symptoms

[Gary Jackson]

when i eat then walk for about 1 hour afterwarsds I walk I get chest discomfort as well as some shortness of breathe? If I stay seated for that hour no pains at all.
could this be a symptom of hcm?


thank you

[Reenie]

This is something that's very common with those who have HCM. The digestive system takes a lot of blood in order to work properly and most HCM'ers have trouble with large meals or exercise after a meal.

Reenie

[shirleymahoney]

Gary

Yes sir this is very common, i get it quite often , in fact i'm having it tonight, Us HCMers are in a unique group of people

Shirley

[Pam Alexson]

The circulation of the heart gets shunted to where it is needed most at any given time. After eating , digestion must occur, therefore blood must go to the digestive system to help process the goodies. (This is one reason that anyone with a heart problem needs to taper there feedings down to smaller more frequent intervals. ) Now because the heart of an HCM person has a filling problem due to the thickening and stiffness of the left ventricle. ( The poor compliance , elasticity of the muscle), makes filling take longer to meet the demand of our body. Now sitting is one thing , if you are asking your HCM heart to take a walk and to digest a big meal at the same time , you may be asking a little too much of your HCM heart. On another day it may be better . Days vary and so do our menus. Our hearts do not always follow the same path day to day. There are multiple variables to consider .

Going back to digestion. Hcm hearts act up very frequently when asked to do too much too fast. You have necessitaed a re-rourting of good portion of blood to do the digestion. The left ventricle acts up in protest to that removal ( temporary ) of volume. ( you will hear us beat the dead horse here ... drink , drink , drink.) HCM hearts need volume and need to be well hydrated to function adequately. While you are digesting the volume is gone elsewhere, not dehydration but similar effect. Your heart doesn't know the difference just that it is now low on need. You will experience various symptoms some specific to you as you have mentioned. This is part of having HCM.

Pam

[Gary Jackson]

thank you..

could this be the same symptoms as any other probelem like hypertropic left ventricle and NOT Hcm?

or only HCM has this symptom?

[michael obrien]

hi Gary,I have had the same problem at different times.I remedied it by walking 2 hours after eating.this way my body has a chance to digest.also I dont know what medications you take but maybe you could tell your cardiologist your complaint and he could add to,or adjust your medication.I know how I felt when I was first diagnosed I was really scared.I was hoping it was all a big mistake,and the people on the message board encouraged me.I want you to hold onto and keep at the forefront of your mind what Lisa said as well as many others.That is that people with hcm can [live full long lives].Just hang in their it will get better.think about all of us when you begin to get anxious.we are surviving and so will you.carpe diem. mike ob :)

[Largehearted]

Gary.

I have also noticed when I eat a high carb meal (pasta, rice, deserts etc.) that it does not need to be a large meal to give me that feeling of discomfort. But as was noted above this can vary depending on the day. Sometimes I feel like I could do anything, and other days I feel like I can do nothing. HCM is strange in that way.

It seems to me you are not convinced that you have HCM. And hopefully you do not, but if you do just know that you you can live a long and happy life with some limitations. I will keep you in my prayers.

Peace,

Leon

[Pam Alexson]

Gary , any compromise in the hearts ability to function can result in similar symptoms. Remember it's main job is to pump blood around our bodies. The HCM heart is hyperdynamic and has a great ability to pump , but it does need to have the volume that I talked about earlier.

Someone with LVH may experience similar symptoms. You really need to make that phone call to Lisa and discuss all your concerns. Make a list. Please continue to read here and post as well . It is still early and there is a lot to digest( no pun intended).
Pam

[Gary Jackson]

I am curreenly on NO medication. I didnt think much of the shortness of breathe and chest pains after eating for awhile as I thought t may have been indigeston or I ate too large of a meal and didnt digest it yet.
I found out about HCM after a route physical exam. I am adpoting a child from China so I had the exam.

Should I be on medication? this is my only symptom so far so is this considered a minor or a major symptom?


I only had 1 appointent with cardiologist so far I am going for a holter on monday and a stress test next week
this board is a wonderful place and I am so grateful you are all here

[Reenie]

It will be up to your doctors whether or not they put you on medicine. Most with HCM are on some type of med, but again, everyone is different. You will probably have more information after the holter and stress test. Remember, take it slow and easy. There is so much to learn and you're still new at this. It's a lot to take in. You're doing a great job and you're asking good questions. Just don't overwhelm yourself. :)

Reenie

[Laoshur]

Hi, Gary,

Off the topic, but are you coming to China to get the child? Do you have a date? I'd love to meet you, if you come to Beijing!

Rhoda

[Reenie]

When we lived in Japan one of the 3rd grade teachers at our school (an American) adopted a beautiful Chinese baby. Her name is Julia. :)

Reenie

[Gary Jackson]

thats great I plan to arive in either Nov or december .It depends on when i get my referral

Gary

[Gary Jackson]

for those that are symptomatic what are the typical symptoms and how long do they last or are they persistant during the day? I am trying to gauge my symptoms

[Reenie]

Symptoms vary a lot per person. Some are feeling faint, actually fainting, having problems with your heart rate, being short of breath, having no energy, and the list goes on. Some people have a lot of symptoms and some have almost none.

Reenie

[Gary Jackson]

does symptoms reflect how severe you are inflicted with hcm?

[Burton Borrok]

Hi Gary,
This disease is the weirdest darn thing you can imagine. Many doctors, even cardiologists, associate the degree of symptoms with the condition of the malady, but, ‘it ain’t necessarily so’ my friend – it just ain’t necessarily so.

We have people with significant disease and little or no symptoms on one hand, and people with almost no measurable disease yet have significant symptoms on the other hand. But that ain’t all – we have parent / child situations where one is significantly effected but with few, mild symptoms and the other with almost no impairment and yet has significant symptoms.

About the only association I am aware of is if a person with HCM has a number of blood relatives who have died from sudden death syndrome, then that person is also considered to be at risk. Aside from that, each person has to be evaluated on degree of impairment and degree of symptoms, independently of each situation.

Strange isn’t it – but them be the facts.
Burt

[Gary Jackson]

as usual thank you burt

[jmurray]

Gary,

I've found that some days I have no symptoms and other days are a nightmare. Get up in the AM - heart thumping everywhere. What I call "heart hiccups" all day, then bad chest pain in the evening right before bed. NO FUN. But the good days are GREAT! I don't know yet what the full extent of my HCM is yet (going for more tests tomorrow) but I think Burt said it best - Its just a weird disease.

Best wishes,

John