Need possibilities to discuss with Dr.

[tmknell]

My 17 year old daughter has been having these symptoms for years and we were told by one pediatrician after another that there is nothing wrong with my daughter and that she was faking to get attention. The symptoms are frequent respritory infections; fatigue; dizziness and fainting upon physical exertion or changing positions especially when standing to quickly; shortness of breath; numbness and tingling in her hands and feet; frequent severe headaches; irritability; complains of hot flashes but her skin is always pale, cold, and clamy; complains that her heart feels like it is going to jump out of her chest or that it sometimes skips a beat and it is not brought on by physical activity. These symptoms have been occuring for years. We just recently had her in the emergency room again for these same symptoms and she had a bp of 140/90 and a pulse of 92. After a cat scan we were told that the right side of her heart was much larger than it should be but that we had nothing to worry about that it wasn't serious. They told my daughter to go home and rest. My instincts tell me that there is something seriously wrong with my daughter and I am being told that I worry to much. What could cause my daughter to have an elarged heart and is this dangerous? Will it cause her to have a heart attack if left untreated? Is it possible that she could have a hole in her heart that went undiagnosed all of these years? With our strong family history of heart disease this worries me even more. My mom had her first heart attack at the age of 28 and my sister had surgery to repair a heart murmur when she was 8 months old and I know they can be genetic. Am I being to overly concerned or should I demand that she be referred to a cardiologist?

[Lee Kirksey, MD]

Hello
How are you? It definately sounds as if your daughter has genuine symptoms that should be investigated more thoroughly. Im interested to know what country you reside. It would be impossible for me to begin to guess exactly what heart conditions your daughter might be suffering from. The list is extensive and would include valvular disorders and unrecognized communications between chambers of the heart. Most of these disorders can be identified by echo (ultrasound) of the heart. Or an event monitor might be used to detect rhythm changesAt the very least, consultation with a cardiologist would be helpful to give a second opinion and alleviate your concerns.

Regardless, I dont think that youre over reacting. You know your daughter and certainly you would know if she is fabricating symptoms. Stay persistent in getting to the bottom of the situation