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HCM-ers: Introduce yourself or just say hi
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: 2 hours ago | Replies (768)Comment receiving replies
Hello, my name is Priscilla. I am 46yrs old and was diagnosed with HOCM in May 2018 with 40 gradient (I think this is what is called). I started off by taking Dialtiazem 120mg and 25mg of Metoprolol and now a little over a year later I am taking 360mg of Dialtiazem and 50mg of Metoprolol. We are now discussing having a septal myectomy since I still get shortness of breath and chest pain. My blood pressure is elevated quite a bit and my doctor says they are limited as to what meds I can receive because of my heart condition. I also have chronic kidney disease so I am worried how my elevated blood pressure will affect this and how my heart working so hard will affect my kidneys. How much medication did most of you take before you decided on surgery? How often should I be having pain and shortness of breath before I completely decide on surgery ? Thank you
Replies to "Hello, my name is Priscilla. I am 46yrs old and was diagnosed with HOCM in May..."
When to have surgery is really an individual decision. I tried meds for a few years and my symptoms were getting worse and the side effects were more and more bothersome. I made the decision because I felt my quality of life had declined to the point where I was willing to take the risk of surgery. I think that is what you have to think about. At what point do you feel like you can't go on with all the drugs and will your situation improve substantially after surgery. For example, it may allow you to better control your blood pressure and take some stress off your kidneys. You should discuss the pros and cons with your doctor.
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Hi Priscilla
My husband had septal myectomy on October 4 six weeks ago.
Prior to surgery and the reason he had the surgery was that he was on max doses of meds 100 mgms of atenolol and 250 mgms of Norpace and still having shortness of breath and syncope (he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for 30 + years)
Having the surgery had made an amazing difference. He’s 74