Heart murmur and starting sports

MrsHK

DS1 has a heart murmur that has always been present. It was caught shortly after he was born, the dr did the echo test and everything to make sure it was a "functional" murmur (I think that's the word he used). It was and the dr suspected DS1 might even out grow it by a year. He didn't but the dr was still not concerned since it obviously wasn't effecting anything. He just said we'll need to watch it as he gets older and starts getting involved in sports and things.

I have also noticed that DS1 is the type of kid who enjoys his naps and likes to sleep. He's very active and can bounce off the walls like any toddler but he never has fought sleep, completely opposite DS2. I have always wondered if DS1's greater need for sleep is more just personality or in some way slightly related to the murmur.

DS1 has started soccer now, a nice fun informal class. The class is just about 50 minutes. For two weeks in a row now DS1 only makes it about 30-40 minutes. He simply calls it quits and is done, he's still very much excited about going back each week though. I'm wondering again, is this mostly just toddler attention span or could he just be a little more drained due to his murmur?

I'm assuming it's likely just a little mixture of both. I need to get him scheduled for a well visit before he starts preschool so I'll be sure to ask then too. Just wondering if others have experienced the same observations.

m_and_m

A functional murmur is just that- functional. Did he see a pedi cardiologist or was it dx'd by his pedi? Since you are concerned, you should definitely bring it up to his cardiologist (or request a consult with one if he hasn't seen one). To me, none of what you say sounds like anything more than individual differences between kids.

DD has functional murmur that changed position, and because she has a shitton of other minor and seemingly random issues her pedi did refer us to a pedi cardi about 2 years after it was first heard. The pedi was pretty sure it was nothing but it's always seemed like there is a puzzle piece missing in regards to DD's health, so he referred us out. The cardi listened to her, did and EKG, etc and then assured me that she was totally fine. I asked about follow-up and he said he never needed to see her back in, unless I had concerns.

MrsHK

We had the echo done, that was at the hospital when he was just about a month old. I figure I'll ask about it again or anything we should look for at his next appt. I don't think it really warrants anything specific now, just wondering what we should watch for. Thanks for sharing!

UsedToBeGoldie

i had a murmur as a child, and one of my twins has one - and there is nothing making him tired, that is for sure (he's ACTIVE).

i would talk to the doc - sounds like something is going on - a child that age shouldn't be tired so fast from soccer.

JillAly

My pedi said he didn't hear my dd's murmur at 6 months and not to worry.  I come from a medical family so I couldn't leave it alone.  I went to one of the best doctors at an excellent hospital (Weill Cornell in NYC).   I expected the pediatric cardiologist to say it either closed or it was no big deal and they do nothing.  I was in for a shock.  My pediatrician was wrong.  It was still there.

First, it depends where the murmur is and how big it is.  There is no way for a pediatrician to know that.   I would go to a pediatric cardiologist just to find out exactly what it is.  My daughter as an ASD (atrial septal defect) which is very common. 

The pediatric cardiologist said that it won't have any effect until she is 40-50.  Then as you age and your arteries naturally get harder, it could lead to a stroke or heart attack...or it could have no effect.  Statistics are higher that there could be a problem but it doesn't necessarily mean you will just because you have a murmur.  There is no way to know.  However, doctors now believe in "plugging" the hole when a child is around 5 or 6- because it then is a non-issue when they are older.   It is technically surgery but it is very common.  They take a cathether through the leg to the heart and insert a plug.  They keep them overnight just for observation and then they are totally fine.  Apparently, this is so common now that they have 2 doctors who do nothing but this surgery at my hospital.  They just have to wait until they are around 5 so the veins are big enough to use the cathether.

One of the things the doctors look for in deciding if the child needs the surgery is whether one side of the heart is already larger than the other side.  It means blood isn't all being pushed out because of the hole.  That is what happened with my dd - age 9 months old they could already see it.  That means the murmur is on the larger side.  If it was very tiny, the heart would be the same size.  The cardiologist said it could still close on it's own but usually if it hasn't closed by age 1, there is only a 10% chance it will close after that -especially when the heart is already unbalanced like my dd's.  None of that was detected by my pediatrician- in fact, he told me he couldn't hear it anymore.

The doctor told me if they could take the memory of the whole murmur out of my head until dd is around 5, he would because it will not affect her in any way at this age.  She can play sports, run around and it shouldn't make her tired.  So if your ds is tired, I'd say maybe there is something else other than a regular murmur or maybe it is also on the larger side.

I'm a firm believer of your mommy gut- and yours is definitely noticing something that is striking you as unusual so I would definitely have some blood work done to see if there is anything else going on. 

Mrs Manners

I honestly think the behavior you are describing is related more to personality, age and attention span than the murmur. Ds has a functional murmur and was monitored regularly by a cardiologist until he was 18 months. Then he was released from his care and told to "go have a long, healthy life and a career in pro football" by the cardiologist. The murmur is still there, but doesn't affect him in any way. He plays hard, eats well and sleeps when he's tired.