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Why Camzyos instead of surgery?
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: 5 days ago | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
Hi,
I am 8 days postop from having open heart septal myectomy at Mayo Rochester. I am 56, and I didn’t like the thought of having to get echocardiograms all the time with the medication. My cardiologist said that I could try the medicine, or that I could do the surgery, which was more of a “set it and forget it” solution. Due to my age and previous independent and active lifestyle, not to mention the financial angle, I hands-down chose the operation. I almost didn’t have to think about it. I think I took maybe two days to decide? Then I got on the surgery schedule.
I am so glad I did! Yippeeeee!
I, too, had an abdominal surgery go completely rogue 2.5 years ago, so I was deathly afraid of this open heart surgery. I was so terrified that I wasn’t going to live through it that I met up with all of my favorite people the week before my surgery in case I didn’t come through it. I imagined that it was going to be the hellscape that the last “recovery” was, but I couldn’t have been more wrong!
As I write this, 8 days after surgery, I am already feeling and moving better than I was six months after my abdominal surgery. I can’t really believe it, to be quite honest. I mean, I literally just got out of the hospital on Christmas Eve. And I’m only on Tylenol, so it’s not the painkillers talking!
I think lifestyle can be a big factor in choosing whether to take the medicine or consider the surgery. For me, the medicine just came with too many complications and drawbacks that I didn’t want to deal with. Like another person said, I, too, entertain the idea of living in another country, and that wouldn’t be possible on that drug. My age and desired lifestyle made me a good surgery candidate, even considering that I never really recovered from that last surgery that just about ended my life.
I hope this helped a little? Best of luck to you!
Replies to "Hi, I am 8 days postop from having open heart septal myectomy at Mayo Rochester. I..."
To say that I am delighted to hear about your experience would be to seriously minimize my happiness for you! I am so glad you have had a good, and (relatively) pain free outcome - it sounds like you definitely made the right choice for yourself. If I ever do end up needing to go through surgery, I will take your experience to heart (bad pun intended). Have a great 2025 and beyond.
Happy New You, @yellvis !
What an amazing testimony you have shared. It's the same for a lot of us who have undergone open heart surgery: The unbridled FEAR is what seems to be the focal point.
Then acceptance.
Then the realization that yes, it's a tough surgery, but not nearly as horrible as we build up in our minds!
By sharing your story you never know who you may have helped. I am totally in agreement with you...I'd rather get it over with in a one-and-done surgery, than to be on a life time path of medications. I was super physically active before, and thanks to the surgery I am able to do almost everything I could before HOCM entered my life.
Being in a healthy place before surgery is the best way to get through this, and you prove that with your story. And to add that you only took Tylenol is also worthy of noting. I got nothing but Tylenol as well, so that has to say something to those who may be considering surgery of this magnitude.
I hope you continue to heal, and that 2025 will be your best year with your newly tuned up heart!
Happy New Year!
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Wow, JuliAnne, thanks for posting! Great to hear you're doing so well barely a week after surgery. I've been on mavacamten two and a half months now, with good results "on paper" (from my follow-up echocardiograms), but I'm feeling only slightly better, so far.
I am still strongly considering septal myectomy, perhaps next summer or so, and I am heartened (so to speak) to hear a success story like yours. Best of luck with your continuing recovery.