Treatment

[derek]

I am a 38-yr-old male who has been active in wieghtlifting and exercise all my life. After experiencing heart palpitations and difficulty exercising and having shortness of breath, I began to see a cardiologist. He at first felt it was nothing serious (thinking it may be due to caffeine and anxiety or stress) but after several exams and my condition worsening, gave me an echo cardiogram. He calculated an ejection fraction of 30 and scheduled me for a catheterization. The doctor who performed the procedure found clean arteries and good valves but said my left ventricle was weak and had an E/F of 40. Both doctors have not seemed too alarmed and said the proper course of treatment would be medication. A third doctor who examined my chart in the hospital also did not seem alarmed and said I would have a normal life with medication. My cardiologist says I have a cardiomyopathy of unknown cause (probably due to viral infection) and currently has me on .25 mg Digoxin, 2.5 mg Altace, and 6.25 mg Coreg (the Coreg I take twice a day) and has mentioned in the past that some of his patients have made full recoveries from something like this. I was upbeat and looking forward to also making a full recovery and getting back to the gym until I did more research on the internet concerning cardiomyopathies. I have been pretty devastated to learn that cardiomyopathy is degenerative and has fairly dire long-term consequences. My questions are: Are the doctors

[stirling]

Dear Derek,

I am not a cardilologist, buy I am a DCM patient...(Dilated Cardiomyopathy) and was also in CHF...(Congestive Heart Failure) with an EF 0f 20% at diagnosis... That was 5 years ago when I was 39. Through proper medication, communication with my doctor and overall taking care of myself, I have improved drastically.
My EF is at 65% (within normal range) and my last annual echo
was within normal parameters... My cause was of unknown orgin also.... This condition works in thirds....1/3 of patients get better,1/3 stay about the same and the other 1/3 are in need of transplants. Don't get yourself all bothed up on the internet as i did !! Just listen to your heart doctor, because you are his now for the rest of your life.... through good communication, exercising, taking your meds and keeping your appointments you probably are going to be fine... Hope I have helped to enlighten you also as this fine forum and their doctors did with their response!! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions!!
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Best regards and best of luck!!
Stirling

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Based on the information you have provided about yourself, I agree with everything that your doctors have said. Medications are the appropriate treatment and the ones you are on are fine. Full recoveries are certainly possible, especially in someone so young and healthy otherwise; the medications will help increase the chances of recovery as well.