[heart working to hard]
Author: Beckie from Ohio (---.ZNVL.splitrock.net)
Date: 10-19-02 10:30
Hi I am fairly new to this forum but have gotten some new information from my cardiologist and am just wondering if anyone ever heard if this. I had a heart cath. echo and the results were told to me as follows, my arteries are good but he said I have a mixed cardiomyopathy, part genetic and part hypertension caused, he said my heart is too strong ,ejection fraction 90% blood pressure inside my heart really high and this was causing all my symtoms which are getting worse sob, fatigue, lightheadedness etc. He put a holter moniter on me over the weekend and said he had to change all my meds but wanted to check out the heart rate first which is staying to high on exertion according to him. I am very symtomatic . He said all my symtoms are from the left ventricle thickening which he said was 1.3, this doesn't sound so high to me compared to others I have read on the forum. I am presently on altace 10mg and verapamil 240 mg. I cannot take beta blockers. Is there anything out there that can help relieve my symtoms? My whole life style has been taken over by my symtoms, any information would be highly appreciated. thanks to all and for this forum . Warmly, Beckie from Ohio
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[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Lisa Salberg (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date: 10-19-02 13:29
Beckie -
step one we need a clear diagnosis and from what your saying it is not clear to me what is going on. What type of cardiomyopathy did the Dr say you have? There are several types.
Also your EF of 90% is high and those with HCM often have high EF's -- why cant you take beta blockers, do you have asthma?
Your measurements of 1.3 are really on the line of norm/hypertension/hcm - -what is the free wall measurement, what is the measurement of the left atria??
let me know and I will try to give you some ideas of questions to ask your doctor...and/or you many wan to see a specialist..
All the best,
Lisa
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[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Marcus Burnett (---.chicago-07rh15rt.il.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 10-22-02 12:45
Your note indicates there are different types of cardiomyopathy - what are they?
Marcus
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[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Erica Stolzenberg (---.biz.dsl.gtei.net)
Date: 10-22-02 12:56
Marcus ...
1) dilated cardiomyopathy
2) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and
3) restrictive cardiomyopathy
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[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Erica (---.atlnga1.dsl-verizon.net)
Date: 10-22-02 19:35
Marcus ... sorry! I answered your inquiry earlier when I really didn't have time to elaborate ... so here is the rest of information I wanted to provide:
1) dilated cardiomyopathy: the most common form of the disease, Causes the heart to enlarge & weaken. Some causes include a prior heart attack; heart valve disease or alcohol or cocaine abuse and 20% inherited this condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy can lead to congestive heart failure and can be life-threatening.
2) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: also is commonly inherited. The wall of the left ventricle, the heart’s primary pumping chamber, is thickened resulting in a heart that becomes stiff and unable to fill with blood.
3) restrictive cardiomyopathy: the rarest form of cardiomyopathy in the United States usually caused by other diseases. The heart muscle becomes rigid, which in turn impairs the heart’s ability to fill the ventricles with blood between beats.
I hope this helps! I know someone else will add to this if I left something out or if I am a little off with my descriptions. ~ Erica
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[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Sarah B.-Board Moderator (---.client.attbi.com)
Date: 10-23-02 23:04
Dear Marcus,
The HCM overview on this web site has a lot of good info about cardiomyopathies and HCM in particular. If you become a member, you also get a book about HCM that is very imformative.
Are you new to HCM?
S
Author: Beckie from Ohio (---.ZNVL.splitrock.net)
Date: 10-19-02 10:30
Hi I am fairly new to this forum but have gotten some new information from my cardiologist and am just wondering if anyone ever heard if this. I had a heart cath. echo and the results were told to me as follows, my arteries are good but he said I have a mixed cardiomyopathy, part genetic and part hypertension caused, he said my heart is too strong ,ejection fraction 90% blood pressure inside my heart really high and this was causing all my symtoms which are getting worse sob, fatigue, lightheadedness etc. He put a holter moniter on me over the weekend and said he had to change all my meds but wanted to check out the heart rate first which is staying to high on exertion according to him. I am very symtomatic . He said all my symtoms are from the left ventricle thickening which he said was 1.3, this doesn't sound so high to me compared to others I have read on the forum. I am presently on altace 10mg and verapamil 240 mg. I cannot take beta blockers. Is there anything out there that can help relieve my symtoms? My whole life style has been taken over by my symtoms, any information would be highly appreciated. thanks to all and for this forum . Warmly, Beckie from Ohio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Lisa Salberg (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date: 10-19-02 13:29
Beckie -
step one we need a clear diagnosis and from what your saying it is not clear to me what is going on. What type of cardiomyopathy did the Dr say you have? There are several types.
Also your EF of 90% is high and those with HCM often have high EF's -- why cant you take beta blockers, do you have asthma?
Your measurements of 1.3 are really on the line of norm/hypertension/hcm - -what is the free wall measurement, what is the measurement of the left atria??
let me know and I will try to give you some ideas of questions to ask your doctor...and/or you many wan to see a specialist..
All the best,
Lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Marcus Burnett (---.chicago-07rh15rt.il.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 10-22-02 12:45
Your note indicates there are different types of cardiomyopathy - what are they?
Marcus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Erica Stolzenberg (---.biz.dsl.gtei.net)
Date: 10-22-02 12:56
Marcus ...
1) dilated cardiomyopathy
2) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and
3) restrictive cardiomyopathy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Erica (---.atlnga1.dsl-verizon.net)
Date: 10-22-02 19:35
Marcus ... sorry! I answered your inquiry earlier when I really didn't have time to elaborate ... so here is the rest of information I wanted to provide:
1) dilated cardiomyopathy: the most common form of the disease, Causes the heart to enlarge & weaken. Some causes include a prior heart attack; heart valve disease or alcohol or cocaine abuse and 20% inherited this condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy can lead to congestive heart failure and can be life-threatening.
2) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: also is commonly inherited. The wall of the left ventricle, the heart’s primary pumping chamber, is thickened resulting in a heart that becomes stiff and unable to fill with blood.
3) restrictive cardiomyopathy: the rarest form of cardiomyopathy in the United States usually caused by other diseases. The heart muscle becomes rigid, which in turn impairs the heart’s ability to fill the ventricles with blood between beats.
I hope this helps! I know someone else will add to this if I left something out or if I am a little off with my descriptions. ~ Erica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: heart working to hard]
Author: Sarah B.-Board Moderator (---.client.attbi.com)
Date: 10-23-02 23:04
Dear Marcus,
The HCM overview on this web site has a lot of good info about cardiomyopathies and HCM in particular. If you become a member, you also get a book about HCM that is very imformative.
Are you new to HCM?
S