heart murmur

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myltlisa24
myltlisa24 Posts: 242 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone have a heart murmur?? Does it prevent you from doing high intensity workouts?

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  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I do! And no has not prevented anything for me. I still run for miles and miles and do HIIT
  • myltlisa24
    myltlisa24 Posts: 242 Member
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    you don't get dizzy or lightheaded? I cant seem to run a block without getting winded! :(
  • BulldogCNM
    BulldogCNM Posts: 28
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    Depends on the type of murmur you have and how advanced it is (grade 1 being barely a murmur and grade 6 being the worse). I have level 3 Mitral Valve Prolapse so sometimes I get winded, dizzy and have some light chest pain but nothing crazy.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Hi there. I have a murmur from my mitral valve regurgitation. It's a grade 4 murmur so quite severe. Feel free to add me if you want.

    It does interfere with cardio workouts for me. I get chest palpatations, sometimes skip beats, shortness of breath, and get a lot of pressure and sharp pinch pain in my chest. I've learned to live with it and manage my symptoms with medication and adjustments to a normal cardio routine. For me, I need a good 10 minute warmup to slowly move my heart rate up. If I just jump into a workout, I end up having to stop from the pain and shortness of breath.

    Honestly, you need to stop and go see a cardiologist. Workout what is causing the murmur and if he/she has suggestions for you. Until then, do walking or other low impact workouts that don't push your heart rate up too high too fast.
  • myltlisa24
    myltlisa24 Posts: 242 Member
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    I have the same thing - mitro valve prolaspe. I always wondered why I couldn't run without getting winded. I didn't know if I could train my heart to pump right while I run. I just want to be able to jog a mile without stopping. :( Its so frustrating.
  • bidwhist
    bidwhist Posts: 40 Member
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    I have one, but it has never stopped me from doing anything
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    I have the same thing - mitro valve prolaspe. I always wondered why I couldn't run without getting winded. I didn't know if I could train my heart to pump right while I run. I just want to be able to jog a mile without stopping. :( Its so frustrating.

    I know exactly how you feel. It is more frustrating than anything I've experienced before.

    My suggestion is to start training your heart slowly with fast walking and interval training with a good long warmup.

    I still think you should talk to your cardiologist though before doing anything else. You don't want to end up passed out on the sidewalk from pushing too hard.
  • sw0301
    sw0301 Posts: 46 Member
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    I have a heart mumur, started having breathing & dizziness issues which the doctors thought were related to the murmur but after several tests & blood work I found out that I had a B12 deficiency.
    I suggest going to the doctor and getting a regular physical checkup, including blookwork! :)
  • jaffacakejane
    jaffacakejane Posts: 1
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    Hi there,
    Some people can exercise normally but others have different causes for murmurs. If you are getting very tired id ask your doc for some tests, and see if its safe to push yourself.
    I get abnormal heart rhythms all the time and when I exercise I get tired too, Drs told me nothing to worry about, but recently my dad was diagnosed with hereditary heart condition, so i'm about to get tested myself, I don't want to push myself til I get the results! But I love exercise and i try to do little and often, some say that's better than one big hit every two days.

    Also when I first started running I got very out of breath but you have to start building yourself up, walk one minute run one minute etc, although even this tired me out in the start, I don't know how much running you have done you might know all this, but just tryin to help :0)
    Good luck
    :0)
  • myltlisa24
    myltlisa24 Posts: 242 Member
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    NO, I didn't, Thanks for your response. I was looking for answers. :)
  • zoink66
    zoink66 Posts: 116 Member
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    I have a mitro valve prolasp as well, but it hasn't really affected my exercise. Occasionally I'll get mild chest pains, but surprising, never when I'm working out.

    If you're really worried about it or having pain or serious discomfort, it's probably a good idea to get checked by your doctor if you can. He/she might be able to tell you if being winded is related to the heart murmur or if it's just from being overweight or out of shape (though I've no idea what your fitness level is!).

    I've just started C25K because I want to become a runner, too. Lots of people on this board have done it and it gets really good praise (but I'm only on Week 2 so I don't know yet!). You may want to check it out if you haven't already.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 4,897 Member
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    I have moderate 2+ moderate Mitral Valve regurgitation. My cardiologist did not recommend any restrictions. I have been a jogger most of my life, but I do notice that recently, sudden increase in intensity leaves me feeling breathless. This is a recent diagnosis this year from when I started having some chest pain and dizziness.

    I think the valve works pretty good most of the time, but there are days every once in a while where I just seem light headed all day. (Like yesterday :( ) On those days I am afraid to really do much as walking seems to be an effort.

    I agree with the posters that say get a cardiologist opinion and go from there... For some reason gradually increasing the intensity of a workout does not appear to bother me.

    Hope this helps. I this MVR is very common in older women.

    Summer
  • pmatel
    pmatel Posts: 1
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    I was born with mitral valve prolapse and over the years of ultra running it has advanced to regurgitation.. Now when i run i have to start out slowly - walk- then run again to get my breathing and heart rhythm to normalize. I did not know how bad it was until my PCP sent me to cardiologist, had echo - then went to heart surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Had stress test and cardiac MRI . It has progressed from moderate to severe. I am going to have my mitral valves repaired so down the road i do not have to have them replaced, which will happen if i put off the surgery. I want to run ultras and do triathlons again, but i cannot push myself any more. Once i have the surgery i will be back to normal. DON'T let it progress!
  • pennyks88
    pennyks88 Posts: 167 Member
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    Yes, I have a heart murmur as well and I find I really have to pace myself and take breaks when doing high intensity work outs. If I work myself too hard, my heart goes crazy and I feel like I'm going to pass out. When my heart starts pumping fast, that's when I slow down and rest for a bit. It can be frustrating. I can only run about 2 or 3 minutes before I have to slow down.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
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    you don't get dizzy or lightheaded? I cant seem to run a block without getting winded! :(

    You might be getting winded as you running too fast. Many beginning runners struggle when they start because they run too fast to start.

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