Daughter with rapid heartbeat

My 17 yr old daughter has been experiencing an unusually rapid heartbeat with pressure and weakness during basketball practice this past week (3 incidents).  She has always been involved in sports (soccer, basketball etc.) and is otherwise healthy and not overweight.  I do notice that her face gets very red during games (almost purple) and takes a very long time to return to her normal complextion after games.  None of her teammates has either problem.  We have an appointment with a heart specialist in 5 weeks.  She want to continue to play.  Should I allow this?

[ddavey]

i would be concerned to continue to let her play until she sees a specialist.   five weeks is a long time for a 17 yr old though, in the meantime i would ask her regular dr about letting her play.   if she had 3 incidents in a week, i would be be very concerned about letting her play.   i have a 22 yr old daughter (mildly impaired so she about 12yrs old mentally) and we took her for a routine visit and found she has a very serious heart condition, her symptoms were that she was tired alot, had difficulty with exercise... we had no idea.    i wish your daughter, and you, the best and let us know how everything goes.   dawn

[cmt51597]

I would say do not let her play until she sees the specialist.  You have to ask yourself why you would let her take the risk of allowing her to continue to play. What would she gain in just 1 month of play versus what she could possibly lose (which is her life).  It's not worth it to me to take that risk.

In life, anything we do is a risk, but we have to weigh the risks against what we would gain.  In this case, what she would be risking (her life) against what she would gain (not missing her practices and games for 1 month or so) makes it clear which way you should go.  Hopefully, once she sees the specialist, he or she can clear her and I'm sure the basketball will be there waiting for her.  To me the scale is weighed heavily on the side of not letting her play.  This is not a medical equation but a logical one.

[windy3737]

Thanks for your responses!  I spoke to our G.P. who agreed to her playing games (she's not a "starter" so does not get too much playing time) but to limit her practices, where they all work very hard for an extended period of time.  I've spoken to her coach who has agreed she can take part in practice "plays" but sit out for the work- outs.  I think this is a safe compramise.  Agree?

[cmt51597]

Windy,

While I applaud your efforts to discuss this with her GP and follow through, I still don't see the point of attempting the practices.  This comes down to a a parenting decision, which means this is YOUR decision, not her's.  I don't want to tell you how to manage your parenting, but you did ask for our input.  I don't claim to be an expert parent, as I'm a very new parent myself and you have a lot more parenting experience beyond me.  However, I can still use my perspective on this.

I think  you are trying to make this convenient for your daughter or try to not allow her life to see too much disruption.  But, from your first post you stated that SHE WANTS to continue to play.  I didn't see anywhere where this is what YOU want.  Well, this is not about what SHE WANTS, but what you WANT for her.  I see a bad parenting trend here in the US where parents try too hard to accomodate their children's wants.  What ever happened to just putting your foot down.  Besides, what's she going to gain from the limited practices.  Unless she's lined up with a full scholarship at Notre Dame, I just don't see the point.  Can't she just take a break and use the extra time maybe to focus on her studies and/or spend more time with the family or just rest, which would probably do her some good in this period.  I mean, just look at the BIG PICTURE, 5 weeks out is barely a blip on the big picture.  She my not see that being a 17 year old, but you certainly can.  But, that's just my opinion.  

But, just consider there's a chance she might be feeling good one day, maybe push herself harder than she should and something could happen unexpectedly.  Even if that's a remote chance, why take the chance?  She is 17 so the part of her brain that makes these types of decision is not yet fully developed.  She might not be able to fully appreciate the risk she is taking, even limited.  

These practice plays can get intense, and it might be risky if she is not properly warmed up.  I just think you are playing with fire.  You have to step in and put your foot down.  Just imagine if something does happend during the practice plays--- you will regret your decision to let her even do this.  Do you want to live with that kind of remorse?  

On top of this, this decision may have negative social consequences, especially amongst 17 year old girls!  (A tough crowd!!).  They may come to resent her for not having to do the full practice and may develop feelings against her for the coach making all these special accomodations for her.  It can take attention away from the team.  Given this, I think this is a selfish decision.  I am always with the philosophy that if you're going to do something, you've got to be able to give it 110%.  I know it's not her fault she can't give it her all right now, but more reason to just take a break for now until you get the full story.  Please take all this into consideration and go from there.