Appointment with cardiologist.

[Icanonlytry]

My daughter (6) has been having palpitations for quite a few weeks now, happens at varying times and not always when she has been running around. I took her to the doctors 3 weeks ago and they have referred her to see a paediatrician and cardiologist (not sure if that will be one person or two?) she said she would probably need blood tests and some kind of heart monitoring (ecg?) The appointment is next week but im not sure if it will just be a consultation to plan what tests need to be done or if they will be doing the tests at that appointment.
Has anyone had any experience of this before? Would like to try and prepare DD for what will be happening, (she has already decided and told her friends and teacher that she is having a heart operation )
Thanks.

[lucykate]

when she has them, do they come on all of a sudden, then go all of a sudden? how long do they last or does it vary?

it sounds very similar to a condition i have

[whomovedmychocolate]

Well you will probably first see the consultant and blood will be taken, then you will go down to have an ECG. That will then be looked at with the cardiologist and the results discussed. Sometimes the cardiologist does the ECG themselves - it only takes 15 minutes.

She will have to strip to the waist and they will stick little electrodes on her - it may feel a bit funny and the machine will beep, but that's the worst bit.

[Icanonlytry]

They come on all of a sudden, sometimes when she has been running around but sometimes she can be just sat quietly and it happens, it feels like her heart is going to jump out of her chest. they can last anything between 30 seconds and a few minutes and once it has passed it can take her up to an hour to properly come round (goes really lethargic almost like after you have a sugar/ caffeine rush)
What is the name of the condition you have, if you dont mind me asking Lucykate?
Thanks whomovedmychocolate, not looking forward to the blood tests, im bad enough when I have them done never mind her, will have to put the brave mummy face on

[whomovedmychocolate]

I have a ventricle septal defect and when I'm pregnant I get like this.

Actually the blood tests are not so bad at all - only one needle. Hopefully you will get a nurse who does it every day and she won't hurt a bit! Try getting your daughter to sing a familiar song while it's done or count backwards from 20 slowly while looking away.

[lucykate]

it's supraventricular tachycardia basically, all it means is imagine the nerve which signals your heart to beat is a little circle, each time it pulses round, that is one beat. mine (or anyone else's with svt) has a web of extra nerves within this circle, which means it short circuits sometimes, creating a much smaller circle, which in turn creates a faster pulse, top speed is about 200 beats per minute.

it's not serious, but can make you feel dizzy, disorientated, lips go blueish, feel cold, etc during an attack, then feel very tired afterwards. mine took years to be diagnosed, i had regular blood tests, chest x-rays, but it was only when an attack was finally caught by an ecg, they could tell what it was straight away. it was much more frequent when i was younger, i don't have many problems with it now. if this is what your dd has, it is very manageable, and in rare circumstances where it does become a problem, nowadays, they can laser away the extra nerves, by keyhole surgery, going in through the groin, all done as a day patient!

[Icanonlytry]

Thanks, have had a look at the conditions suggested, trying not to get too worried about it as the doctor suggested it could just be a deficiency of some sort, good to know the alternatives though.
Hopefully she will be fine with the blood test, going to take lots of books and maybe her ipod to take her mind off it a bit.
How long does it usually take to get the results of the tests?

[Saggarmakersbottomknocker]

Ican - they'll possibly do an ECHO too which is an ultrasound of the heart. dd finds that quite relaxing and usually just listens to her iPod or watches a DVD.

At our clinic you get the tests done and then see the doctor and they give you the results straight away. If they suspect an electrical issue (like SVT) they may send you away with a 24 hour ecg.

Good luck - hope it's all easily sorted.

[noddyholder]

They will probably do an echo and an ecg The results are available immediately and if there is a consultant there you will know straight away.There are many conditions which cause this and lots of different treatments from meds to surgery.Hope you get a good cardiologist as it is so reassuring xx