Heart Murmur

[li10up]

Some of you will remember recently about all the test I've had done due to chest pain I was experiencing. I've had a nuclear stress test and an MRI of my heart. After the stress test they said I had anterior ischemia but then after the MRI they said no, I was fine. Well, I just went to the doc to see about all this heartburn I've been having. I saw a new doc since my primary physician moved to a different hospital (I wasn't too happy with him anyhow). So he listens to my heart and then goes back and listens a second and third time. He tells me I have a heart murmur. Shouldn't the MRI have picked that up? Anyhow he wants me to have an echo cardiogram done. Anyone have any input on the difference between an MRI and an echo? I thought the MRI should have been definitive???

[RoadRaven]

Hi there, li

I don't have the answers to your questions... Just wanted to say I read your post and am thinking of you... Most excellent new doctor... keep new doc on - new doc deserves a chocolate fish.

I have cardiac arrhythmia (I guess its genetic - my dad and nana have/had it) so I do know a little about the heart dancing to its own beat. My thoughts are with you.

[Crankin]

An MRI won't detect a heart murmur. The echo shows how your heart beats, in real time. I have one, I didn't find out until I was in my early twenties. It hasn't affected anything I do, but there are many kinds of heart murmurs. The echo is not a big deal and gives them the correct information.

[LBTC]

I've had two doctors say that I have a heart murmur, and neither ordered any other tests - probably because I didn't have any other related symptoms. I don't believe it's been a factor in any other health issues I've had, and it hasn't prevented me from doing anything. Oh, and both of my sisters have them too.

Let us know what there results of the echo are, and how the new doc works for you.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[KnottedYet]

I have a heart murmur, mine's meaningless.

The MRI is kind of like a snapshot, the echo is kind of like a functional video. They can learn things from the echo they couldn't get from the MRI and vice versa.

How's the goober in your lung? What's your D-dimer like these days?

[indysteel]

J- I don't know much about the subject. I just wanted to send some positive thoughts your way.....


new doc deserves a chocolate fish.

And to comment that this just made me laugh out loud! Thanks, RR.

Keep us posted!

[IFjane]

li - I, too, have a heart murmur and have never had anything else done about it. I also have cardiac arrhythmia. The doctors are not concerned about either. I hope yours is as meaningless as mine. {{{{HUGS}}}}

[Popoki_Nui]

The MRI is kind of like a snapshot, the echo is kind of like a functional video. They can learn things from the echo they couldn't get from the MRI and vice versa.

+1. I recently had an echo done; my doc thought he heard a murmur and I was previously diagnosed with a wonky aortic valve, and I have benign PVC's/arrythmias.
The echo is rather relaxing ( I fell sleep during mine). They may even let you watch the screen.
The cardiologist will be able to get a real-time look at the action of your heart, its valves, and so on.
The technology is pretty good; it turns out I don't have a wonky aortic valve after all. The diagnosis was made using the best technology available several years ago; now it's so much more accurate and revealing.
Good luck. Keeping you in my thoughts.
~Sherry.

[li10up]

From what I've been reading online most heart murmurs are nothing to worry about. It seems it all depends on the sound and when they occur during the heartbeat. Since he wants to do an echo I'm thinking that maybe he thinks mine is not so "benign". I had a severe bout of strep throat in college that he seems to be a little concerned about. Also as a child I had what they think was roseola but I understand that can be confused with scarlet fever sometimes. My mom tells me I had a lot of severe sore throats and ear aches as a kid...but who doesn't, right? And apparently the surgeon was quite impressed with the size of my tonsils when he removed them. Apparently the bacteria that causes strep and scarlet fever can lead to damage of heart valves. Anyhow, I'll get the echo done and then I think that will cover pretty much every type of heart test that can be done on a human being. :rolleyes: This will probably turn out to be nothing but it's nice to know that I have a doctor now that doesn't just dismiss things as nothing without looking into them. Thanks for all the good thoughts everyone.

Sherry, what did it turn out to be?

PS. What's a chocolate fish????

[li10up]

Never mind about the choc. fish....I did a search.......

yes, he deserves a chocolate fish :D

Knotted, the goober is fine.......;)

[three]

My mom was a senior clinician for the University of Minnesota's CardioThoracic Surgery Department (then ranked internationally) for many, many years. She retired and the docs she worked closest with have since moved on to Harvard and the Mayo Clinic. I spent close to 20 years hearing everything there is about cardiology, transplants, etc. I'm no doc, but here are my .02:

An MRI is like an uber-x ray machine and takes a snazzy picture of our innards...but doesn't record how those innards are working - at least, not with the specificity that an ultrasound can. The echo is an ultrasound system that will be recording how your heart works - it will do so by both picture, sound, and rhythm. If the echo tech sees anything interesting - they get to slide the instrument to that area, zoom in and get the specific information they want...like in a pregnancy ultrasound. Look at it like this: the MRI is a super super good camera that takes a great shot of your friend - but the echo is the zoom lens that will show you every itty bitty stich in the seams of the jeans your friend is wearing.

