My son is 11year old and very fit, i noticed around a week ago his heart seems erratic to me, could be 70 bpm then will go up to 130bpm , it seems worse when i check his pulse in bed, it will go fast then slow, fast then slow, i checked it last night 10pm it was going slow for 5secs then fast for 5secs, checked 10mins later and it was ok? checked it at 7am was going fast then slow, 1hr later and it was ok. he has had 3 ecg at the doctors in a week as i am worried and they keep telling me his heart seems fine. He feels ok and isnt unwell. i am just worried any advice.
thanks
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maka12
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It must be very concerning for you. I would suggest you ring the BHF nurses on 0300 330 3311. They are there weekdays 9am to 5pm. I would imagine they have more experience on these issues than the average GP.
These readings seem to be near normal resting HR for a child of that age, you also need to take in to account that dreams can increase HR significantly.
School-aged child (5-12 years): 70-120 bpm
I would suggest a call to your GP to allay any worries.
HiI bought my son a smart watch for Christmas and we noticed his heart rate was high.
It's not so much the heart rate is high, its the way its going fast for 5 seconds then slow for 5, then fast for 5.etc. It's not always like this just noticed it 4 or 5 times. Everytime he gets a ecg it's fine.
What a terrible object to have in your house that is causing you so much worrying, to the point of your poor son being put through all the tests he has had done.
Even these tests cannot seem to give you peace over your son health and yet you rely on the reading of a watch.
I can fully understand your worries, I would be heartless if I didn’t.
But how can you take the readings of a watch { I don’t care what price you paid } over the readings from the equipment at your medical centre/ Drs ?
These watches have become a problem to the medical service, why ? Because the reader takes the readings as gospel, when in fact they are a guide only { it will say this in the instructions , small print }
I really hope that you can get past this, and please listen to the NHS it is there for you and your son.
If not why not try a private health journey? as I’m sure you would do anything for your son.
I am not using watch to check his pulse, he hasn't used watch since Christmas day, I am using my fingers on his wrist to check pulse, I am checking it a few times a day and have then noticed it keeps going up and down. If I Check it for 30 seconds I notice in that time frame it goes fast then slow every say 5seconds up and down. Also the doctor told me to check it this way, 2 or 3 times a day and record the results. Obviously watchs are not that accurate.
He is very fit, one of the doctors did mention about the breathing, never knew this could happen, I would say the heart rate goes up around approx 30-40percent from the slower rate, then up and down in around 5second gaps.
Hello, I was interested in reading your post as I was recently talking to an old school friend who became a GP. He sadly lost his daughter suddenly at 16 to sudden cardiac arrest. This devastating event led him & his wife to set up a charity to campaign for tests in adolescents. The lower age for this is 14 as the heart is still developing until then so your son is still too young but it might be worth you contacting them to be listened too by people who understand your concerns. Have a look at their website Cry - Cardiac Arrest in the Young. c-r-y.org.uk/
As a parent never underestimate that you know your child best & when to be concerned. I hope you all get the reassurance and support you need.
Thank you for the link to this group, it has helped me understand the dreadful feeling I had when I was waiting for my consultant to tell me about my {then} upcoming bypass.
The client before me was no older than 13/14 with his parents, the shock of seeing someone so young and his distressed parents will remain with me for a long time.
Sounds like a normal child to me. My brother had similar problems with his first born until I was asked to have a chat with him. It’s normal to be concerned about our children but we can overdo the worry and make life difficult for them if we aren’t careful.
Well said and excellent advice. My niece worried about her new born daughters heart rate too! She couldn't believe that 140-160 was perfectly normal! xx
This is not medical advice, suggestions and opinions only.
The anxiety and issue now exists, and for peace of mind I would suggest having a Holter monitor, there will only be 2 results, 1. Heart rate and rhythm are normal and you know you have had in-depth testing and there is nothing a miss and the whole family can move on with their lives. 2. There is infact an issue and you will be seen by a cardiologist to manage the issue.
The only downside is it might be a bit scary for a child to wear a Holter monitor.
Sometimes we need medical testing to reassure and allay our fears so that we can move forwards and put our fears to rest.
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