Tweet
[Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Cheri (---.tnt1.wilmington.de.da.uu.net)
Date: 09-25-02 15:49
I have HCM and am 34 weeks pregnant and have experienced unsustained runs of v-tach. I do not know if this is pregnancy induced or not. (My first pregnancy was uneventful and very easy.) My cardiologists are suggesting an ICD after delivery. I am now in the hospital until delivery. I do not want to have unnecessary surgery. I am very, very active and would like to go back to the life I had before I ended up in the hospital. Does anyone have any experience with the effects of pregnancy on individuals with HCM? Also, what is your experience with ICD's? Is a normal, active life possible after having one of these devices put in? Are there any other choices (I really am opposed to taking medication for the rest of my life).
How common are the use of ICD's in individuals with HCM? Up until this time I have had virtually no problems related to HCM.
Thanks,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Sarah B.-Board Moderator (---.client.attbi.com)
Date: 09-25-02 16:32
Dear Cheri,
Vtach is very serious and very dangerous and an ICD will reduce your chance of sudden death from vtach by 99%. They are very safe devices and most people return to their previous activity level after they have recovered from surgery. The only difference between who you are now and what you can do before the ICD and after the ICD is that if you have vtach, the ICD will stop it.
Please read the older threads on this board as there are several excellent discussions on pregnancy and life with ICDs.
Having a baby puts a lot of strain on the heart and you may or may not have more HCM symptoms b/c of the stress of pregnancy. This is a bigger change than the ICD on what you will be able to do. Some women get through with flying colors and others have more difficulty. Everyone is different and we can't generalize really. However, it is good that you are in the hospital getting good care and resting as much as you can (i know sleeping in a hospital is almost impossible --use ear plugs and a sleep mask if you have to!).
A lot of people with ICDs take medication to reduce the risk of having an arrhythmia, but since they aren't 100% effective and vtach is so risky, having an ICD is the best treatment. Whether you need a drug on top of it is up to you and your doctors to figure out. Taking one beta-blocker a day is not too onerous for most people and can help quite a bit.
Good luck, take care and please read about the pregancy stuff here.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Lisa Salberg (208.47.172.---)
Date: 09-30-02 16:08
Lots of questions with many answers....
1. ICD's are comon in those at high risk for sudden death in HCM and othe conditions as well.
2. I had a child 7 years ago, 5 years ago I had my 1st ICD...my life is fine
3. You will likely need to take meds along with your ICD...if you do not get the ICD the meds will be stronger and may cause more side effects.
4. You can live a rather normal life with the ICD..and with HCM... you will have the protection of knowing if the V-tach comes back...and converts into V-fib... you are protected from Sudden death!
5. Becarful during delivery....NO EPIDURAL!!!!!!!!!!
Any more questions... call the HCMA office.
Lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Amy (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 10-02-02 07:52
Cheri,
I do not have an ICD. However, I have gone through three pregnancies with HCM. The 1st 2 pregnancies went fine, with few symptoms. However, during my last pregnany, I had an enormous amount of arrhythmias. Although most of them were just extra heart beats, I did have runs of tach. And during my 7th month I started having atrial fibulation. I, infact left the States and came to England to have my baby because I couldn't get an obstitrician to look after me. They thought I was too high risk. My HCA, which was not obstructive, had become obstructive (which is unusual). Because I lived in England previously, I have an excellent cardiologist here, who monitored my care. He started me on amiodarone in my 7th month, which stopped the A Fib and reduced the tach. One of my biggest fears was that after the baby was born, I would continue to have symptoms. My baby is 6 weeks old now, and I am feeling almost like my old self. over the past few weeks I've had less and less symptoms. I hope my story helps in some way.
-Amy
Author: Cheri (---.tnt1.wilmington.de.da.uu.net)
Date: 09-25-02 15:49
I have HCM and am 34 weeks pregnant and have experienced unsustained runs of v-tach. I do not know if this is pregnancy induced or not. (My first pregnancy was uneventful and very easy.) My cardiologists are suggesting an ICD after delivery. I am now in the hospital until delivery. I do not want to have unnecessary surgery. I am very, very active and would like to go back to the life I had before I ended up in the hospital. Does anyone have any experience with the effects of pregnancy on individuals with HCM? Also, what is your experience with ICD's? Is a normal, active life possible after having one of these devices put in? Are there any other choices (I really am opposed to taking medication for the rest of my life).
How common are the use of ICD's in individuals with HCM? Up until this time I have had virtually no problems related to HCM.
Thanks,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Sarah B.-Board Moderator (---.client.attbi.com)
Date: 09-25-02 16:32
Dear Cheri,
Vtach is very serious and very dangerous and an ICD will reduce your chance of sudden death from vtach by 99%. They are very safe devices and most people return to their previous activity level after they have recovered from surgery. The only difference between who you are now and what you can do before the ICD and after the ICD is that if you have vtach, the ICD will stop it.
Please read the older threads on this board as there are several excellent discussions on pregnancy and life with ICDs.
Having a baby puts a lot of strain on the heart and you may or may not have more HCM symptoms b/c of the stress of pregnancy. This is a bigger change than the ICD on what you will be able to do. Some women get through with flying colors and others have more difficulty. Everyone is different and we can't generalize really. However, it is good that you are in the hospital getting good care and resting as much as you can (i know sleeping in a hospital is almost impossible --use ear plugs and a sleep mask if you have to!).
A lot of people with ICDs take medication to reduce the risk of having an arrhythmia, but since they aren't 100% effective and vtach is so risky, having an ICD is the best treatment. Whether you need a drug on top of it is up to you and your doctors to figure out. Taking one beta-blocker a day is not too onerous for most people and can help quite a bit.
Good luck, take care and please read about the pregancy stuff here.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Lisa Salberg (208.47.172.---)
Date: 09-30-02 16:08
Lots of questions with many answers....
1. ICD's are comon in those at high risk for sudden death in HCM and othe conditions as well.
2. I had a child 7 years ago, 5 years ago I had my 1st ICD...my life is fine
3. You will likely need to take meds along with your ICD...if you do not get the ICD the meds will be stronger and may cause more side effects.
4. You can live a rather normal life with the ICD..and with HCM... you will have the protection of knowing if the V-tach comes back...and converts into V-fib... you are protected from Sudden death!
5. Becarful during delivery....NO EPIDURAL!!!!!!!!!!
Any more questions... call the HCMA office.
Lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Pregnancy and HCM]
Author: Amy (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 10-02-02 07:52
Cheri,
I do not have an ICD. However, I have gone through three pregnancies with HCM. The 1st 2 pregnancies went fine, with few symptoms. However, during my last pregnany, I had an enormous amount of arrhythmias. Although most of them were just extra heart beats, I did have runs of tach. And during my 7th month I started having atrial fibulation. I, infact left the States and came to England to have my baby because I couldn't get an obstitrician to look after me. They thought I was too high risk. My HCA, which was not obstructive, had become obstructive (which is unusual). Because I lived in England previously, I have an excellent cardiologist here, who monitored my care. He started me on amiodarone in my 7th month, which stopped the A Fib and reduced the tach. One of my biggest fears was that after the baby was born, I would continue to have symptoms. My baby is 6 weeks old now, and I am feeling almost like my old self. over the past few weeks I've had less and less symptoms. I hope my story helps in some way.
-Amy