.

It's more common than you think. I have one myself and am a happy, healthy active 43 year old, it has never been an issue. I'm sure your little guy is just fine, but it's always a good idea to get these things thoroughly checked out :)

When I took my second child (now 12 1/2) to the pediatrican for her first check-up, the doctor heard something. We set up an appt immediately with a cardiologist. He hooked her up to all sorts of monitors and we sat there with her while he ran his tests. I was so scared. He told us that it was an innocent murmur and should close on its own. She was tested 6 months later and he confirmed that it was closing. He said that she should have no problems playing sports, etc. At every appointment, my pediatrician would listen to hear the murmur and after a while it was harder for her to detect. My pediatrican left and a new one came in. I was worried as I did not know if she would listen as intently. Well she was just as awesome and confirmed that it was barely there. We have had no problems since. Be concerned and check it out. Once you know exactly what is going on, you will be able to know how to proceed. Don't worry about things you do not know about until you get all of the facts.

yes, my daughter had a heart murmur, but her murmur was the simple part of it all. there were lots of other signs that something was wrong & she needed open heart surgery to repair it at 4.5 days old (her heart was totally plumbed wrong - the holes in her heart were keeping her alive by mixing blood that would otherwise not be mixed and she wouldn't have been able to circulate oxygenated blood).

i only share this because if it's something major, odds are a lot of other signs would be present. i know it doesn't make it less scary though! her heart surgery was one of the most terrifying things we've gone through as parents. i hope you find it's nothing serious. (((hugs)))

Our now 3.5-year-old was born with a faint murmur. The cardiologist wanted to see him again at three months. We went in and he checked him out and asked if his skin was always so clammy (no, he was hungry and had been howling and worked himself into a lather). I asked what the significance of clammy skin was, and the doctor said, "It could be a sign of heart failure." I didn't hear anything else he told me for the rest of the appointment. I had to have my husband call him later to get the details of the appt. The cardiologist wanted to see him again at 6 months.

We went back at 6 months, had an echo done and while things looked like they were working fine, the murmur was still there. But kiddo was thriving so we were told, "Looks good. Bring him back at age 3."

We went in a couple of months ago and that darn murmur is still there. But because our son is still thriving, not fainting, not getting clammy when he runs and plays, and not getting overly winded, the Card is calling it a "functional murmur" or an "innocent murmur". We're told he'll probably always have it, and not to worry. If he starts to faint or gets winded more easily than other children during regular play, then we need to take him back. Otherwise, the cardiologist said he doesn't need to be seen again unless we are concerned.

Let us know what happens. We're pulling for you and your son. ~ D.

We did this when my eldest was two (I was pregant with my second and my husband had just lost his job, this was the topper to a really bad week). She was fine, most kids are. She had a small hole between the upper chambers of her heart. It closed on it's own and she is fine now. The procedure is painless, the child watched cartoons in a quiet room, hooked upto a bunch of electrodes. Afterwards they talk to you about what they find and what needs to be done about it. No waiting. Your stress will only scare you're child so try to keep calm and remember most of these are harmless.

My 3 year old had the same thing at his well-check. I waited 9 months because I really didn't want to know. He had an echocardiogram and it turned out completely normal. I do feel very relieved. He has had a week immune system so he has seen 12 different doctors who all said I needed to get it checked out for piece of mind. They were right. Warning it did take over 1 hour for the test. It is very complete. He fell asleep near the end.

My son has one kind of. His was found when he was just past a year old by a nurse that was coming to our home to teach us to infuse him with medication for another issue. I had him checked at about 3 yrs old and it turned out that it is not so much a murmur as a tiny piece of tissue that "twangs" when his heart beats. The cardiologist compared it to a violin string when you pluck it. No issues now or in the future, just a tiny loose string. My little one's waws found by a nurse when she was born. The nurse stayed with us after she was all cleaned off and heard it after everyone else had left. They had her hooked to a small monitor for 24 hours just to see if anything showed. It turned out that her 4th chamber did not close at birth as is usual. However, they told me that I should not worry about it since they usually close completely by the time they are 5 or so. I had her checked last year and it is closed. But when she is between 10 and 14 I need to have her checked again because they only saw 2 arteries (I think that is what it was) but there should be 3. It could be just a case of her being so small and the 3rd one hiding, not unusual. This girl is all over the place and we cannot figure out where she gets her energy. She gets up at 9 am and does NOT nap (for over a year now) and no problems going to bed at night (we keep pretty late hours since dad is home with her). I just figure, I will worry about things as they come. Easier said than done but once you have that checked, you can see what needs to be done.

BTW, my cousins daughter recently had heart surgery and did fantastic. She is 8 I think.

my daughter is 3 years old and i just was told she has a still's murmur also , she has to go on the 12th of march, 2013 to a pediatric heart doctor. i was told it is harmless , i hope so