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I am 65 years old and over the past 10/15 years I have s...

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Guest
Guest

I am 65 years old and over the past 10/15 years I have suffered from shortness of breath under exertion, and pains/aches in the chest, again upon walking uphill or exertion. My local Cardiologist has treated me for the past 10 years with medication and has managed to control the breathlessnes.He has allways said that eventually I would need heart surgery if there was signs of deterioration,and has intimated that septal ablation was going to be the way to go.

Because of my worsening condition he decidedin October 2005 that now was the the time to go for alcohol septal ablation procedure,wheels where then set in motion for me to attend the London Chest hospital and to have the procedure done by Mr Charles Knight who is renowned as being the No. 1 in performing this procedure.

I was admitted to the London Chest[after travelling from Hartlepool and having to arrange accomodation for my wife during my stay] on March 6th. 2006 and after all the preparatory tests ie ECG,Ultra sound scans,blood tests, etc, etc,it was agreed to go ahead with the procedure,on the 7th March. Naturally I was extremely apprehensive prior to the procedure,but the assurances of the Cardiologist and other hospital doctors gave me the strength and courage to agree to the procedure. I was monitored in CCU for 3/4 days after the procedure and discharged on Monday 13th March,to have follow up at James Cook hospital Middlesbrough,under the care of Cardiologist Mr J. Hall. At the moment I have not experienced any problems,as I am taking it easy at home. I will not know if I require a pacemaker until follow up tests have been performed over the next 2 weeks. Hopefully I will be able to get on with my life in a normal way a 65 year old man does in 2 or 3 weeks time.Everything looks positive at the moment.:D

[i:883f31eb3d]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:883f31eb3d]

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3 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I am glad to hear you were able to see the specialist in London.My Dad died on the 22nd May 2006 age 51 from Hypertophic Cardiomyopathy. Dad was diganosed with this condition when he was 14, however over the last 2 years his condition had become severely worse. Dad had seen several Doctors and heart surgeons from Hull but nobody would change his medication to help him. He was told the only person able to help was Mr Knight but after several months of hospital visits he was never refered to him. It seems if we had been willing to pay my Dad would have been seen a long time ago, now my family and I am all waiting to be tested to see if we also have the disease.

    My advise to anyone with this disease is to keep pushing your Doctor because lifes to short to be sat around waiting. sad

    [i:b62b314307]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:b62b314307]

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hello Jocelyn, I am very sorry to hear of your Dad's death from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. I consider myself very fortunate and grateful that I was referred by my Specialist Dr. J. Hall from James Cook Hospital,Middlesbrough to Mr Charles Knight at the London Chest Hospital,for the Septal ablation procedure. It is now 3 months since I had the procedure and all the follow up tests have proved that the procedure was successful. My immediate family members are all in the process of having tests to see if they have the disease. Fortunately those who have been tested are clear.I agree with you when you say that anyone who has the disease should push there GP to be referred to a Cardiologist who understands the disease.

    [i:14c4d42edf]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:14c4d42edf]

  • dad_breed
    dad_breed

    Posted

    [quote:b28c1c71b0=\"J. M.\"]I am glad to hear you were able to see the specialist in London.My Dad died on the 22nd May 2006 age 51 from Hypertophic Cardiomyopathy. Dad was diganosed with this condition when he was 14, however over the last 2 years his condition had become severely worse. Dad had seen several Doctors and heart surgeons from Hull but nobody would change his medication to help him. He was told the only person able to help was Mr Knight but after several months of hospital visits he was never refered to him. It seems if we had been willing to pay my Dad would have been seen a long time ago, now my family and I am all waiting to be tested to see if we also have the disease.

    My advise to anyone with this disease is to keep pushing your Doctor because lifes to short to be sat around waiting. sad

    [i:b28c1c71b0]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:b28c1c71b0][/quote:b28c1c71b0][quote:b28c1c71b0]hi my dad has cardiomyopathy and is very ill at the minute he is 55 years old and was first diagnosed in 1994,when he was 51.He has been trying to get on the transplant list for 2 years.He has been refered to papworth hospital in cambridgeshire 3 times to be told he was too fit ,too young and too fat.At this present moment he 94kg he needs to weigh 90kg but it isnt fat that he is trying to loose ,its fluid.If he doest get on the list time will run out.he doesnt eat much for fear of not getting on the list.We as a family don't feel we are getting the help we need.My dad was in hospital in may with severe fluid retention and we were called into the hospital on fathers day to be told he was dying.He then weighed 105kg.He pulled through and has lost 10kg since then.He is on a fluid restiction and he has to measure his output.He looks very ill and now its got to a point were his heart nurse doesn't seem to want to know.Its what to expect.Even the mention of the transplant goes in 1 ear and out the other.Papworth are all for my dad getting on the list but its all down to the heart nurse when he can be refered there.Papworty have told my dad that at his currant weight he will only have a 33% chance of survival,but he is willing to take that chance cause its better than the chancehe has at the moment.We as a family feel we dont know what to do next.Do we get bthe localbpaper involved and say he is being refused treatment or what? please help[/quote:b28c1c71b0]

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