"shock" in the heart

Good evening, My son is 11 years old and is a former 26 5/7 week triplet #1. He was diagnosed as an infant with cardiomyopathy and is untreated and released from the cardiologist since he was 6 years old. Medication history is: concerta 36 mg qd. My question for you is that he complains of a "shock" feeling in his chest often. We have brought this up to our pediatrician and she does not seem worried. However, as a mother, I am worried. It seems he gets these more and more often and when he does get them it stops him in his tracks for a minute or so and then the pain goes away. Any suggestions please!

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Saalbunch,

I am curious as to know what cardiomyopathy your son had, as this may potentially play a part in your son’s symptoms.  There is also a number of questions I would need to ask to ascertain further aspects of the character, frequency, duration, severity, etc., of his symptoms.  However, overall, the sensation of feeling a “shock” is most likely non-cardiac chest wall pain.  I do not believe that his stimulant medication has anything to do with it, either.  I would say, though, that if your pediatrician is not asking a full set of questions regarding the evaluation of these episodes, you may want either to get a second opinion from a different primary care provider or to return to your cardiologist and make sure that there is nothing else going on from a cardiac standpoint.