Are echos always currect in telling whether a murmer is benign

[heather]

When I became pregnant with my third child 4 1/2 years ago a nurse picked up a faint murmer.  I was told it would go away when she was born.  When she was 4 months old I woke up thinking I was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be post partom thyroiditis.  But during all this I found out that my murmer did not go away.  I was worried so they did an echo and told me they say minimal leakage at the end of the beat, but the valves were all fine.  Three months later I started waking up at night feeling a little strange and out of breath.  That is still going on and happens at night on a regular basis.  When I wake up feeling this way.  My pulse is normal 70-85 while I'm still lying down, but as soon as I sit up my pulse jumps to over 100, even if I sit up very slowly.  I'm fine after usually a few minutes to 1/2 hour and I go back to bed.  I should mention that Before I became pregnant I had recently gone through many heart tests. Including an echo in wich they saw no valve damage, leakage or murmer. I had felt a few premature beats and freaked out.  I though my heart was stopping and the doctor told me I was fine, but that those beats are not normal.  I went through 3 months of constant panic.  I couldn't sleep and I had constant anxiety attacks.  Then I found out that many people experience those.  Questions- can extreme fear and your heart in a constant panic mode for 3 months cause a heart problem?  What causes can cause my heart to speed up during these episodes upon sitting? (I do drink enough water and it's not dehydration) Could the 2nd echo be wrong?  Thanks

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Dear Heather

It sounds like you have had lots of tests. The echo sounded normal; a little bit of leakage, with a normal valve, can be seen in healthy people. Extreme fear and panic will not damage your heart; it can trigger PVCs. The fast pulse could be due to being deconditioned. You ought to have your thyroid function checked again.

I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.

Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.