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Diagnosed with HOCM last year. May be time for surgery

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: Feb 28, 2017 | Replies (47)
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@colleenyoung

Hi @quinn, welcome to Connect.
My apologies for the delayed response. Somehow your message slipped by me. I have moved your message to this thread to connect you with others asking similar questions and people how have been there. On this thread you'll meet @cynaburst @lynnkay1956 @PatMattos @Sensation @ronaldpetrovich @lepadelford @barbararickard and others. They are much more qualified to answer your questions than I am.

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Replies to "Hi @quinn, welcome to Connect. My apologies for the delayed response. Somehow your message slipped by..."
Cynaburst, Alumna Mentor | @cynaburst | Mar 22, 2016

Hi @quinn -

Welcome to the club that you didn't want to join! I also have HCM. I had a myectomy at Mayo Clinic almost 10 years ago now, and it was the best thing I ever did for myself.

Actually I wrote a blog about my experiences there, if you would like to read it:

http://www.cynthiassummeradventure.blogspot.com

In order to qualify for a myectomy, you must be obstructed. You did not say whether you are or not. Most people who have myectomy have a pressure gradient of more than 30 mm/HG. In my own case, mine was about 120 mm/HG.

Usually, also they will try medications first to see if they relieve the symptoms. The surgery is primarily used to relieve symptoms -- they don't totally fix the problem: you will still be left with a heart that won't relax properly.

Let us know if you have any more specific questions, and I will try to help answer them. You will find the docs at Mayo Clinic the best in the world. Very glad that you are on your way there.

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