My Son Is Going to a Cardiologist

Yes,

My son is 12 now, but when he went for his 6 mos check-up they heard an abnormal heart-beat.

It was the scariest thing I ever had to do taking him to a cardiologist. They taped sensors on his chest etc and did the "cardiogram?" and he was perfectly fine.

I remember that he was on some cold medicine as he had a fever the week of his 6 mos check-up. This may have caused the irregular heartbeat with the decongestant in the medicine...

No problem with check-ups since.

Don't expect bad news. Dr. is just taking percaution.

Hi Kristy,

Both of my sons (now 6 & 4) were referred to a cardiologist when they were babies. Both times, they did an EKG and ultrasound. The testing took a while and was a little tricky b/c they have to hold still. But otherwise, it wasn't bad. Both of my sons murmurs were benign and didn't require followup. I think this is a common issue. I can't remember the cardiologist's name but she was great - based at UM Jackson. Good Luck!

I had a similar experience with my second son. They did not find his abnormal hearbeat until his one year check up. The doctor told me that it was easier to hear at that time because it was more high pitched. Makes sense, right? If you have a big opening then it sounds like a whoosh. But as the opening closes and becomes smaller the older they get and the more their heart matures, it sounds like a whistle. Anyway, I was nervous when he told me to make a cardiologist appointment within the next month - I wanted to see one that day! But, I knew if it were really serious, he would not have put it off. Turns out my son has a small hole in his heart that will not affect him at all in life. He used to have to take antibiotics when he saw the dentist but they just changed these guidelines and now he doesn't even have to do that. I also have a heart murmur and have lived with it for 35 years now - no biggie. I hope everything is okay with your son. If he is "active" and healthy, it sounds like his heart is pumping just fine! Good luck.

While it is difficult to stay calm and not worry in these situations, you can pretty much rest assured that if it was an urgent matter, the cardiologist would have diagnosed it the first time. Your pedi is being precautious, which is a good thing.
Unless your child starts turning blue or pale or exhibits shortness of breath, don't worry.
Not sure what cardi you're seeing but Steven Iskowitz and Donna Rhoden are the best!
If they don't find anything this second time, I would suggest changing pedi, it could be that s/he is just incompetent...
Just breathe :)
T.

Kristy,
Gabriela went to have an echocadiogram on her heart at one month. I understand how scary this can be. The pedi follows her for a heart murmur. She tells me as long as she is gaining weight and developing should reassure me that it is a benign murmur and murmurs are normal in babies.
J. Hagman

My oldest son who is now 12 also had a very similar situation and it did clear up around 5 or 6. At his first dentist appointments we would give him an antibiotic to make sure and we also had EKG?? can't remember right now to determine that it was innocent but he was around 5 or 6 when we did that. He is now great and awesome athelete. More than likely it is something he will outgrow.

Hope that helps!
L.

My daughter had the same thing and I was really worried because they were sending her to a specialist. We also had to wait a long time. It actually turned out to be innocent. The cardiologist said that a lot of babies have murmers that either go away or are so innocent that they are something that can't be heard as they grow. So, chances are hers is innocent but they are just sending you as a precaution. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Many people I know have gone through this same thing and more often than not it is nothing. Good luck.

Kristy,

It is always better to be safe than sorry so by all means take him to the cardiologist. I have a heart murmur and have had it since I was very small, I was born 2 1/2 months premature. Anyway, I've been to several Doctors over the coarse of my 32 year old life and most times they haven't noticed it. It seems to come and go. I was born the smallest of my parents children 3 lbs @ birth and I've been the strongest, healthiest, most athletic of my siblings. I played multiple sports and the murmur never held me back. Sometimes I would have a hard time catching my breathe and would have to take a rest, but it was never stated by a Dr. this was because of the murmur.
The best advice I can give to any and all Mothers is this...Listen to your heart and intuition. I had multiple disagreements with our son's pediatrician the first year of his life, but I always did what the Dr. said even though my gut said he was wrong...after all he went to med-school and I didn't.
Turns out that all of my instincts were right and the Dr. was wrong. They see your kids for maybe 10 minutes for an exam, you spend 24/7 with your child. NOONE knows your baby like you do. Believe in your intuition no matter what. I fired our first pediatrician just after our daughter was born. We now go to a pediatrician that not only went to med-school, but has a mother's intuition as well.