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afraid that I may have Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: Jul 7, 2025 | Replies (17)Comment receiving replies
Hi @lpaelevated4, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
I am glad you found this online support group for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy/HCM.
I was diagnosed at age 62 with obstructed HCM after several years of being diagnosed with a medley of heart conditions and diseases. None of which I had. It took three outside-my-area consultations to be correctly diagnosed with HOCM.
I am telling you this to emphasize that your cardiologist must be up-to-speed on all things HCM and HOCM, and it sounds as though your cardiologist is unclear what exactly you have going on.
It's easy to say "don't get upset" about maybe having a congenital heart disease...but you really don't know right now, so try and focus instead on getting some answers to your questions.
One step at a time!
We can't give out medical advise here on Connect, but we can share our stories and experiences and make suggestions.
My suggestion would be to not be afraid to learn the truth, and not be afraid to seek a second or even third opinion from another cardiologist...even if it means going out of your local area, if you are not near a Center of Excellence (COE).
The only way you will know what you may or may not have is to continue to seek out a specialist in HCM. But then again...you don't really know if you even have this.
Put your mind at rest and be your own best friend! You won't know unless you are persistent and take charge of your own medical care.
You mention your cardiologist sited a possible condition of "Athletic Heart", I found this online from the Cleveland Clinic that has some good information you may find interesting:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23920-athletes-heart
Are you very athletic and active?
Replies to "Hi @lpaelevated4, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am glad you found this online support..."
I am 64 years old now. Very physically active since childhood. Ran marathons, cycled across the USA, and running up mountains - all in my 30s and 40s. I travel a lot so when I do , I really don't exercise much but back home, within the last year, I worked out about an hour to an hour 1/2 5 to 6 times per week. Basically stair master and weight training. (just to maintain).
If it is not athlete heart , hypertension nor obstructive sleep apnea, what could be the cause of mild left ventricular hypertrophy? I question the accuracy of the sonographer and radiologist for the readings as my right atrium and aorta were not visualized well. Not sure how they came to the conclusion of NO aortic stenosis because from what I have read, an Lp(a) of 240 nmol ( about 95 to 97 percentiles) cause CAD and aortic stenosis.
I am under the S. CA Kaiser HMO for now till I turn 65 soon. I am hoping to go into medicare original plan with medigap G and find myself a specialist. Where can I find recommendations for a preventive cardiologist or someone who thinks outside the box?
When I inquired Mayo Clinic for a cardiologist appt, I was told that they accept Original Medicare but I need to register with a referral and that there is NO guarantee I will be accepted.
A most excellent response! I sincerely hope your response brings peace!
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Always amazed at your approach on giving sound advice!