Heart murmur

[lrt18]

I have just come back from the doctor's surgery having taken my little girl as she has had a chesty couch for a few months now. It seemed to start not long after she joined nursery where she's had the usual, what seems like constant, runny nose. The doctor has checked her chest a few times and has never been worried. However, this time, she said that she has noticed a small heart murmur and so would like to refer her to have an ultrasound and ECG. I'm beside myself. The doctor seems unworried and says she thinks it's probably an innocent murmur but that it needs to be checked. My little girl otherwise seems really healthy and happy - she's full of energy and has just started walking (she's 11 months). I did ask if the doctor thought the cough and heart murmur were connected but she seems to think not (which of course isn't what google says but I'm going to go with the sensible approach in that the doctor has seen my daughter and google hasn't...). I do have quite bad anxiety surrounding health so I'm envisaging the worst. Does anyone have any experience of this and any wise words? Thanks :)

Hi have a heart murmur, I'm now almost 40 and it has never been a real issue for me. I had yearly check ups until I was 8 then I was discharged.

Mine is due to premature birth and I haven't grown out of it, but I have heard that many children do grow out of them.

The only things it has stopped me doing are playing with the van de Graaff generator at school and going on rollercoaster style rides.
I was also rubbish at sports but I'm not sure that's really down to my heart

My heart was monitored during my DCs births and care was provided as appropriate but afterwards all was fine and it's back to its normal, slightly jaunty rhythm.

Please don't worry, it honestly isn't really thought about by anyone around me, or me, most of the time.

DD1 had a heart murmur picked up at the 6 week check. By the time we saw the paediatrician, it had gone. Obviously I did lots of googling and worrying in the mean time so I understand your stress. But please try not to worry too much. As I understand it, they can be caused by something completely benign. If your GP had been more worried, they would have told you and done something urgent.

Thank you so much for your replies chrisrobin and BarbarAnna. It's just such a worry and I hate the stress of having to wait for an answer. She's had her heart listened to quite a few times and it's never been picked up until now, which is confusing, but I suppose that's maybe because it's quite faint. Who knows. I just want her to be ok.

I have a heart murmur, my heart is enlarged as well, it's fine, I'm annually checked, try not to worry, my advice is, just get all the information and stay healthy.

2 of my siblings have/had a murmur, one disappeared as they got older and the other is monitored on a regular basis but has never had any issues and now in her late 20's.
It was monitored during her 2 pregnancies and its never held her back with anything, even trying a couple of extreme sports.

It's surprising common and I expect more children have mild murmurs that disappear over time and never get picked up.

My brother had a heart murmur, I said had, he had a check up a few years ago, and the specialist said it was that slight that it's healed. He's in his 40s and it's never ever caused him any issues. The specialist said that the doctor that noticed it must have been her thorough as it was so slight

My dd2 has a heart murmur caused by a narrow pulmonary valve. The murmur was heard at 6 weeks and then investigated.
She has always remained well and it doesn't impact on her life at all. We had a check up this year and the next one is two years I think. She is now 18.
I do appreciate what you're going through, I really found it hard and was full of fear about what it meant but as time goes by you do relax a bit and accept they are ok.
The ecg is quick. The echo takes longer but isn't uncomfortable for them. Don't try and interpret the picture, it makes no sense! Likely they will send you to a paediatrician and if it needs follow up you will be seen in a paeds cardiology clinic. Paediatric cardiologists are a special type of nice person and you will be able to ask all the questions you want. They've heard it all before.
We've now moved to a transition clinic to adult care. This time dd wanted to ask about any implications for pregnancy (not that she is planning that!). The answer was nothing to be concerned about at all. Couple of extra appointments but nothing adverse at all.

Sorry I meant to say as well 1 in 100 children are born with some sort of heart defect, it is really common, but if you had clear ultrasounds in pregnancy and she is active and gaining weight which she clearly is, then there's very little chance of it being anything even slightly worrying.

I have a heart murmur, it is caused by a prolapsed mitral valve, I will be way older than you and it has never been an issue so far.
On the other hand, my daughter has no murmur but was diagnosed with a serious congenital heart defect last year.
Hopefully you will get reassurance when she has the ECHO, but try not to worry too much.