Search the site for providers, locations, and content.
Main Menu
Diagnosis
Patient Story: John’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Patient Story: John’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy DiagnosisI had been feeling poorly for a while. Shortness of breath. Not really chest pains. More kind of like justa discomfort in the chest. And I had thought that it was just getting old.And so I just didn't think much of it until I passed out.One day got out of bed, stood up and then just hit the floor. And my wife said, that's not normal, youneed to go see a doctor.And so I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with HOCM.I'd never heard of it before. And so I had just assumed that it was high blood pressure.It was terrifying to hear that your heart has a problem, you know, a structural deficiency.So to get this diagnosis and have them explain it to me, yeah, it was instructive. It was good to hear.The first treatment is with medication. And so you take pills and you deal with what small side effectsthere are. And you see if that makes you feel any better. For me, it didn't.So I had to then talk to them about surgeryThat's not easy to hear. But making that all better is the fact that there is a procedure for it.I remember being wheeled out of the waiting room, you know, the prep room and down the hallway.And that was it. Next thing I knew, it was a number of hours later and I was up in the ICU.I went in six months after my surgery and, you know, everything's healed fine and my heart's beatingokay. And so everything, you know, everything's going on just fine.“Everything is going great”I don't get as tired as I used to. And physical exercise doesn't exhaust me as much as it did before.And there's a certain calmness and knowing that there was a problem that's been fixed. The doctorstold me beforehand that not having this taken care of would take about five years off my life.Having it taken care of isn't going to add anything. It's just going to not have that five years taken careof. So really, it's not a matter of feeling better than you used to feel.Page 1 ofDiagnosisIt's more a matter of feeling like you should have felt if you didn't have this problem.It's just part of my health history now.Page 2 ofThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.© The Wellness Network
Watch this clip to learn why when you are diagnosed with a problem ignoring it is not an option.
Learn why William is happy he went to the doctor to get checked out instead of ignoring his problem.
Watch this video to learn about hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, how it affects the heart, and what treatments there are for it.
Watch this video to learn about treatments for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
