Just Got Diagnosed With A heart Murmur! Need Advice!?

[DomDaw]

I am a 17 year old male. Over the last two weeks I have had breathing problems. I have mild asthma. So I have a had a small history with breathing difficulties. THIS WAS NOT ASTHMA. I could tell that much. Basically I have to take really deep breathes every once in a while. I suspect that stress might be playing a part in this as I have exams on at the moment. Throughout the two weeks that I have not been able to breathe properly I have got asthma about twice. Mild of course. I also have sharp pains right where my heart is. Once or twice I have also noticed a burning sensation. Anyway, I went to the doctor and he had a good listen. All of the sudden he said I have a heart murmur. He seemed pretty panicky about it and actually had to get another doctor to have a listen. She confirmed I have a heart murmur. Said that she can definitely hear it. I had an ECG and blood tests all came back well except for a high voltage on my ECG. The doctor said that I should probably have a cardiologist look at me. This would involve an echo. However, I cannot do it through a public hospital (for free) as I am leaving for Europe in a few weeks. Privately, I can have a echo done. For a whopping 780 dollars. As I have mentioned I'm getting sharp pains near my heart and lungs + breathing difficulties. I am under a bit of stress from exams but not as much as I have had before. THIS IS A NEW MURMUR. I go to the doctors sometimes about my asthma. They have never heard it before. As I mentioned I am 17. Can I please have some advice? Is it worth 780 dollars to have an echo? Am I in danger? Can it wait for a month or until January next year? Also, The pains are reoccurring. 4-8 times a day.

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

Good advice from Ireneo.

Most murmurs are innocent findings and don't need intervention.  But you do have symptoms now and you need to get an echo done.

[ireneo]

I've had a murmur all my life and I'm fine. But the key is finding out what's causing the murmur. Some are quite innocent and others can be caused by an abnormality in the heart.

Since your murmur is new and it seems you're having new symptoms, I do think it would be worth it to have it checked in case you have a valve problem going on or some other issue. Having it done privately will get you the info you need but where will you go if you need treatment? If the doctors refer you to a cardio because it's a necessary test, is it still not paid for? Check into your options before committing to the private testing. You can check with a patient advocate at a hospital who may be able to point you in the right direction. They work for the patients, protecting and guiding them in matters.