Possible Heart Murmur

[Paradox]

Hi all.

So I went for a dive medical in Mexico and the doctor said she heard a murmur so would not sign off on my medical.

I have an appointment with my family doc next week to look into it and I supposed possibly seeing a cardiac doc.

I'm curious as to anyone that might have gone thru this if it mean mean the end of my diving?

 

[rsingler]

Lots of folks have heart murmurs. For most, they are benign. Wait and see what your doc says.

A benign functional murmur has no diving consequences.
A valve-related murmur may be an issue regarding a potential for pulmonary edema if there is a heart failure component. This can be treated.
A valve related murmur may be an issue for exercise tolerance, depending other factors and the reason for the murmur. This can be treated.
A murmur from a "hole in the heart" may be a risk for the bends, which is probably why your Mexican doc demurred. While also treatable, these would be the least likely causes for a murmur, statistically speaking.

Let us know what your doctor tells you. There are ScubaBoard members with specific expertise in cardiac issues and diving who know far more than I. Keep in touch!

(And keep in mind the value of Internet advice)

Diving Doc

 

[Paradox]

Thanks for the reassurance that I might still be able to dive! The hardest part is the waiting to see my doc and then possibly have to wait to see a specialist

 

[Bladebreaker65]

I had a mitral valve repair done in Dec of 2018 rehab on my own and cardiac cleared dove in May of 2019 on the C53 in Coz. Mine was a virus damage from 2 yrs prior. Dove for 2 yrs with a murmur. Find a good Cardiologist that is familiar with dive medicine. Always ask Questions it probably is not the end of diving for you. Good Luck

 

[Gelirfella]

Doc puts a stethoscope on someone and says, “I think I hear a murmur.” Means nothing really. See your doc and see if they hear it, if they don’t and are willing to sign your form you’re fine. Nothing to it. If they “think they hear something” they’ll get an echocardiogram most likely and see if it amounts to anything. Murmur just means you hear an extra sound through a stethoscope, it’s not particularly meaningful as an isolated finding for making any diagnostic statements.