Sometimes, if the MRI was done within reasonable time prior to the echo, the two will be compared and some cardiac disorders are established because of the comparison (for example - some aorta issues are found because the MRI was done first and then compared later with the echo).

Now...having said all that, from what I know via my mom - heart murmurs are pretty dang common. Many people are born with them. Many others develop them as they age. It does not by any means necessarily equate to a cardiac impediment. In other words...don't freak out - wait till you have all the information.

[OakLeaf]

I don't have a heart murmur. But a few years back I had some issues that turned out to be hormone related, and I had a whole cardiac workup. It's amazing the scary sounding things they'll diagnose you with that are completely harmless. Atrial Septal Aneurysm :eek:, Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia :confused: According to the cardiologist, utterly harmless in my case. So just beware of overdiagnosis.

Good thoughts your way.

[Popoki_Nui]

Sherry, what did it turn out to be?

Nothing conclusive. My PVC's/arrythmias are still thought to be benign (albeit frightening at times), and I'm relieved to discover my valves are all ok.
The echo did find a slight thickening of part of my heart muscle (I forget which bit). No explanation for my intermittent random (and also rather frightening) chest pains. We keep digging, I guess.

~S.

[li10up]

Well, the echo showed a small VSD. This is a small hole between the left and right ventricles. So, it's back to the cardiologist. I'm not sure I have much faith in him...he didn't even hear the murmur when he examined me. I have to admit I'm a bit puzzled as to how the MRI of my heart didn't show the VSD. Guess now I'll just have to do some more wait and see-ing. Anyone have any info? I'm thinking it can't be that big of a deal if I've lived with it all my life...he says it is most likely congenital.

[Zen]

I'm not sure I have much faith in him...he didn't even hear the murmur when he examined me.
I think they're hard to hear.
A med student found mine.
I was maybe 43 at the time.

[roadie gal]

The echo is much more likely to find the VSD than the MRI.

Hearing a quiet murmur can be very dependent on the quietness of the room that you're in. If there's a lot of background noise they can be very hard to hear. If I can hear a murmur in the ER then it's at least a level 5 out of 6. Anything less and it can't be heard. They can also vary in loudness with your position (lying vs sitting or standing), your heart rate, your respiratory rate. It's not that simple.

The seriousness of a VSD varies with the size of the hole and the symptoms that you're having.

[Bron]

I think they're hard to hear.
A med student found mine.
I was maybe 43 at the time.

Yup. Mine was only found when I was 27 and even if doctors know it's there they often can't hear it.

VSD is the most common heart defect. Quite a lot of people don't even know they have one and it doesn't affect their lives in any way.

Don't let it get to you - the problem with modern diagnostics is that they can find some sort of "abnormality" in just about every person and usually they are nothing to worry about.

[li10up]

It's hard not to let it bother me a little bit. After all, I found this out AFTER complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. So, it's not like I imagined symptoms AFTER finding out about this. My symptoms led to finding this. I'm not a hypocondriac...I've had the same handful of issues for years that I've let the docs slide on...but not this one...there's potentially too much at stake. It will be fine with me if they end up telling me it's nothing to worry about but not until they ask the questions and run the tests that need to be done to be SURE.

[three]

I've been wondering how you're doing and wanted to bump the post to check in. I'll send a PM with some additional information I gathered for you. Hope you're well.

[Bike Diva]

I was in my 20's when I found out I had a heart murmur. Official geek techno term for it is mitrial valve prolapse or something like that.

Every year I go in for a yearly physical and they hook me up to the EKG machine - takes just a couple of minutes. Always says my heart is healthy as a horse. Every 5 years I go to the hospital for an Echo Cardiogram. Kind of like an ultrasound for the heart. Again, healthy as a horse.

The only thing I have to do is take antibiotics before going in for surgery. The only surgery I've ever had is getting my appendix taken out 2 years ago.

I'm 44 years old now, carrying a few extra pounds, and a long distance, recreational bike rider. Mostly a roadie although I also own a mountain bike and a beach cruiser.

I've done 2 century rides, bunches of metric centuries and am currently training for our local MS150 ride (2 day, 150 mile road bike ride). I ride ride between 40 and 150 miles per week depending on my schedule and usually go to a weekly spinning glass at the gym. No problems with my heart, I have a murmur but so do a lot of people. As long as I keep getting regular check ups everything should be okay dokay.