Son Has Heart Problems

My son is 16 turning 17 in a few months, within in the past few months he has been admitted to the hospital for heart problems. He often collapses as well as having surgery 4 times to fix his heart condition. He told me that he can feel his heart skipping a beat and i am worried. His cardiologist says he has bradycardia. Is this why his heart is reacting? What can i do as a parent???

[michellepetkus]

I am sorry to hear about all of your sons troubles.  We aren't doctors here so any advice we give is based on personal experience only.  Bradycardia is a slow heart beat.  It is possible the slowness of the beat is making it feel like his heart is skipping or it is possible he is also experiencing some ectopics.  This are errant beats arising from different areas of the heart that disrupt the normal beat cycle.  They aren't dangerous in an otherwise healthy heart.  What sort of condition was your son treated for?  If it is an ongoing condition I would ask the doctor for a holter to get an accurate reading of what his heart is doing to find out if he is even having ectopics or something else and if it is dangerous due to his condition.  What did the doctor say about the bradycardia?    I would say if your son is still collapsing to keep on top of this.  Do you know why he is collapsing?  Can I ask what his bp is?  Low bp can cause people to pass out and sometimes adding a little salt to the diet can help.  Also sometimes adding some caffeine to the diet can help with the bradycardia but considering your son may have some underlying health issues consult the doctor before you do anything.  Take care.  I hope you son feels better soon.  Keep us posted on how he is doing.

[jaymikechar]

my son has been fighting this since he was 5. He is involved in many sports 8 in fact. His bp if i am correct is 145/250.  My son is 173 lbs and stands 6'7. He collapses because he does cross country and my wife and i try to get himout of it. He goes to the dr this week, His bradycardia has gotten better about 10% in the past year. He does well in school and he is talented at many things.

[michellepetkus]

The bp doesn't sound right.  Normal bp is 120/80 the first number generally tending to be bigger so it could be 250/145 but that is extremely high and I would think he would be on bp meds if that was the case so I am thinking that is probably not right either.  Well, cross country doesn't really cause someone to pass out.  He is passing out while doing it which is a sign he has exercise intolerance for some reason.  Has his cardiologist cleared him to exercise?  Well it is good he is going to see the doctor.  Collapsing is something you will want to keep on top of.  Good luck and keep us posted on how he is doing.