Living Well With HOCM
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) can cause your heart muscle to gradually thicken. With the obstructive type, the blood flow out of your heart get blocked.
Everyone feels differently, and perhaps you felt overwhelmed after hearing you have this condition. But many people with HOCM live long, healthy, and productive lives. Some people have mild symptoms. But sometimes, your symptoms can be significant enough to impact your quality of life.
Here’s what life might look like with HOCM.
How You May Feel With HOCM
With HOCM, you can feel fine. And your health care provider may not pick up that you have the condition until you get testing for some other reason.
Even with mild physical symptoms, you may experience anxiety or depression. There’s lots to think about with HOCM, like possible complications down the road or how your condition affects your ability to stay active or do your work.
Your health care team and loved ones can help you plan ahead. Try to focus on the next step ahead, too.
How You’ll Keep Moving With HOCM
If you have HOCM, you may feel confused about whether or not it’s safe to exercise. Talk to your doctor about physical activity because it depends on your specific health.
Exercise tips for HOCM
In general, moderate exercise can be safe for some people with HOCM. One study looked at 1,660 people with all forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They weren’t any more likely to get a life-threatening problem like an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
Regular exercise is important for your heart health and overall physical and emotional health. Groups like the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology suggest that people with HOCM do mild-to-moderate intensity exercise.
These groups suggest exercises like brisk walking on a regular basis. If you use a heart rate monitor, “mild to moderate” means your heart rate shouldn’t rise above about 70% of your maximum heart rate.
To stay safe with HOCM, you can take a couple of precautions such as:
Drink plenty of fluids when you work out so you don’t get dehydrated.
Don’t exercise outdoors when it’s very hot or humid.
Some people with HOCM are able to build up to more intense workouts, but work with your doctor to be sure it’s safe. The American Heart Association recommends that your cardiologist first test your heart before talking about the benefits and risks of more intense activity.
When to call the doctor
Stop and call your doctor right away if your workout causes:
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
What You’ll Eat With HOCM
Another way to stay heart-healthy is eating nutritious foods when you have HOCM. You can help prevent other forms of heart disease, like coronary artery disease, too.
A healthy diet may help you maintain a normal weight, and this can put less stress on your heart.
Research shows that a good diet can also have a direct positive effects on HOCM. In one study, people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and obesity who followed a Mediterranean diet and did regular aerobic exercise improved their heart function.
Emotional Well-being With HOCM
Research shows that emotional stress worsens symptoms of HOCM, such as chest pain. Chronic stress also raises your blood pressure and increases your risk to develop a heart arrhythmia.
So talking with your loved ones and health care team about go-to strategies for managing stress and anxiety is key.
With HOCM, you may also develop depression or anxiety. It’s important to get those in check, too.
If your stress, depression, or anxiety are too much to manage on your own, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. They can help.
Getting Sleep With HOCM
Sleep can help your overall heart health as well as energy and mood — all of which are crucial to living well with HOCM. So it’s important to get plenty of rest.
Most people need at least seven hours of shut-eye a night. Ways to help ensure this happens include:
Keep a consistent bedtime and wake up time — even on the weekends
Limit screen time before bed
Avoid heavy meals and alcohol intake in the evening
Adopt a relaxing bedtime routine, such as a warm bath and 30 minutes of reading, that you go through every night
While sleep is especially important for your HOCM, many people with the condition struggle to catch enough ZZZs.
Up to 70% of people with HOCM have sleep apnea, a condition that causes pauses in your breathing while you slumber at night. This condition hurts the quality of your sleep and can leave you feeling like you didn’t get any rest at all.
Sleep apnea also raises your risk for heart disease and may worsen HOCM.
Your doctor may want you to do a sleep study.
Staying Positive With HOCM
A positive outlook can help you better manage the challenges that may come with HOCM. In fact, optimistic people with stable heart disease are about 40% less likely to have a heart attack than those with a less sunny disposition.
Negative emotions and stress hormones
Negative emotions can raise levels of stress hormones in your body. And that can raise both your heart rate and blood pressure.
People with a positive outlook may also be more likely to choose healthy behaviors, too. That is, when you’re in a good mood, you may be more prone to eat right and get out for that brisk walk.
How to stay positive
One good way to stay positive is to keep a gratitude journal. Every day, jot down three or four things that you’re thankful for. This can help lower levels of inflammatory hormones and help keep your heart healthy.
It’s also important to get social support, too. Try to see friends and loved ones as much as possible. A strong social support network is linked to higher survival rates in all patients with heart disease.
If you’d like more support from people who understand your condition, reach out to the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. They offer a free 15-minute call to answer questions about your new diagnosis and possible treatment options. They can also connect you with online patient support groups.
Getting the Right Care for Your HOCM
Since HOCM is so rare, it might be hard to find a heart specialist that has the experience to treat it. Look for medical care at a center certified by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. These centers offer cutting-edge therapies and provide the support and resources you need.
Most people with HOCM have an excellent outlook, especially if you’re diagnosed later in life. New treatments mean mortality rates are very low.
Most people with HOCM have a normal life expectancy and still do most activities. And the earlier you get treatment, the more likely you are to have a good outcome.
Show Sources
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