HCM and Head rush sensations

Posted by ajand @ajand, Aug 31, 2019

Hi-I am new to the HCM/HOCM diagnosis. Just wondering if anyone experiences headrush sensations or pressure in head on exertion?? Should I be concerned or is this normal? Didnt used to experience this. Any input would be appreciated.

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My husband experiences dizziness (like. Vertigo) and shortness of breath during exertion

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I had a lot of that before finding out I had HCM. Dr's thought it was vertigo....I thought it was low blood pressure. Tests showed I did NOT have vertigo. Once diagnosed with HOCM I did a TON of reading....as you probably will. Disopyramide did help some but over all did not ....resulting in the Myectomy.

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@superdave98557

My husband experiences dizziness (like. Vertigo) and shortness of breath during exertion

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My husband had dizziness on exertion which led to syncope (we live at 4500 ft ) for a few months prior to surgery and on max dose of drugs eg Disopyramide and Atenolol he was not allowed to go out for a walk by himself, surgery made an amazing difference. Wishing you all the very best

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I just saw your post. I was recently diagnosed with HOCM and I was very active before January 14, 2020. I experience dizziness, ringing in ears, legs get wobbly, HR and Blood pressure goes up and down for hours and I feel as if I'm on a roller coaster ride and it makes me feel like having motion sickness. Medications are not working and now discussing Septum myectomy to relieve symptoms. Are my symptoms similar to anyone else's?

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Yes. I was dizzy, had palpations sometimes, short of breath, pressure and pain in my chest, felt really crappy if dehydrated a bit and seemed to get worse after a meal or when I laid down. Got the myectomy and feel much better . Don't feel 100%, but feel better than before. Had a significant murmur before and now my cardiologist said the murmur is hardly noticable now.

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@badmac

Yes. I was dizzy, had palpations sometimes, short of breath, pressure and pain in my chest, felt really crappy if dehydrated a bit and seemed to get worse after a meal or when I laid down. Got the myectomy and feel much better . Don't feel 100%, but feel better than before. Had a significant murmur before and now my cardiologist said the murmur is hardly noticable now.

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Thanks for replying. How many times a day did you feel dizzy, SOB, pain in chest, etc? What did you do to relieve symptoms? How long did you suffer with symptoms before having surgery? What foods would you recommend to avoid having worsening of symptoms? Sorry so many questions but have nobody to ask and have been dealing with symptoms for 4.5 months and my local doctors haven't a clue what I am even talking about. They refer to them as episodes. " Are you still having episodes they will ask. Maybe you are just anxious, stressed today". I try to explain, can happen anywhere, anytime. So glad you have relief. Gives me hope!!

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---My symptoms are the same as badmac's. But they are intermittent. The slight chest pain is almost daily, and dizziness is several times per week. Lying on my back has now become very uncomfortable. Worst for me is increasing fatigue; great energy in the morning, but sapped in the afternoon. Even in the morning, any project becomes tiring after a short while. My meds -- metoprolol and losartan -- do help, but not as well as earlier. It seems the essential one, metoprolol, should be increased (currently 50mg morn and 50mg evening). BTW, does anyone take more than this? With good results?
---Another point, my symptoms seem to appear a few days after a heavy meal that includes some drinking. Alcohol is surely a factor.

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@archer

---My symptoms are the same as badmac's. But they are intermittent. The slight chest pain is almost daily, and dizziness is several times per week. Lying on my back has now become very uncomfortable. Worst for me is increasing fatigue; great energy in the morning, but sapped in the afternoon. Even in the morning, any project becomes tiring after a short while. My meds -- metoprolol and losartan -- do help, but not as well as earlier. It seems the essential one, metoprolol, should be increased (currently 50mg morn and 50mg evening). BTW, does anyone take more than this? With good results?
---Another point, my symptoms seem to appear a few days after a heavy meal that includes some drinking. Alcohol is surely a factor.

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I am currently on Metoprolol 100 mg twice a day and Cardizem 360 mg once a day. I experience dizziness, feel lightheaded, like a head rush of getting off a carnival ride, legs wobbly legs, shaky. Sometimes will last an hour send a half or so after eating meals. There are days, like yesterday, where these symptoms lasted four over 5 hours. I have started writing down everything I eat to see if my diet is causing symptoms to last longer and take over my day and me. Before being diagnosed with HOCM in January 2020, I always enjoyed a glass of red wine a couple times a week but have not had any alcohol since then, mostly due to fear of an episode of symptoms could come anytime and supposed to avoid alcohol with metoprolol ( which interacts with many, many things) and being on blood thinner for A- fib is not recommended due to alcohol will make blood thin also. Would love to hear what others have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that lessens symptoms. Also, while having symptoms what do you do during them that helps? How does your family handle things when you ate not feeling well?

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<p>My diagnosis was made about three years ago -- after many years with Mitral Valve Prolapse (which had been confirmed after a fainting event). With the MVP, my chief symptoms were occasional chest pains and dizziness. For me, HCM introduced fatigue and occasional edema. My medications (Metoprolol and Losartan) have been a great help; the edema seems to be controlled and my blood pressure is regulated. Fatigue remains a problem, but a bearable one; and the chest pains recur often -- usually around the time of the dizziness. What concerns me is the dizziness. It is sometimes severe, but always it is accompanied by eye pressure and, at times, a tightness and slight pain around the eyes/temples. My wife insists that the dizziness and eye pressure are caused by an allergy/sinus problem. My physician is uncertain. Does anyone have similar symptoms? My concern is that the increasing dizziness might suggest a progression of the HCM. We have an appointment with the physician in late July, and the question will be Would an adjustment of my meds improve these symptoms? Does anyone have any ideas about the dizziness-eye pressure combo?</p>

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@archer

<p>My diagnosis was made about three years ago -- after many years with Mitral Valve Prolapse (which had been confirmed after a fainting event). With the MVP, my chief symptoms were occasional chest pains and dizziness. For me, HCM introduced fatigue and occasional edema. My medications (Metoprolol and Losartan) have been a great help; the edema seems to be controlled and my blood pressure is regulated. Fatigue remains a problem, but a bearable one; and the chest pains recur often -- usually around the time of the dizziness. What concerns me is the dizziness. It is sometimes severe, but always it is accompanied by eye pressure and, at times, a tightness and slight pain around the eyes/temples. My wife insists that the dizziness and eye pressure are caused by an allergy/sinus problem. My physician is uncertain. Does anyone have similar symptoms? My concern is that the increasing dizziness might suggest a progression of the HCM. We have an appointment with the physician in late July, and the question will be Would an adjustment of my meds improve these symptoms? Does anyone have any ideas about the dizziness-eye pressure combo?</p>

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@archer, I notice that there is another related discussion in the HCM group called
- HCM and Head rush sensations https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/head-rush-sensations/

I'm tagging the same fellow HCM-ers @ajand @superdave98557 @sheim @rrowner2 @angiev18 @badmac on this discussion to see if anyone has had a similar combination of dizziness and eye pressure.

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