upper abdominal/chest pain

My daughtere is 14 years old and a very active athlete who currently plays on the boys high school hockey team.  She is also asthmatic and has been experiencing on occasion upper abdominal/chest pain approx 15 minutes - 1/2hour after playing hockey.  The pain usually lasts about 1/2 hour and only subsides if she lies down. She has recently seen her physician and upon an examination a flow murmur was detected. her physician advised that this is very comon in athletes but has requested a stress test and echocardiagram due to her having an atypical symptom.  She is also very active in soccer and has not experienced this pain after a soccer game.  She is currently on medication for her asthma: Symbicort, singular, salbutomal. She has tryouts for a AAA hockey team in early October and I am somewhat concerned about her exercising and exerting herslf.  her physician seems to think it is O.K. to continue with her hockey while waiting for tests and results.  She has been experiencing this pain on occasion for approx two years. I have had her in to see her physician due to this pain before and it was thought that it might have something to do with her asthma.  We are froma rural community and looking for any advise or suggestions.  Thanks for your help

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Squill,

I doubt there is a cardiac reason for your daughters symptoms, it does sound like asthma.  It is also true that a lot of athletes and non athletes have innocent flow murmurs.  It is tough for me to say anything different than your doctor without seeing the studies and examining her.  If you have doubts, I would ask for a second opinion.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.  I hope this helps and good luck.

[Bromley]

Hi. I know this may be of little consolation if you are worried about you daughter, but I hear that the hearts of athletes often make a little extra noise.  Those hearts are so powerful that they get a can get a little extra swish as the blood flows passed a valve.  

Also, both of those sports seem like they might be fairly strenuous.  Not sure if angina would specialize itself to just hockey. The demands placed on the upper body, and on the lungs, by the two sports might be different though...   I'll be interested in the doctor's reply.

[cmiller]

If you search the internet (google) with the words "asthma" and "magnesium"... you will find very quickly that studies show Magnesium deficiency and Asthma are linked. And Mg deficiency can cause cardiac problems.  I have other postings that review some of the current info on Magnesium and potassium and heart health.   I believe I stripped these ions through high levels of exercise to the point of 3 ER visits in a month with weakness and heart palps.  I tried to restore myself through food, and some research suggests that you can not do it... you  must use supplements at least at first. In addition to the info I provided on the other post about heart health, I also plan to make sure I supplement with a sports hydration drink whenever I work out... I'm researching those now to find one with the right amounts of Na, K, Mg, Ca, glucose, vitamin C/antioxidents and protein and no other 'additives".  All these ions are needed in good balance for cardiac health.   gatoraid might work in an emergency... And there is too much sugar, colors and other 'stuff" for my taste.   Also, water replacement is GREAT and it is important to add a pinch of sea salt.. this will help with absorption and reduce further salt stripping.
If you look at the list of high magnesium foods (can be found on internet) I doubt that most adults, much less teenagers, are eating a lot of those.  I can tell you that I am dedicated to eating more.    

Good luck.

[cmiller]

Oh yes, one more comment about "athlete's heart".   I was told that my unusual heart beat (palpitations and chest pain) was probably because I was an athlete.   I thought about that a lot and decided that my heart was beating funny because something was not right.  And, interestingly enough, as soon as my plasma K went from 3.3 to 4.4 my heartbeat went normal and chest pains and palps are getting less frequent over time with Mg/K supplmentation. Both the levels mentioned above are pretty much considered "normal".  so I'm not buying into the athlete heart thing.  Yes, there may be structural changes- thinkenings in the heart wall etc.  AND I would bet that most athletes have minor salt imbalances, and although they may have "normal" serum electrolytes, they are at risk for cardiac problems or worse because their cellular levels do not always correlate with plasma levels. I was told by my cardiologist that it would be fine to get back on my bike.. and I can tell you that I would have ended up with a serious cardiac problem had I done so without discovering this Mg/K supplementation.

Can you name one person you know who really eats a truely nutritive and healthy diet of fresh fruits and veggies, low in processed carbs and fats?  even an athlete?

[squill]

Thanks for your comments and words of encouragement. She saw a pediatric specialist yesterday, and he feels it is worth pursuing.  She will be travelling to the city early next week to see a cardiologist and have an echo and stress test done. he was not quite sure what to make of her symptoms.  Asthma or cardiac??  She has her AAA hockey tryouts next Friday so they are doing their best to have everything completed before this.  If they cannot, can she still try out and exert herself physically??  Just looking for some advice.

Thanks

[Bromley]

Hi. If you recently say a doctor, it would be better to pose your question to him.  

regards,

Bromley

[Bromley]

(You could call your doctor's office for an answer to this question).

[cmiller]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your daughter....   you might search this site for my other posts on Magnesium... I think you would find them of great interest.   I'm sure it is best be advised by a doctor about what is ok to do, and I don't guess knowing what I know now about Mg deficiency and how hard it is to demonstrate (like plasma Mg doesn't mean squat), I would make darned sure I had enough Mg in my system before trying any other darned treatment... all of which.... beta blockers, etc. mask the symptoms.     I was offered B blockers and refused, exactly for that reason.

Also, you might want to see if you can find someone who specializes in neurolinguistic programming. search internet for asthma and NLP.  It is a way to rewire the brain on how it responds to stimulus and has been shown in a small study to be as effective as drugs.   I have not used it much for asthma, although I have used it for all kinds of challenges coaching people, including "anxiety" and the stuff is really powerful.

good luck,

Cmiller