My Grandpa has a heart murmur, and he won't go to a cardiologist. Is his condition serious?

I'm worried about him. He went to the doctor because he was having trouble with gout in his feet, and then the doctor told him that he had a heart murmur in his neck (or something like that). He won't go to the cardiologist. I don't know what a heart murmur is. Is is serious? I'm kinda scared. Please tell me what you can about his condition.
Answer:
I imagine what your grandfather has is a partial blockage of his carotid artery, rather than a true heart murmur- although it is possible he has a heart murmur that can be heard in the neck arteries. Unfortunately he really does need to have a complete evaluation by a cardiologist to determine what is going on and how serious it is. Your grandfather is probably afraid of getting bad news, is concerned the repairs could be dangerous, or just isn't interested in making changes. Without knowing exactly what is wrong with your grandfather, it's not possible to tell you much about his condition. What you need to get your Grandfather to understand is that what he ignores or doesn't know can hurt him, and that you want him around for a while. Tell him that once an expert has a chance to see what's what, they can give him all the options, and then he can choose what's best for him. Lots of the treatments have improved and are not nearly as dangerous or radical as they used to be, and he will be all the better for having something done before things get critical. If there is a carotid partial blockage, it can be dealt with without major surgery. Then he can avoid the potential stroke all together. On the other hand, if he waits until it blocks completely, the stroke becomes a reality- along with all the problems it will bring. A heart murmur may simply be a noisy heart, but then again it could be a symptom of something gettting serious. I faced this with my father, when he had angina pains. I pointed out that he took the car to the mechanic when it made odd sounds, instead of waiting for things to fall off the engine or the entire engine to seize up. If he'd do that for the car, which had much less value than he did. why not just go see the cardiologist. It took some little arm twisting to be sure, and I went along with him for support. Maybe that would work for you as well- or at least get your mom or dad for additional support. Sometimes arguements work in numbers. I don't think you need to be scared, just be concerned, and voice that concern to your Grandfather plainly. If he still refuses to go, it is his right, and you have to honor it. That's not to say you can't keep being concerned, nor quiet. My dad resisted until I brought him a packet from the funeral home, and told him we might as well have that discussion while he was still able to have some input, and then I wouldn't bring up the subject again. He made the appointment that same week.

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A lot of people have heart murmurs. It probably isn't serious enough for him to get treated for it or his doctor would have ordered further testing and set things up. don't worry about the murmur, people can have murmurs and not even know it!

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A murmur in the neck is called a bruit (brew-ey). It indicates that there may be a partial blockage in the carotid artery. They are common but are not necessarily benign. More investigation is the right thing. This may be nothing or it may mean he could be at risk for a stroke. It is only guessing at this point.An ultra sound of the neck vessels should be done and if positive then your grandfather should be referred to a vascular surgeon. Do not buy the arguement "I feel great." In this case what you do not know can hurt you. No one ever felt bad the DAY BEFORE they had a big stroke. One last thing, is that often strokes don't kill you, they maim you making life much less enjoyable.I hope this helps. Good luck.

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a heart murmur is not a serious threat--thousands of people -have them and live normally ---i have a murmer -

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Look up mitral valve prolapse on google. That is the most common form of heart murmur, affecting as much as 1 in every 10 people. The caveat of that is that some have more 'regurgitation' than others. Which is just a reference to how much blood may leak out when the heart valves don't close completely (which is why it produces a 'murmur' sound which can be heard through a scope.
But don't be too quick to worry.
I was diagnosed with a heart murmum (MVProplapse) when I was 34. I'd had regular checkups my whole life almost annually and it just so happened that one doctor heard it while others did not. I did have an echo to measure the amount of regurgitation, but it wasn't a dangeous amount.
As far as it occuring 'in the neck,' as others suggested it *may but *may not reveal a partial blockage. Noises only reveal so much to us and more tests would be needed to check on the severity of the blockage.
The downside is that if your grandpa won't go to the doctor, you may never know. I'd set him down, tell him you're worried about him and it's something you think about a lot. Chances are, most grandpas will go if they know it's bothering you that much. It'll be good for him to find out exactly what's going on and good for your peace of mind.
Again, there are a LOT of benign murmurs out there, but ask your grandpa nicely to get it checked out, remind him that you're more worried than he is and chances are, he'll do it for you to put your mind at ease.
Best of luck to your grandpa for a good diganosis.

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