I have a heart murmur...

[bbest]

I just returned from my pre-op physical and have been diagnosed with a heart murmur. He confirmed his diagnosis on EKG. Good news is that my doctor doesn't think it's life threatening (he's 99% sure it is the benign or innocent kind). I have never been diagnosed with anything like this before and don't know what to think. I am really kind of down about everything. Does anyone out there know whether scoliosis, especially congenital scoliosis, can cause such a thing?

Thanks,
Brandi

[katblack]

I don't know if it can cause such a thing but when I had my pre-op ekg, I had a slight one as well.
Odd.

[Snoopy]

I have two daughters. One with Scoliosis and one with a heart murmur.

Mary Lou

[Marcia]

I have major double scoliosis and have known for quite some time that I have a heart murmur. I also have some regurgitation. It will be interesting to see how that is addressed at my pre-op visits after all the testing. But count me as another scoliosis patient with a heart murmur....°Ü°

[Gail]

Hi bbest,

I have known since I was young that I have a heart murmur. It hasn't affected my life in any way, in fact,I can't tell I have one. The only thing is I have to take 2000mg of Amoxicillian 1 hour before dental cleaning or dental work. You will be fine.

Kindest Regards,
Gail

[always smilin']

Like Gail, I have also had a heart murmur since i was young (also had surgery when I was young) - other than dental visits I also don't notice...and to be honest...only the "good" doctors detect that murmur when listening

Keep your chin up
Always Smilin

[bbest]

Hmmm, I am beginning to see a pattern here. In addition to myself, four other scoliotics who happen to post to this board have a heart murmur. I am not a doctor but could it be possible, that having scoliosis predisposes you to developing a heart murmur?

[Cakedec]

Another scoliosis patient with heart murmur

I have also been told that I have a heart murmur; although one time the dr. will hear it and another they won't. I get a racing heartbeat at times; other than that it has no effect.

Age 47
Disabled with sciatic inflammation
Double scoliosis
65T, 75L
Upcoming fusion surgery 12/06

[Singer]

me too

I also have a murmur which at one time was thought to be mitral valve prolapse, but after a cardiac ultrasound they pronounced me normal. I do have palpitations when I overdo caffeine or sweets. When I had a tonscillectomy in 1985, my heard sped up when they first put me under, which the anesthesiologist later told me scared him a bit, but then my heart settled right down. I'm sure it will be an issue at surgery time, but I doubt if it will keep me from having the surgery.

I think half the population is walking around with detected or undetected murmurs; from what I've seen and read, it just seems to be a catch-call phrase for a "click" or slight irregularity of the heartbeat.

Brandi, best of luck to you, and best wishes for no complications and a quick recovery.
Chris

[Marcia]

There are also other heart problems associated with scoliosis. I just did a quick search typing "scoliosis and heart" and quite a bit came up. The Texas Heart Institute had this about Mitral Valve Prolapse:

"Most people with MVP are small-framed or have minor chest wall deformities, scoliosis, or other skeletal disorders."

[sweetness514]

Heart murmur

I'm not sure what a heart murmur really is, I'm bilingual but French is my first and learning laguage, I don't want to act silly for asking, but could anyone tell me if there are symptoms and what it is?

I do get palpitations from time too time when I over do it(sometimes it doesn't take much when I'm tired and being an insomniac I'm prone to having them), and my heartbeat is never under 90-usually between 90 and 110- and that is high.

[SpineWhine]

I've got one. Pre-op it was considered "innocent". Post-op I have beenhaving problems, and am currently seeing Drs. about it, but no resolution yet as to whether the correction surgery had anything to do with it. (I also have a blood clotting dirsorder and recently had a PE, which could be related to the heart thing. (Did the heart issue trigger the PE, or the clotting issue, they play off each other so it is difficult to distinguish.) To complicate matters I have been having anxiety over it all, which is causing my heart to act wonky, so it is hard to distinguish between an actual heart issue, or an anxiety induced heart issue too. I'll post more when I have more issues, but I certainly have been paying a lot closer attention to it than I did pre-op.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

In college, I was examined for sports activities & they found I had an irregular heartbeat?? don't know until I go for testing in June if I still have that...I don't know if that's different than a heart mur-mur?? LY

[bbest]

I am amazed at how many folks on this board alone have a heart murmur. I know it is relatively common, but is it this common among the rest of the population? I think a little research is in order.

[always smilin']

Sweetness-
The best way that I can explain a heart murmur is that when your doctor listens to your heart he/she will hear an extra noise with the blood pumping through your heart. The reading I've done says that heart murmurs are generally harmless and that most children will at some time be diagnosed with a heart murmur (an extra little sound). I do think that most children outgrow heart murmurs; although, I have not.

Hope this helps some
Always Smilin