Teenage daughter worried about her heart

[Dee]

Hi everybody,

I know, it's been a while since I've posted. Life just gets crazy and hard to keep up with everything. But I do check in on you guys once in a while to make sure you're behaving yourselves!!

My 17 year old daughter (18 in 22 days) has been worried that something could be wrong with her heart after I went through my OHS. I had a tumor attached to my mitral valve and they don't know what causes them or if they might be hereditary. She was having problems with her heart racing for no apparent reason and having some anxiety attacks. I decided to have an echo done of her heart just to reassure her and us that nothing was wrong. It came back normal. That was over 6 mths ago, now she says she can tell that her heart is skipping a beat every once in while and gets a double beat once in a while and that it still feels like it's racing for no reason. Is this something that we should worry about?? Would the echo have shown if there was anything wrong or are there other tests that we should look into?? How much of this is normal??

I have to admitt that before I had my emergency OHS, I really didn't know much at all about the heart and there are still a lot of things I don't understand. I would appreciate any input you guys have. For all I know this could be totally normal to have these things or maybe it's a sign of a major problem......I don't know and I'm sooooo confused!!

Thanks again for your help. You guys are the greatest!!!

 

[Marguerite53]

don't know if this will help you

don't know if this will help you

Hello, Dee.

I have not yet had the pleasure of an OHS, but I do have 3 kids, late teenagers, I guess. 21, 19 and 17. My oldest 2, the boys, are the kind who if they have a wierd headache, they want an MRI. I'm exagerrating, of course, but they are very in touch with their health and mortality at this age. My daughter, the youngest, the athlete, she barely complains. Actually she only complains if I drag her to the doctor to check on something! Kids are all very different.

What I found has worked is to let the professionals decide what course of action to take. Many times, I have sent the kids in to their doctor who can gently explain all the options and all the relevancy and necessity of tests. They are trained to isolate problems. They see patients who are really really sick and can tell the difference.

I know many of us have found that some doctors need to be prodded and sometimes even given the boot, but in a case where you may just be dealing with anxiety, I found that an extra visit to the doctor to let the situation be discussed more fully, has alleviated their fears. It's all about assurances.

Again, I'm not that knowledgeable about heart conditions. I'm just speaking mother to mother here.

Marguerite

 

[Karlynn]

My nephew (20) has had similar issues in the last year and a half. He has periods of racing heart and skipped beats. He had a full exam and echo and they showed nothing wrong with the heart. He found that it tended to happen when he got dehydrated (playing tennis and basketball after having had a night of "partying" the night before).

Everyone has arrhythmia from time to time. Most people don't notice it. Then there are people like me that can feel every single blip and bump.

Since you've had her checked out, I'd tell her to try and not to worry. She may be more sensitive to it and notice it more, or have the stress of it cause it more. She most likely is worried about what your heart issues tell of what she may experience and stress over that. If she continues to have them and worry over them, ask the doctor to do an event monitor on her. My nephew had one for 2 weeks. It's kind of a pain, but it allows them to activate the recorder when they are experiencing the symptoms.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello Dee,

It sounds like your daughter has a case of "hyper-awareness" following your surgery. Random Skipped beats and Double Beats are fairly common, even in people without heart 'issues'. Generally, as long as they resolve in a short time, they are not considered dangerous.

Arrhythmias can best be diagnosed with a continuous EKG, 24 hour Holter Monitor, or a 30 day 'event recorder'. STRESS and ANXIETY are often contributing factors. I have copied a post below from Bob H with a more detailed description of these arrhythmias. If your daughter is still concerned, a talk with her PCP or even a cardiologist might be worthwhile.

There are several medications which can suppress or even prevent most arrhythmias if they become prolonged or bothersome. A low dose Beta Blocker such as Toprol is often prescribed for 'stage fright'. This controlled my PAC / PVC's for several years.

Persistent Atrial Fibrilation (A-Fib) typically produces a rapid heart beat (150 - 200 beats per minute) and may require a targeted Beta Blocker if it occurs frequently or lasts for hours at a time. I now take Sotalol when my A-Fib became more prevalent.

'AL Capshaw'

-------------------------

The cheap PAC/PVC tour, as I understand it:

PACs are Premature Atrial Contractions, meaning that the atrial (top) part of the heart has started its beat before the rest of the heart is ready. PVCs are Premature Ventricular Contractions, which means the same thing, but in the lower part of the heart. These electrical misfires can cause feelings of butterflies in the chest, heart banging, or panic. While they are occuring, the heart is not functioning efficiently, although it may be functioning sufficiently.

These disturbances are common in most people, whether there is heart disease present or not. People who have had AVRs or MVRs are particularly prone to them. Another common misrhythm almost everyone experiences is Tachycardia Arrhythmia, a very rapid heartbeat that is a commonplace sign of overstress or overwork. Most of the time, these are harmless and quite temporary, minor glitches in a complex process that provides variable, on-demand oxygen-and-nutrient-carrying blood to an unpredictably active body.

In those who have heart problems or have had OHS, PACs and PVCs may be harmless, or they may be harbingers of other issues. PVCs can lead to unpleasant Ventricular Tachycardia, which can in turn cause potentially fatal Ventricular Fibrillation. PACs can be associated with Atrial fibrillation, which can also stop the heart. Because of this, we need to be more aware of arrhythmias than most people. A visit to a cardiologist may be in order if any arrhythmia repeats or is prolonged.

Even in stable heart patients, that degree of bad progression is not often the case. However, heart patients who are suddenly experiencing any types of arrhythmias should look to find a cause. Fatigue, stress, caffeine, nicotine, or excessive alcohol can all play roles in causing responses like PACs, PVCs, TA, VTach, Afib, or Vfib, as can the heart compensating for internal issues, such as valve leaks, stenoses, enlargement, healing from OHS, or even while returning to a more normal size after VR. For some, the stress of normal hormonal cycles can set them off. A cardiologist would be required to determine if the causative factor is in the heart function itself.
__________________
Bob H
Aortic Stenosis w/severe calcification

 

[Raverlaw]

Since the echo was normal, I wouldn't worry too much. Your may want to have her PCP give her an EKG just to check out the rythyms - even if she's not currently experiencing any arrythymias. It's fast and easy.

Stress can definitely cause missed beats and racing; I think that some teen aged girls are particularly susceptible to it (hormones + anxiety). This is not to minimize her complaints, but just to make you aware that it is not necessarily a symptom of a heart problem.

I'd discuss it with your PCP first.

 

[Dee]

Thank's you guys for all of the info and putting my mind at ease. We will continue to keep an eye on things and talk to our Dr. about it if it continues. I think you're right about the anxiety/hormones of a teenage girl, plus the added awareness of her heart after all of my heart issues. She's also a senior this year and I think has some added anxiety about that. I wouldn't want to be a teenager these days.